impersonating legal authorities
Complaint
Bernadette Harris
Country: United States
This company contacted me AFTER calling ALL of my relatives and acquaintences telling them that I had committed a felony! My husband and I owed 2 payday loans to a company we had been making payments to. She said there were felony charges being executed with the state attorneys office that day for a "Wolf 21" attempt to defraud, if we didn't submit $1260 by 1:00 the same day! We only owed $960! In a panic, we arranged payment, only to find out that they are nothing more than a collection agent, and had violated MANY of the fair debt collections laws for Florida in their threats, etc. FYI: Deferred payment organizations, such as payday loan companies cannot charge consumers with worthless checks in FLORIDA.
Comments
http://www.wvago.gov/press.cfm?ID=444&fx=more
"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Norman Googel
Phone: (800) 368-8808
Release Date: August 21, 2008
Attorney General McGraw Warns Public of Fake Internet Loan Collectors Impersonating Law Enforcement Officers and Extorting Money From Consumers
Attorney General Darrell McGraw took the extraordinary step today of warning the public about a band of scam artists making threats to consumers who allegedly obtained Internet payday loans in West Virginia and across the nation. The consumers they threaten never obtained a loan at all or paid it off years ago.
Internet payday loans are short-term loans or cash advances, usually for 14 days, made over the Internet via interactive web sites and secured by an agreement authorizing debits of the loan and all fees owed from the consumer’s checking account. These loans typically charge interest rates ranging from 600-800 APR and are unlawful in West Virginia.
The scam artists, who speak English with a foreign accent, call themselves “U.S. National Bank,” “Federal Investigation Bureau,” “United Legal Processing” and numerous other phony names. They refuse to disclose real names and addresses and are believed to be operating “off the grid” from homes, automobiles, or from off shore locations or foreign countries, including India. Since the scammers have kept themselves purposely well hidden, thus far no law enforcement agencies have succeeded in locating or shutting them down.
The scammers typically pose as law enforcement officers, investigators, lawyers, and bankers and threaten consumers that they will be arrested for “bank fraud” or other fictitious crimes unless money is wired immediately. They simultaneously scare and confuse consumers by using meaningless legalese gobbledygook phrases such as, “We are downloading warrants against you” or “We are filing an affidavit against you.” Consumers who don’t immediately fall for the scam are warned, “Only God can help you now.”
The scammers almost always call consumers at work several times a day, and tell their supervisors, “Your employee has committed fraud and is about to be arrested.” Such threats have proven unsettling even to the most savvy consumers and employers who suspect the calls are fraudulent.
Attorney General McGraw stated, “Ordinarily my office protects consumers from fraudulent activities by seeking injunctions in court. But legal action cannot be taken until the scam artists can be located. Even then, it is unlikely that the persons behind the fraudulent calls and extortionist threats would obey a court order. In this case, the consumer’s best defense is to be armed with the knowledge of the scam so that all demands for money can be resisted, despite the false but scarey threats of arrest.”
McGraw added, “Because the fraudsters make a special point of calling consumers repeatedly at work, employers must understand that the consumers are innocent victims of a criminal enterprise and cannot stop the calls from coming. I also wish to assure the citizens of West Virginia that my office will continue to do everything possible to locate and shut down the outlaw debt collectors.”
More information about this fraudulent debt collection scheme is available at the Attorney General’s website, www.wvago.gov/internetloanscam. Any consumers who have been threatened by these persons or wish to file a complaint about another consumer matter may do so by calling the Consumer Protection Hot Line, 1-800-368-8808, or by obtaining a complaint form from the Attorney General’s web site.
"
http://www.wvago.gov/internetloanscam.cfm
"January 22, 2009
ATTORNEY GENERAL MADIGAN SUES ABUSIVE
COLLECTION AGENCY
Chicago — Attorney General Lisa Madigan today filed a lawsuit in Wabash County against a Jacksonville, Fla., collection agency for employing deceptive collection practices and using threatening and abusive language while attempting to collect on alleged debts on behalf of payday loan companies.
“These defendants used malicious tactics to bully alleged debtors, their family members, and even their employers,” Madigan said. “This case is an egregious example of the unscrupulous methods often used to collect debts. These methods violate consumers’ rights and certainly will not be tolerated in Illinois.”
Madigan’s complaint names United Processing, Inc., and its President and Director, Lisa Waters, for allegedly threatening debtors, communicating private information to debtors’ employers and operating in Illinois without the proper state licensing, all in violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act and the Illinois Collection Agency Act. Madigan’s Consumer Fraud Bureau has received 11 complaints against the defendants since 2007.
The complaint alleges that United Processing employees, some of whom misrepresented themselves as attorneys, made a variety of false threats to callers, ranging from threats that the state’s child welfare agency would remove a debtor’s children if they refused to pay, that the local sheriff would arrest the debtor, that the debtor would be charged criminally or that they would face a “minimum two-year federal prison term.” The United Processing employees also allegedly used abusive language when they spoke to people who would not disclose the debtor’s whereabouts. In some situations, the United Processing employees disclosed private information about the alleged debtors to their employers and other individuals related to the debtors.
Madigan is asking the court to enter a permanent injunction preventing the defendants from engaging in debt collection services in Illinois. The suit also seeks to have the court order the defendants to pay fees, franchise taxes and penalties for their failure to obtain approval to operate in Illinois as an out-of-state corporation and file the legally-required documents. Finally, Madigan also asked the court to order the defendants to pay a civil penalty of $50,000, additional penalties of $50,000 for each act committed with intent to defraud, and costs for the investigation and prosecution of the case.
"
Since you are alleging id theft, that you don't know what company they claim you owe, yrt they have your SSN and bank account number, does this even have any connection to any debt you ever owed? If not, then you ARE dealing with id theft, whether by some unknown person possibly using your identity to take out a loan, or by this shady outfit, and you better close your account, put a fraud alert on your credit reports, and report it to law enforcement to obtain an id theft police report, or you might find they just take your money.
What they are threatening is illegal, even if you owe an alleged debt. They are thugs and con men, not attorneys. They have many reports of making similar threats. And your caller is probably not named "Bob White". They use that, and similar names like "Officer Kevin Peterson", as aliases to intimidate the people they call.
United Legal Processing is located in Jacksonville FL. Contact the Florida Attorney General, who has shut down other Jacksonville area debt collectors for similar activities.
At 6:35pm on April 27, 2011, I received a call from and Indian male who identified himself as Alan White advising me to send a fax to a Thomas Wilson, Restitution Officer, giving my name, address, phone#, credit or debit card information, drivers license# and statement agreeing to pay Cash Advance $375.00 and upon receipt of my information, they would discharge all pending legal matters. The fax # is 206-350-4062. At 7:14pm, I received a very irate call from “Alan White” inquiring as to where the fax was. The first phone number “Alan White” called from was 620-707-3996 and the last phone number was 512-588-7163.
How do I get rid of these scammers and can they use my information for their use?
legal office. He claims to be an peace or police officer calling to tell me that I am an prime
suspect in some case about an payday loan. I have receved numerous calls from these
same people. This person has an thick indian accent and is very rude. They have used
various phone numbers such a 877-850-2929. They also called my job and I have alerted
them that this an scram and to not accept any calls. They have also spoken to my Husband
who got very irate with the caller and he has not called my home number again. This admitted
that he called my home. My husband and I know about this scam and will not give in to their
demands.