Harrassment and Terroristic threats
Complaint
Francine Fedin
Country: United States
I am constantly receiving harrassing phone calls from this Co. looking for Debbie White. She used my name as a reference whithout my knowledge so this co calls me...I repeataly told them to stop, they told me that they are going to come out and arrest me,, Yesterday 4/8/2010 they called and said that they are taking me to court..this has been an ongoing problem. I want it to stop NOW, here are the numbers 1-949-502-0123, 1-916-458-5665, 426-606-3786...
Comments
Note the phony posting attempting to make them sound legitimate. What court can do ANYTHING in "3 days"? It's B.S. Note the lousy grammar.
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-424-354-4270
"...
Rose
17 Feb 2010
3 days back i got a call from the same guys,i thought it might be a scam call,they told me to pay the loan amount but i refused to do so,but i got a legal notice from court and due to this idiotic decision that i refused to pay small amount to them.now i have paid hell lot of huge amount to my creditors.its not a scam,its truth.
..."
Let your employer deal with it. It is your employer's job to maintain a safe harassment free workplace. That includes dealing with criminal extortionists harassing employees.
These are criminals. You did nothing to attract their attention.
They are not calling you because of anything you have done, any debt you owe, or any debt you once owed. Although they claim to be collecting on some alleged old "payday loan", a number of complaints indicate they are calling people who never had a payday loan, and still have SSN and other identification information. That indicates that they have gotten hold of credit file data on American consumers to use in their extortion attempts.
BBB and Attorney General warnings include reports of their apparent access to consumer credit file data.
They picked you at random, based only on being able to get hold of some of your credit information. If they had happened to get hold of your neighbor's data, then they would be harassing your neighbor.
They are con men, extortionists, and id thieves, nothing more. Their threats may qualify as assault, and since the amounts they are demanding are often in the several thousand dollar range, these are felonies. The calls are probably across state lines (their victims are in various states), so if caught they could be subject to federal prosecution.
They will use any means they can via phone to engage in their scheme.
That includes illegal threats, threats to arrest you immediately, threats to sue you immediately, threats to prosecute you, probably even similar threats against your employer. That is what they do.
There are NO reports that they have ever showed up at someone's door, that they ever actually sued someone, etc. If they did show up in any court, there are a lot of people looking for them. They make their threats, try to panic people into paying them (probably through Western Union, or by disclosing bank account numbers) while they stay safely on the other end of a phone.
They are reported to have access to old payday loan data. Some reports indicate they may have gotten hold of it through some debt collection call center set up in India by a particularly abusive and illegal debt collector based in Florida, subsequently shut down. Although the debt collector was shut down, it appears the records, whether in the U.S. or overseas, were not destroyed. There are other reports that they may have current access to U.S. credit file or skip-trace data, which may indicate they have set up a phony "debt collection" operation and become a "client" of one of the credit reporting agencies.
The number you report, 707-474-3337, is reported by others to be tied to this gang.
If they have attempted to steal money from one of your accounts in the past, notify your bank, and close that account due to the possibility of additional fraud attempts. Make sure all of your accounts are flagged to require additional identification, such as a password, beyond SSN or DOB identification that could be obtained from stolen credit information. Make sure that any phone or on-line access passwords are not left at default settings, like SSNs.
If you do have some fraudulent charge slip through, notify your bank immediately of the fraud and file a WRITTEN fraud affidavit. Have them file a SAR, as this group is known to be engaged in a wide pattern of extortion attempts across the country. In addition, contact the FBI. There may be traceable information associated with such an attempt.
Any accents?
They are a criminal extortion gang. They threaten, they lie, and they steal. Nothing more.
They are reported to have gotten access to U.S. consumer credit data, including SSN and identity information. They have been using it to extort and con people into paying them for non-existent "payday loans".
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-718-355-8255
Using the name of the California Attorney General.
"will not give you thier business name or any contact info besides Jerry Brown"
"Federal investigation Department" Whatever that is.
"James Wilson", "Alex Stevens", "Charles Edward" All their aliases kind of sound like this, just like Nigerian scammers have their "Nigerian English" names.
"i have call the cash advance place that they told me that they are working for and was told that this is an ongoing fraud ring and had me contact the FBI"
Nothing shows up under 407-545-2473. They must have just started using it.
Contact your cell phone company and change your number.
Been in the telecom industry, I can tell you spoofing is illegal, you can always use other resources to follow thru. You may want to contact The US attorney general, the FCC as well as the FTC. Also if this is interstate you can actually contact the FBI.
Based on the law, they cannot contact you at your place of business. They are only legally able to contact you at your home; you can also send a stop and desist letter via certified mail.
Record their conversation, when you speak to them if you do, many of them have no clue of the law and make drastic mistake threatening people. They can't make any statements in which they can destroy your credit, call your family, call your work and or tell everybody that you have debts and you do not pay, this is protected by the law. IN this case now you have the upper hand, as now they open the door for a lawsuit, almost any attorney will take this type of cases on contingency. Is an infringement of your rights and punish by law. This people use scare tactics to scare people and even collect many times the same debts that have been paid previously.
The reality nothing that they can do, if you do not or can't pay, they must take you to court and get a judgment against you, then they need to be able to collect.
You want to get even, call then day in and day out, to their numbers use redial, and have anybody that you know do the same, do it day in and day out, that will shut down their PBX system, if they do it to you do it to them.
Yes annoying, but effective if hundreds of people do the same and saturate their phone lines.
Remember their 800 are free to you, they pay for it, call put them on hold and have your friend do the same, do this every day as much as you can. IF they have the right to harass you, you have the right to do the same to them. They called you first! Block your number if that makes you feel more comfortable. You are not subject to the same laws , do not talk to them, that is what they want, if you call back and talk to them they are verifying that you are acknowledging the debt regardless of the purpose of the call as they will not believe you are not the right person.
Here are some of the biggest scan bags in the industry, and believe me they are all scan bags at the end. They count on you to be afraid of them.
RGS Financial
http://www.rgsfinancial.com/
P.O. Box 852039
Richardson, TX 75085-2039
RGS Financial, Inc.
1700 Jay-Ell Drive
Suite 200
Richardson, TX 75081
Call their 800 numbers is free to you but not to them.
They use many spoof numbers if any, as many times they use no caller ID on purpose but they leave you a number to call. Always keep the recording particularly if they are menacing and report does to your police local department as now you have a legal record.
Spoof Number used: 1310-953-3485
Viking Collection Service, Inc.
Minnesota
7500 Office Ridge Circle, Suite 100
Eden Prairie, MN 55344Arizona
2075 West Pinnacle Peak Road, Suite 110
Phoenix, Arizona 85027 Spoof number use caller id Block. One of their numbers is 1800-287-5802
Primary Financial Services also uses Collection agency services to mask there illegal practices (http://www.collectionagencyservices.net/)
http://www.primaryfinancial.com/ (Their web site is been down for long time to be able to cover their illegal practices)
3115 N 3rd Ave Ste 112
Phoenix, AZ 85013
(602) 279-1000
1800-661-0086
If you want to negotiate a settlement call your original lender directly, do not negotiate with this scan bags, they are on commissions or percentages based. Many banks and lender will negotiate up to 80 % of the debts, make sure they do not report it to the IRS if not they can make you pay the taxes on the remaining amount, and make sure they clean your credit, get it in writing first.
Don't get mad get even.
People which do block the caller ID and or use Spoof numbers always have something to hide, that is the only reason they will use a Spoof number (Fake number / Voip Number / Or PBX number whit no actual connection only rings and then dies) Report them to the Authorities, this business practices are illegal and punish by law: if they use spoof numbers, Obscene and rude language, threats, harassment, all this are felonies and punish by law. Report them to your Local Telecom provider, your local District attorney, the local police department, your local senator, record the conversation and keep any and all voice mail left, don't be afraid, they can do absolutely nothing to you till they take you to court if you owe them any money, is futile to argue with ignorant people.
THIS IS AMERICA,
"...
Unknown reported Chris Wilson Bruce Wilson from 407-545-2473 as a Scammer/Fraudster
May 22nd 2010 - 12:07:26pm EDT States that I owe a loan and I can call back or my lawyer if I dont contact them back all he can do is wish me good luck. What company doesnt give out information to where they are located to get paid if you did owe them and then wish you good luck at the end of a message.
..."
Check Pacer to see what was filed, or if they have been located.
https://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/IDDUf49WgwDukQjMvFILqA
Apparently they figure that since debt collectors call people and threaten them, and get money for doing it, often whether or not it's even owed, no reason they can't do the same. Who even needs that "debt" thing? Just call and threaten.
Maybe they are right. What's the difference?
Note that it is a generic call center, routinely handling outsourced telemarketing to the U.S. market, but also handles debt collection calls as part of its business.
Note access to credit report data, and its use to intimidate, along with "managing" the call to divert the consumer away from disputing.
"We can ring the police station right now on a conference call." implies that if the consumer wishes to dispute the debt as due to id theft, somehow they have to prove it through an immediate phone call to the police. No mention of FACTA id theft dispute process, nor FDCPA dispute process.
Also note use of supervisor to "close", common with high pressure sales tactics, including fraudulent telemarketing.
Very slick deceptive diversion, yet "plausibly deniable".
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/517 ... on-us-customers
"Debt collectors dialing up pressure on US customersBy Peter Gill Fort Worth : TX : USA | Feb 05, 2010
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - It’s 8 o’clock on a Sunday night in the Pakistani capital, but collection cowboy Sharoon Hermoon is living on US time. Headset in place, feet on his desk, he aims his speed dialer at a debtor in Fort Worth, Texas.
“Hello, ma’am, how ya doin’ today?’’ he says in a convincing American accent. “My name is James Harold and you owe us $11,000.’’
There’s a deer-in-the-headlights moment at the other end, then a deep breath, then a torrent of excuses. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,’’ she says. “It’s someone else. My husband’s identity was stolen.’’
After several minutes of runaround, Hermoon hands the phone to Kashif Siddiqui, his supervisor at the Touchstone call center. With years of experience, Siddiqui has heard it all. He’s not abusive, but within seconds, he sharply step up the pressure.
“So your identity was stolen?’’ Siddiqui says. “I’ll need a police report showing that. And a notarized statement that you never took out the loan. Yes, notarized. We can ring the police station right now on a conference call.’’
As Americans struggle under a mountain of debt, they might be surprised to learn that their collection nightmares may originate in a nation better known for its Taliban insurgency, instability, and extremism. With more economic uncertainty, job losses, and mortgage defaults expected, long-distance arm-twisting has become something of a growth industry in Pakistan.
And though the mostly 20-something crew at the call center expresses empathy for those on the other end of the line, some of them also wonder how the Americans could let themselves slip so far under water.
“Americans are rather addicted to their credit cards,’’ Siddiqui says.
After the woman from Fort Worth slams down the phone, the Touchstone crew goes to work. Predictably, she doesn’t answer their return calls. So in subsequent days they use tracking software and loan document details to generate letters and leave phone messages with neighbors, co-workers, and relatives that they’re trying to reach her. Finally, a few weeks later, worn down, the woman accepts a repayment plan.
“The debt is like a lizard on your back,’’ says Tabinda Batool, 33, a member of the crew.
Most of Touchstone’s 350 “seats’’ - industry-speak for operators - handle customer service queries or make sales pitches for cable TV contracts.
Siddiqui’s dozen or so workers on the deadbeat beat, however, are another breed. Where others read a monotonous sales script, they match their wits against evasive debtors.
When the phone jockeys first call, the debtors’ response tends to be shock and denial. If they’re too cooperative, rattle off prepared answers, and offer to pay everything, they may be pros.
Information is power in the battle against amnesia. “We have dates, the amount they spent, how much they’re earning,’’ says Raja Amir Mehboob, manager of operations and business development with InfoSpan Pakistan, another Islamabad call center. “We can say, ‘You did this, this and this and here are the bills with your signature.’ ’’
..."
Touchstone were sued in a TCPA class action in 2015 which was dismissed in 2016:
KERRY KINGDON, ET AL.,
Plaintiff,
v.
TOUCHSTONE COMMUNICATIONS - II, L.L.C.,
Defendant.
Case No. 15-cv-04862-VC
From that case: "Touchstone is a Texas-based telemarketing company that uses a call center in Islamabad, Pakistan to make telemarketing sales calls on behalf of mortgage companies, auto insurance companies, health insurance companies, and home improvement companies....makes its telemarketing calls to telephone users, including cellular telephone users, with an automated dialing system."
Note additional examples of "cowboy" debt collection. Apparently, just as out of state calling emboldens debt collectors to push the boundaries in the U.S., calling from a call center half way around the world magnifies that effect.
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/sep/15/world/fg-pakistan-call-center15
"Touchstone Communications Taking Spanish to Pakistan.
Publication: Business Wire
Date: Tuesday, October 24 2006
You are viewing page 1
Texas-Based Company is Teaching Spanish to Its Employees in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Touchstone Communications II, LLC, a Fort Worth, Texas-based business process outsourcing company, has hired Waseem Waqar as a full-time Spanish instructor
...
The Spanish speaking population in the U.S. is growing rapidly and companies need more Spanish speaking services,eIN said Tom Slone, Chairman of Touchstone Communications. eIuWe want to be prepared to deliver these Spanish speaking services with quality.eIN Touchstone, which has over 600 employees in Islamabad, Pakistan, currently has 25 Spanish speaking Pakistani agents that are providing lead generation, collections and customer support services for U.S.-based companies.
..."
List of Call Center Companies In Pakistan
http://www.pakistansoftwarehouse.com/call-cen ... ies-in-pakistan
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-231-224-2047
"Robert
12 Aug 2008
"would you like to save money on your mortgage?" then just hung up.Caller ID: 2312242047
Caller: Touchstone Communications
"
http://www.californiabankruptcyattorneyblog.c ... ction-laws.html
"...
The article starts by describing a call to a woman in Texas who the caller says owes $11,000. After she rebuffs the caller and hangs up, the company locates her relatives, neighbors and co-workers, leaving messages that they are trying to reach her. This is illegal under the FDCPA, which says debt collectors may not tell anyone about a debt other than the debtor and any spouse or attorney he or she may have. Also illegal was a question asked in another call: "How would you like to go back to jail?" Debt collectors may not threaten any legal action they do not intend to take or cannot take -- and nobody in America is sent to prison for debt alone. The article also says these callers sue debtors for up to three times the amount actually owed, which may also be illegal, depending on the circumstances.
The article does not mention that any this behavior is illegal, or mention debtors' rights at all except in passing.
..."
Not clear if ANY of the contact information is valid.
BBB report, rated "D+".
3 complaints closed as "unpursuable" which would mean they are getting no response.
http://www.bbb.org/northeast-california/busin ... som-ca-47025661
"Name: American Law Division
Phone: (707) 474-3337
Address: 905 Sutter St
Folsom, CA 95630
Principal: Kevin Lloyd
Customer Contact: Mr Ricky Wilson, Owner/Manager - (707) 474-3337
File Open Date: April 2010
Type of Business: Collection Agencies
..."
BBB report, rated "F".
4 unanswered complaints.
http://www.la.bbb.org/Business-Report/American-Law-Division-100087081
"American Law Division
Address: 1945 South Hill
Los Angeles, CA 90007
Tel: (562) 606-1188
...
Contact: Kevin Light - Representative
..."
BBB report, rated "F".
15 Unanswered complaints.
http://www.la.bbb.org/Business-Report/American-Law-Division-100090527
American Law Division
Address:
San Bernardino, CA 92413
Tel: (916) 458-5665
Contact: Kevin Lee -
Business Start Date: 1/1/2010
...
•(909) 580-8998
•Mike Anderson ()
Additional Addresses•
303 3rd Street San Bernardino, CA 92413
•905 Sutter Street Suite 200 Folsom, CA 95630
...
Complaint ExperienceComplainants allege the company contacts them concerning non-existent pay day loan debts, using appalling tactics, such as threats of arrest or incarceration. Consumers also complain that company personnel uses various harassment tactics in order to coerce them into providing payment information, without properly identifying themselves or the alleged creditor. The company has not responded to complaints presented by our office.
...
BBB Comments and Analysis
This company contacts consumers by telephone attempting to collect on allegedly non-existent debts. Consumers are contacted and advised they owe a debt for a payday loan they know nothing about. Reports received by our office allege alarming claims by consumers of threats of incarceration, or public embarrassment. The callers demand to be given bank account or credit card numbers and other personal information as a means to resolve the alleged debt. Consumers also report they company fails to identify themselves by providing a valid address for their company, or verification of the debt.
...
Other Considerations
If you are targeted by these criminals, be sure to report them to all the following federal and state law enforcement agencies (most of which you can do online or over the phone):
1) The U.S. Secret Service is responsible for protecting the country's financial infrastructure and payment systems from international and domestic threats. Call or write your local Secret Service field office to alert them to the details of this attempted extortion. The addresses and phone numbers for the local Secret Service field offices are listed at http://www.secretservice.gov/field_offices.shtml or in your phone book.
2) Alert the FBI at https://tips.fbi.gov Be sure to tell the FBI that you are being targeted by extortionists over the phone. And if the crooks claim to be law enforcement or lawyers, officers of the court or bankers, be sure to include that information in your report.
3) File a complaint with your local police. Most police departments will take a report over the phone. Be sure to tell them that you're being targeted by an extortionist and give them all the details.
4) File a complaint your state's attorney general, the contact information for whom is at www.naag.org
5) File a complaint online with The Federal Trade Commission at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en If these crooks call back, promise them nothing, pay them nothing and tell them nothing other than that you know they're a scam and that you've reported them to law enforcement. (And be sure to report them to all the agencies above each time they call you.)
By the way, here's just a *small* sample of numbers used by this particular group of scammers. Read the reports and you'll see the same pattern time and again -- phony organization names, thick foreign accents, and oddly worded threats that are so melodramatic and ridiculous that it's laughable.
...."