Scam
Complaint
Gizelle
Country: United States
Someone just called stating they would be out to "serve" me papers due to an upaid check that is on file with this "National Check Affiliates" company. I began to ask the caller many questions. I stated that if someone was going to be served, it would be through the county court, not a third party. This person then kept suggesting I call National Check Affilates. I did, and constantly got voicemail. I remembered hearing about companies who go through old debt and attempt to collect monies buy using threats. I told the guy this was a scam and he became extremely annoyed. Needless to say, he got nowhere with me, and let's just say, he's the one who ended up with a threat. Be careful people!!!
Comments
Follow up by filing a fraud complaint with your local police department, and get a copy of the police report.
Your bank can reverse charges if you dispute promptly, under FRB Reg. E (for debit card charges), or equivalent dispute provisions for ACH charges or remotely created checks ("phone checks").
.
What alleged lender?
Report to FTC as well, but with their small size, it's more likely that the NY AG will go after them, so you want then to receive the complaint statistics they need to decide to go after them. NY AG has already shut down and prosecuted a number of similar debt collection shakedown rackets in the Buffalo area.
These debt collection shakedowns need to be stomped out, and not allowed to grow bigger.
1) fraudulently collecting using actual old records of already paid debt,
2) calling and guessing to try to con people who may once have had a payday loan,
3) pulling credit reports, and using credit report info to fake this "debt",
4) buying "loan application leads" and using the info in this con.
Separate (1),(3), or (4), and (2), based on what information they appeared to have or don't have.
(1) would be supported if they have detailed information on an actual loan, including lender, amount and dates.
Did they already know specific details (1), or did they use threats with denying any informaiton, "guiding" you to guess and offer some suggestion, that they jumped on? That would support (2).
Rule (3) in or out by pulling your own credit reports and checking for a recent inquiry from them, or from an unknown company. See if these crooks have access to consumer credit files, and what else they have.
(4) would be supported if you applied on some loan website but did not get any loan through it, in particular if you can identify information they have that is only pertinent to the time during which you applied to a suspect site, like a bank account later closed. Many people who take out payday loans online also enter information at that or other sites either controlled by scammers, or that sell to scammers.
Look through what they say, to what it implies they are doing.
Numerous other complaints report illegal deception and threats.
For all you know, they could be fishing through public records, maybe online court case information, to find people who might be about to winn a court judgement, to set them up for a con by pressuring them ahead of the decision.
Do NOT provide ANY information at all. Any legitimate debt collector will send a letter notifying you of any alleged debt, as required by law (FDCPA), and will either send proof of an alleged debt on your written request, or cease collection until they obtain it, also as required by law. Those who lie, refuse, or make threats, are crooks and con artists.