Dangerous Illegal Collectors

ComplaintsCollection AgenciesHGG filing agency aka PMG

Complaint

0
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.

Comments

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  • 0
    tj
    Main tracking thread.
    https://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/QrqUYTUISgCLBgjMeJtSCQ

    There have been consumer reports that they may be finding information through on-line court records to target their victims.

    Was there a probate filing in connection with the estate?
    Did you pay them any money?
  • 0
    Crazyskate6969
    OK this pricks called me back in September. The A**hole on the phone brought up two old debts one that I knew of and another that I have no recollection of. The lil F**Ker even brought up a bad check that an ex had convinced me to write cause she wanted Girl Scouht cookies and had not had a chance of paying at that time. He even contacted my mother and step father and harassed them. That ended quite quick as my mother works for an attorney and well my step dad doesn't take [***] from anyone. I never did pay them but they had me scared so I called my family looking for the cash to settle this debt. Once I called him back (I believe it was Ray Fischer) he cussed at me several times and said that he would be personally delivering the papers and would see me in court and that I would be liable for the costs of transportation and lodging as part of the attorney fees that he would win in a court case. So I set up a time for him to stop by and deliver my "summons" he never showed and never called again. I recently pulled my credit report and saw HGG on there and did a search to find out who it was. I am glad I never paid the [***].
  • 0
    Crazyskate6969
    Oh and i just found my notes on the call it was the 8777989717 number i was asked to call. he also gave me this number to contact  him directly 18002477285 but it is no longer in service as of last time i decided to prank the lil [***] which was a few months ago GOD I love Skipe for [***] with these [***] lol
  • 0
    EJ
    I worked for them for a couple of months. They hire anyone off the street and give them a script. They call relatives, your workplace and anyone else they can find. They call themselves "process servers" which they are not and tell the person that they are trying to serve a summons. They do sue people. They actually buy the old debt from companies. Most of the people they hire know nothing about FDCPA and they will say anything to get you to pay. The workers don't last long because they pay on commission only and they end up not getting paid. I worked 2 months for a couple of hundred dollars. There are several offices in Corona and they have different company names, but they are all owned by the same people. They are all called Filing services. They have Rincon Filing service and Union Filing service that I know of, but there are more. Their tactic is to first call your place of work and ask for the direct supervisor of the debtor. They will then tell your supervisor that they are going to serve a summons on the debtor at work if the debtor does not call a specific phone number back. The supervisor then leans on the debtor. When the debtor calls back they say they are Rincon Filing Services. They are in the same office as the people who called saying they are process servers.
  • 0
    tj
    "They do sue people. They actually buy the old debt from companies. "

    They may have claimed that, even created the appearance that they bought old debt and/or sued, but that would be expected if the whole operation was based on deception.  Just as the closers must be in on the con, even if the "phising" dialers are not, the "skip-tracing" (or debt fabrication) could be compartmentalized as well.

    If they actually sued, they would run the risk of actually going up against a defendant's attorney, even if that risk is slight.  Their response in the Youtube recordings was to back off and change their story when confronted, to the point that not only hadn't they "filed suit", nor was any "process server" about to serve a summons, but then it was supposedly only a "notice", which never came.  Who hires a process eerver to serve a "notice"?

    There are too many consumer complaints indicating that the "debts" are being faked to look like or sound similar to old accounts on credit reports, and they are going to too much trouble to create the appearance of "lawsuits", including engaging in extensive shill posting.  In some cases, the very first posts associated with a new phone number they have put into use show shill characteristics.

    Another tactic pointing to debt faking is the various excuses they use for why they can't provide any validation, or even any account number information that might be checked with a creditor or your own records.  Often they are reported to claim you can get that only after paying, and several credible consumer reports indicate receiving just some generic email, with no number traceable to any real account.

    Several "original creditor" names also show up frequently in consumer complaints as bogus accounts, possibly pointing to scripts designed to take advantage of creditor record reliability problems.  Two names that often are used are First Bank of Deleware, and HSBC.  HSBC is known for attrocious billing problems and customer service, which might make collecting on such "debts" credible.

    "They are all called Filing services. They have Rincon Filing service and Union Filing service that I know of, but there are more."

    PMG, and HGG (a DBA of PMG) to name two.

    Deception is practically the entire focus of their business, in all its parts.  If they really sued, they would not need to have this deceptive infrastructure, nor would they be hiding ownership and the extent of their operation behind so many names.  Those are the tactics of someone expecting to be sued or raided, and is preparing for it.
  • 0
    ftk
    I use a service to monitor my credit reports and on the 6th of this month I received an alert stating I had a new inquiry and it was by HGG.  I had no idea who HGG was but assumed that it was for some new credit card offer that I would be getting in the mail.  Well, today I received a voicemail on me home and cell from Michael Jones that he has just received notice of a legal action against me and to call 888-280-7216.  I have not called yet as I do research first and I'm glad I did!!  Should I even bother calling the number?  Can you dispute an inquiry on your credit report?
  • 0
    tj
    Most consumer reports of finding their inquiry on credit reports also report that they or a relative is called within a few days of the date of the inquiry.  You might check with your relatives and co-workers to see if any of them have received ominous-sounding "process server" calls, even including threats of "arrest".

    With real debt collectors, it is normal for months to pass from pulling credit reports, during which an initial dunning letter is sent out to comply with FDCPA, since the whole point of collection agencies is to collect without the legal costs of suing.

    You didn't say which credit report they pulled.  Others have reported that HGG (a DBA of PMG) pulls Experian.

    Pull your credit report by requesting it directly from the credit reporting agency, to preserve the evidence of their inquiry.  

    And yes, by all means dispute the inquiry with the CRA.  Indicate in your dispute that you did not apply for credit with them, and that you believe they are engaged in fraudulent collection of fake debts.  You will probably just get back some form letter saying their "client" certified they had "permissible purpose", but you might as well start trying to nail the CRA to the fraudulent actions of their client, through negligently ignoring evidence of fraud.

    Since they claim to have "received notice of a legal action", as they pretend to be a "process server", they are implying they have already sued you.  Contact your local county courthouse to see if any suit has been filed (not likely), and if it hasn't, then you have evidence that their voice message was deceptive, in violation of FDCPA.  Since they claim to be collecting on delinquent consumer debts, they are covered by FDCPA, regardless of what they say.  

    Contact the Corona Police Department and the Riverside office of the FBI.  In addition, contact FTC, your state Attorney General, and your local District Attorney.
  • 0
    tj
    Do you have any old delinquent accounts, or do you believe your accounts are current?

    It might be interesting to "play dumb" and see what they say.  You might want to run that by the FBI.

    Based on MANY consumer complaints, you cannot trust ANYTHING they say.
  • 0
    ftk
    Yes I have old debts but some I just recently paid off and those have not been updated on my credit reports yet.  I have been trying to clean up my credit report for the past year so I know what I owe.  So I should call back and see what they have to say?  After reading all these complaints I'm actually nervous to call them back.  Who do I contact if this is a fraudulent debt collector?  Do I contact their state attorney where their business is located or my state?  You said to contact the FBI; how would I go about doing that?
  • 0
    ftk
    I just called them and they said they were TAS a filing company which I had to ask for because no one answers the phone with their name or a business name.  I asked for validation letter and confirmation that they own the debt.  He told me that he was not allowed to give out that information and would only tell me it is an old orchard bank credit card and the account number.  I asked him for orchard bank number and he told me to google it.  He ended up talking over me and telling to find everything out on my own and to wait to be served papers to go to court and hung up on me.  I called orchard bank and told me who they sold the account to which is a middleman company called Foward Property Inc. and the amount owed is not the same as what the man at TAS stated.
  • 0
    KB
    Ok so i got this same call, or rather my mother in law got a call from someone. same story. pretending to try and get a hold of my wife to serve her...la la la.. so i called and got them to send me a copy of the offer letter they said they mailed ( they have my correct address). the return address on the letter is below.

    31500 Grape St. #3160-10
    Lake Elsinore, CA 92532
    Phone : 877.798.9717
    Fax : 951.256.3787

    I then called back and asked for a physical address that i could mail a certified return reciept requested letter to. they responded, that i could send it there and someone would sign for it.. by the way.. the address is a UPS store in Lake Elsinor, CA. I called and verified this. They(HGG) refused to give me a physical address.. Hmmm...

    So off my demand letter will go..for what i'm not sure.

    I will be forwarding this to my district attorney friend to see what the next move should be. My complaint with the state will be filed today. and if anyone has any suggestions as to whom else to inquire to i would gladly follow up..

    I'm no dead beat . If they were legit, then they'd act the part.

    the debt they claim i owe is for a card i never remember having so i guess i will need to validate that.. they did provide what looks like a legit account number (HSBC-Best Buy) which was in their words charged off in 2008... the original amount was 600 and some change they are asking for 1579.00 out of 3024.59.. wow.. oh and the other dollar amount i was quoted was somewhere around 1K not 600.. Hmmm again..

    I will follow this till no end.. i'm pissed...
  • 0
    Ftk
    I filed complaints with FTC and called them to ask what else I can do about this company TAS.  After giving them all the info I had they said it sounds like a scam and if I asked them to validate the debt and they refuse to they said no legitimate business would deny doing so.  They said for me to contact my state consumer affairs (which I did) and to ignore their calls and not to deal with them.  My state consumer affair said to do the exact same thing.
  • 0
    ss
    These complaints sounds identical to mine.  They have been calling for a few months.  They started out calling last November and then I contacted an attorney and he told me to send a certified letter which I did, and of course they never responded.  They have called my mother-in-law, called my work and gave them my social security number and things off of my credit report, which is illegal.  

    Last November when they were calling they were telling me to "prostitute myself" to pay back the loan if I had to!!  Can you believe it?  The guy told me that he would like to find me just to punch me in my mouth.  They call my 85 year old mother-in-law and they try to scare her. They stopped calling for a few months but now they are trying the same scare tactics.

    I have asked them tons of times, including sending them letters to validate the debt which they have refused to send, they told me they have, which is a lie!  

    They called my work (which states that all calls are being recorded) and the idiots actually told the representive things on my credit report, social security number even.  The representive that he talked to wasn't even in the same call center that I am at, luckily for me it was recorded.  

    So, now they left me no other choice to file a lawsuit.  I have an apt with my attorney on Friday to sue these non compliant people.  I will let you know what happens
  • 0
    EJ
    They do actually buy up old debt. They buy the "Zombie" debt that is so old that it does not appear on the debtors credit report and is outside the statute of limitations. They pay about 1 cent on the dollar for the old debt that is outside the statute of limitations. Their tactic to get you to pay it is to get you to reaffirm the debt in some way, usually by intimidating you. The best thing to do is not to even speak to them. The closers are in the same room as the dialers. They actually believe that what they are doing is collecting from deadbeats and what they are doing is right. They are usually hired off of the streets and given scripts to use and told to be as mean as possible. There is a long list of things to say for just about every circumstance. The only people who stay there working are the people who have no problem bullying other people. They actually get a kick out of it, but I saw no sign that they knew anything about the FDCPA or any sign that they knew what they are doing was illegal. The offices are operated in a cult-like manner with pep talks from the boss every day. He tells them that they are "family" and he is giving them the opportunity of a lifetime. A lot of these people were just a couple of dollars away from being homeless and they really revere him. I used to work debt collection in my early years of college so I knew what they were doing was illegal and I quit as soon as they told me to threaten people and misrepresent who I was. I think you are right about the lawsuits though. The only way they could sue over those debts is if the person reaffirmed the debt, the statute of limitations is restarted and they defaulted on it again. I don't think these guys have sued anyone --- yet. However, there is a now a rash of lawsuits over this "Zombie" debt and it is a big growth industry. The junk debt buyers are taking people to court even when the statute of limitations has expired. They use credit scoring and other techniques to determine who could possiblr pay. Since about 96% of debtors do not show up in court, they get a default judgement and can then garnish your wages and wipe out your bank account. Some states are taking action to stop these abusive practices, but right now, there is no incentive for them to stop since the amount of money they make far exceeds any penalties for bad behavior. Until some of them are arrested and charged with a criminal offence I don't think it will stop.
  • 0
    jessie
    They are scammers.  I am in the process of contacting the FTC and my lawyer to get these people shut down.  A little birdy said that they are doing things illegally like avoiding paying taxes, etc.  I will definately be dropping a dime on these dirtballs!!!
  • 0
    tj
    Zombie debt and default judgements on unproven debt are a systemic industry problem, however, there is little in the consumer complaint record to indicate actual lawsuits are being filed.  On the contrary, MANY consumers are reporting they were threatened with being "served", but on checking with their local courthouse, found that NO lawsuit had been filed.

    Too many complaints have reported that when challenged, they have been found to be bluffing, and have had NO information on any real account.  There are also many complaints that they have attempted to collect on accounts consumers knew had been paid.

    The whole focus of their various deceptions is aimed at coercion through implied threats of "lawsuits", "arrest", or "prosecution", while blocking any consumer attempt at validation.  The organizational structure, including compartmentalization of functions, parallels typical fraudulent telemarketing boiler rooms.

    This pattern wouldn't be happening if they were actually buying old debt, and it does not generally show up in patterns of complaints against debt collectors that do buy old debt.

    Junk debt buyers routinely buy just computer files of "debts", with maybe debtor name, some id, creditor, amount, etc.  Other than the above discrepancies with normal debt collection, there would be no way from the "floor" to determine whether the "debts" were real and had been bought, or were being faked with the assistance of access to credit reports.  The consumer complaint patterns, however, would be very different.

    If debts were being faked, it would still be likely the floor would be led to believe the debts were real, and this might include maintaining the appearance that some "lawsuits" were actually filed.
  • 0
    .
    FBI
    3480 Vine Street, Suite 200
    Riverside, CA 92507
    Phone: (951) 686-0335
  • 0
    Deb
    It is Fraud, they are pulling your credit history and using an old account information and using it to try and scare you into giving your credit card information or for you to pay by check over the phone. They have contacted me and friends of mine threatening me and them. I contacted them to let them know they were fraud and they still keep calling me just to harass. You need to report this to you Bereau of investigation in your state and the better business bereau. They are also going by Ricon Filing Services, AKA-HGG, PMG filing services. You also need to report this to your credit card company.
  • 0
    Deb
    Ricon Filing Services- Fraud! They have been calling me and friends of mine threatening me and them. I even told them that they were listed as fraud all over the internet and they still keep calling. They are pulling up your credit history listing themselves as PMR, 355 Sheridan St. Corona, Calif. 92880. If you are being harassed by this Entity, you need to contact the Federal Trade Commission at:877-438-4338. This company is also using the name of HGG and PMG Filing Services. Ricon supposedly  has the address of Magnolia Ave, Corona, Calif. phone number 877-717-9946. If they contact you tell them they have to send you documentation of the Dept within 5 days of them contacting you via phone. Do not give them any credit card information or a check over the phone.
  • 0
    tj
    In addition, if you are being threatened over fake unowed debts, file complaints with the Corona Police Department and the Riverside office of the FBI.

    Looks like you may have a real address for a change, not just another mail drop.

    http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/15971052/355-359-N-Sheridan-St-Corona-CA/
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