Dangerous Illegal Collectors
Complaint
Angel
Country: United States
I received a call from someone "called" Ray Fischer. From a Company called HGG Filing Agency (aka PMG Filing Agency) Where he proceded to inform me about a debt I had, and started requesting my bank card information to collect a debt. And if he did not get that information immediately, he would have me served with papers!! Right after this introduction, he started calling me names and insulting me. The night after, he proceded to call third parties related to me and screaming and insulting them if I did not provide a bank information for him.
Federal Agencies pleeease take note on this cases, this is a clear violation of anyone civil rights, privacy rights, and whomever this people are, they are illegally accessing information and illegally contacting third parties to share these information and harass the law abbiding citizen.
Federal Agencies pleeease take note on this cases, this is a clear violation of anyone civil rights, privacy rights, and whomever this people are, they are illegally accessing information and illegally contacting third parties to share these information and harass the law abbiding citizen.
Comments
Then the money they took is not going to pay any "debt" you actually owe, nor will the second $1500 if you let them take that, too.
If you review the many complaints against this company, you will find that there are many indications that their claims are "sketchy", including many allegations that they use threats of lawsuits to extort payments for "debts" that many consumers claim are not even owed, and that they use such abusive threats and harassment to panic people into paying without obtaining any proof they have any right to collect the alleged "debt".
Due to the above indications of deception, fraud, and other violations of law (FDCPA), you would be wise to contact your state Attorney General to file a fraud complaint.
In addition, immediately contact your bank to dispute the charges as fraudulent and close the account or block the debit card number to prevent additional fraudulent charges. Your bank can reverse fraudulent charges but you must dispute them promptly.
You should also consult with a consumer protection attorney, as there are indications they may be violating both state and federal debt collection laws. You might try www.naca.net
For example, if it was a credit card number, of the form xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx, did they have part of the number correct, such as either the first four, or the last four, but the rest wrong?
Or was it allegedly a checking account number?
Did the alleged "debt" partially match any HSBC account you actually know to be owed? Or did they change their story to a different bank to match information you divulged?
Have you checked your credit reports to see if they pulled a copy recently?
The reason to ask is to see to what degree they are trying to fake a number, or what the source might be. Depending on what access they have, their credit reports might show partially x'd numbers, as many consumer versions do. Or they might be just making numbers up, in which case they could still get the first 4 to 6 right based on HSBC.
Several other reports have them allegedly collecting on "HSBC" accounts, but consumers claim the "debts" are fake. That would be consistent with either having incomplete account information, or none at all and just cold calling until they find someone who might have once had an old HSBC account.
If the former, but the numbers are correct in only the first 4 plus some other digits, it would be consistent with obtaining numbers from credit reports or other illicit sources without actual access to HSBC media, while if only the first 4 to 6 and no others, it would be consistent with faking the whole number, since the initial numbers are determined by the bank, and can be looked up.
For example, HSBC cards in various geographic areas define 6 initial digits:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bank_Identification_Numbers
Also note that HSBC took over a number of sub-prime lenders, including Household, Beneficial, and Orchard. Knowing that might make phishing for former HSBC customers an effective way to find targets with old debts, since they would include a pool of sub-prime borrowers.
Variants of this known card information have been used in various cons, primarily fraudulent telemarketers claiming to have some special deal connected to "your bank". Combined with some credit report information, even with partly masked account numbers but with bank names, it might be possible to produce "account numbers" that appear largely but not completely "correct", which might make attempts to collect on such "debts" appear legitimate.
The above tactics would be consistent with reports of repeated attempts to use high pressure threats to get payment on alleged "old HSBC accounts" that consumers recognize as bogus. The multiple deviations from normal expectations reveal the reality behind the deception.
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-798-9717
"Michael Jones contact my brothers back in MI looking for me ... I needed to contact 877-798-9717 immediately"
Although FDCPA prohibits debt collectors from disclosing debts to third parties without authorization, there are MANY complaints against this "company" reporting that they first contact relatives or employers. It appears to be part of their tactics to attempt to panic consumers into paying without investigating the legitimacy of the "debt". If you call based on their call to someone else, they know they have a sucker. Disclosing to others that you allegedly "owe a debt" (regardless of whether it is true or not) is a violation of FDCPA and state law, for which you can sue them.
"there was a lawsuit pending against me "
Numerous complaints report they claim that. Many also report on checking with their local courthouse, they found NO lawsuit. Claiming to have sued you when they have not is a violation of FDCPA and state law, for which you can sue them.
"When I called them a man named Kevin Beck told me not only did a process server attempt to serve me a summons twice but a failed attempt would award them a default judgement against me"
"Kevin Beck" is probably an alias. They are reported to routinely claim to have sued, to be calling to serve a summons, etc, with little proof there is any such suit. Shill complaints, written in similar style, also appear claiming to have been sued or served. More likely you haven't been "served" because you haven't been sued. Their failure to serve you does NOT result in an automatic default judgement. Their claim that it does is a violation of FDCPA and state law, for which you can sue them.
"they were suing me for the balance of a MasterCard through the First Bank of Delaware"
You have no proof they have sued. You have no proof you even owe on a "MasterCard through the First Bank of Deleware". Even if you owed something, you have no proof you owe it to them.
They were required to send you a letter within 5 days of first contact notifying you of your right to dispute and request validation of alleged debts. They are reported to never send such letters, in violation of FDCPA and state law, for which you can sue them.
"I was under investigation for credit card fraud because I never made a payment on this card that opened in 2007"
You have no proof that you are "under investigation for credit card fraud". Numerous other complaints report that they threaten criminal charges. Threatening criminal charges to collect a "debt", or threats of arrest, violate FDCPA and state laws, for which you can sue them.
"He told me that a letter was mailed out 45 days ago to an address that I haven't lived at since 2007 and upon pulling my three credit reports I saw that they did an inquiry on 11/10/10 and it shows my current address on that credit report. "
Their whole deceptive scheme is designed to steer you toward paying them without questioning the alleged "debt". They have just admitted that you could not have received the FDCPA required letter, even as they attempt to blame you and claim you can't dispute this "debt". If they had actually sent out that letter, they would have pulled your credit report first to get your current address, something they clearly did later. The "letter to an old address" exists only as a story to divert you from disputing.
"I asked for the support to prove that this debt was mine and was told several times that I would receive the information through email and mail and the payment arrangement letter I received through email wasn't as discussed. "
They are stringing you along, to continue to put pressure on you for payment without any proof any debt exists. Note that they did NOT send you any proof of the debt, and what they sent was through email. Legitimate debt collectors normally use U.S. Mail. Scammers avoid it to avoid mail fraud charges, since an actual letter is harder to deny than an email that might be demied as from some phony source.
"Being I was told that my original debt was 3000 and they would settle for 1471.82 with 400 down within 1 hour and 125 due before the end of the month with two preauthorized payments in Jan and Feb. "
Note how they are blocking you from disputing through threats and a very short deadline. They are reported in other complaints to demand amounts in the $3000 to $5000 range, then settle for around $1500.
"They would not take a check it had to be done either by credit card or by debit card. I discovered all of these postings after I gave payment to them once I found out the companies name from the pending credit card authorization and they got my money through intimidation. "
A check with the bank stamps and account numbers is more incriminating. Note that by giving them your debit or credit card number, you have NO information on who they are until your charge shows up on your statement. If you wrote a check, you would already know who to write it to, and an address, and could have checked them out. They know that getting the money before you can check it out is 9/10 of the game.
This is basically a "hit and run" con, that either works if they build up to it through threats to create panic, or fails if you get to check them out.
"I was reminded that if they payments didn't clear then all actions would resume, the lein on my bank accounts, the garnishment of my wages, the law suit and the criminal investigation. "
"Lien on your bank accounts", "garnishment of your wages", "lawsuit", "criminal investigation", all a bunch of BS. They have no power to do any of this without winning in court. It is a violation of FDCPA and state law to threaten to take actions they cannot or do not intend to take. You could sue them.
"I admit I have made some mistakes with my credit and I'm in the process of making ammends for that now, "
You are exactly the type of person they are looking for to sucker. As you saw, they pulled your credit reports, and there is enough information disclosed in those to identify people who might be convinced they owe some "debt" to these scammers, and even to fake it using information on some old account that might be posted there.
"I did contact my bank and in the process of the dispute, called my local police department, and consulted with an attorney who felt that this was a scam. "
This scam engages in MANY violations of FDCPA and state law. The range of blatant violations, and the aim of their deceptive and threatening tactics that attempt to panic you into paying them without questioning and disputing the alleged "debt", raise the suspicion that there might not be any "debt" at all, and that they are conning consumers with fake "debts" fabricated using information from their own credit reports. That would be criminal fraud and extortion, including aggrevated identity theft enhancements.
"consulted with an attorney who felt that this was a scam"
He's probably right.
Contact FTC, your state Attorney General, the California Attorney General (they appear to be based in Corona CA), and the FBI, to report the violations, threats, and your suspicions.
You might also look for an attorney with experience in FDCPA and FCRA litigation. Both laws allow courts to award attorney fees if you win, so you may be able to find an attorney to take such a case on contingency.
You might try www.naca.net to find an attorney in your state.
The other number may just be a throw-away cell phone. They are reported to use such numbers when they play "process server", but their goal is to get you to call the 866-872-5550 number, which shows up in PMG's business license information with the city of Corona. It had lapsed, but it appears they recently renewed on 12-29-10.
http://www.ci.corona.ca.us/index.cfm?section= ... d=579&id=643543
Their recently renewed business license is still showing their address as:
140 N Maple 107
Corona, CA 92880
Their mailing address is a mail drop:
220 Newport Cntr Dr 11 211
Newport Beach, CA 92660
http://www.mailroomnewportbeach.com/
Getting phone numbers is easy.
Check your credit reports from all three credit reporting agencies, looking for inquiries, to see if they pulled one of your own credit reports to obtain information to use in the scheme. Look for inquiries days earlier from their first harassing calls, and under names different from any of your legitimate creditors. One complaint reports an inquiry under the name "Mason".
Complaints against that number, starting in September 2010. PMG, HGG, TAS, or whoever they call themselves next, keep changing their phone numbers as complaints start to undermine their credibility.
They are also known for making shill posts, trying to create the appearance that they and the "debts" are legitimate. You can find some shill posts mixed in with the linked complaints.
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-798-9717
Shill post aimed at refuting other complaints. Note how supposedly "she" was not only "served" but is immediately subject to "wage garnishment", without any of those annoying court thingys. Numerous other shill posts paint this same picture, under various aliases.
"ANGELA VETTER
19 Oct 2010
I GOT A LCALL FROM THEM TOO LAST WEEK AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD SERVE ME AT WORK...RIGHT AWAY I LOOKED IT UP ONLINE TO SEE IF THEY CAN DO THIS...I REALIZED IT WAS A SCAM AND TOLD THE TO F OFF...WELL NEEDLESS TO SAY MY WORK JUST CALLED ME AND TOLD ME I HAVE TO COME TALK TO THEM BECAUSE OF A WAGE GARNISHMENT...IS THIS ALLOWED? IM GETTING 10% TAKEN EVERY WEEK ALONG WITH MY CHILD SUPPORT IM GONNA GO BROKE..
Call Type: Debt Collector
"
By the way, there is a P.I. out of Washington state, posting discretely on several complaint sites looking for information on them.
It's rather pointless to cave to a phone call from a scam, with only the threat you are supposedly being sued, and no proof of suit, or of the "debt". Too many criminals have learned that this is an easy way to extort money from people. In fact, it has gotten so bad that half the complaints against "debt collectors" on this board are reporting fraudulent debt collection attempts.
Numerous complaints are reporting abusive collection and threats consistent with fraudulent collection of fake "debts".
Most of those complaints allege no debt is owed, and many report it never was.
The few that are reporting being "served", "sued", or "garnished", show similarities in writing style, presentation of court processes and timelines inconsistent with normal procedures, inclusion of details and "explanations", and other characteristics consistent with shills.
Reports also are showing progression through multiple names and phone numbers, a common tactic to hide fraudulent activity.
This is a highly abnormal pattern consistent with organized fraud.
https://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/QrqUYTUISgCLBgjMeJtSCQ
https://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/9KSRegEiBgDcFwjNBu7N8g
https://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/tsuaA05s2wB5yAjNE5nv7A
https://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/8K8ICcKeigDrqAjM7ZFIxw
Also search phone numbers on 800notes.com, and whocallsme.com
Dateline's Chris Hansen tracked down one predatory "debt collector", who was calling pretending to be "police investigators from Maryland", or "attorneys", and located them in Buffalo NY, run by an ex-con with a conviction for armed robbery.
http://wnymedia.net/marcodien/2009/04/datelin ... ction-agencies/
The New York Attorney General subsequently arrested several associated with this and other Buffalo debt collectors, obtaining larceny convictions in a number of cases.
http://www.ag.ny.gov/media_center/2009/sep/sep29b_09.html
Attempting to collect unknown debts through the use of threats is a common indicator of fraudulent collection schemes. Calls by "process servers", directing you to call some debt collector's phone number, are another indicator, as real process servers just serve summonses. They don't funnel targeted scam victims toward predators.
I would hope that you didn't file bankruptcy just because of this particular fraudulent "debt collector".
There are reports that these crooks are running a racket to collect fake "debts", using threats of impending "lawsuits" to extort payments without providing any proof the "debt" is even owed. They appear to be operating out of Corona CA, under at least 14 different names, with ever changing phone number, never providing any documentation of alleged "debts".