ABC NIGHTLINE TO AIR SEGMENT ON CORONA AREA DEBT COLLECTORS
Complaint
Diana Mey
Country: United States
Unless it gets bumped (as things sometimes do in the news business), ABC's Nightline will air a segment tomorrow night (4/24/12) detailing the circumstances surrounding the $10 million judgment I was awarded here in West Virginia in 2011 against debt collection agency Global AG (aka Global Attorney Group aka RFA aka Reliant Financial Associates) an LLC that until about a month ago was operating out of an office at 501 N Golden Circle Drive in Santa Ana, California. Global (also known, perhaps more appropriately, as GAG) is owned by the trio of Thai Han, Jim Phelps & Stewart Phillips.
Within months of being awarded the $10 million judgment against Global AG, I was able to identify Han, Phelps & Phillips as the owners of Global (as well as dozens of other fictitious LLC debt collection agencies operating in and around the infamous corona-scam area). As a result, I have recently filed an amendment to the original lawsuit that seeks to hold the owners, managers and other key past and present personnel personally liable for paying the $10 million judgment.
If the Nightline episode gets bumped, I will let you know.
Within months of being awarded the $10 million judgment against Global AG, I was able to identify Han, Phelps & Phillips as the owners of Global (as well as dozens of other fictitious LLC debt collection agencies operating in and around the infamous corona-scam area). As a result, I have recently filed an amendment to the original lawsuit that seeks to hold the owners, managers and other key past and present personnel personally liable for paying the $10 million judgment.
If the Nightline episode gets bumped, I will let you know.
Comments
"I'm a mom, and I'm a housewife, and I'm an accidental activist," Mey said.
From her small-town home base in Wheeling, Mey went after a debt collection empire that hounds people nationwide and won. But she still hasn't received any money.
"I don't know that I'll ever collect a dime, but if I can get their operation shut down, that would make me very happy."
Watch the full story on "Nightline" TONIGHT at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT
Two years ago, a debt collector with a company called Reliant Financial Associates, or RFA, left a message implying that her house was in jeopardy if she didn't pay a debt. The message stated:
"I'm calling in regards to a preliminary asset liability investigation. They are in the process of serving some court documents in regards to case 29369... They have some information now pending questions at the property,... Springdale Avenue, in Wheeling, West Virginia. It is in your best interests to contact the department. You are required to contact 866-764-9779."
It is illegal for debt collectors to make empty threats about serving people with a lawsuit or seizing their home. And it was especially galling to Mey, who says she is debt-free.
"They threatened to take legal action against our property and it wasn't even our debt," Mey said.
Millions of Americans are victims of this kind of mistaken debtor identity, partly because of a new breed of collectors called "debt buyers." They purchase old debts for pennies that the original creditors have given up on and then try to collect them for a big profit. Critics say debt buyers sometimes use outrageous tactics to get the money where others have failed. RFA is a debt buyer.
Mey wrote RFA a cease and desist letter, telling the company not to contact her anymore, and sent it certified mail. Postal records show exactly when RFA signed for it. Precisely 23 minutes later, Mey started getting mysterious hang-up calls that showed up on her caller ID as coming from her local county government.
"So I called the number back and it was the sheriff's department. And I asked if someone there was trying to reach me. And they said, no - nobody there was trying to reach me," Mey said.
After two days of hang-up calls from that sheriff's department number, Mey picked up another one with that same caller ID. The man on the line repeatedly called her a vulgar name for the female anatomy. He described violent sexual acts he would like to subject her to and asked if she liked to be "gang banged."
"I was so frightened. I felt violated, but then I realized, you know, I'm taping this call,." Mey said. "I pulled myself together and I thought, I can get through this. Just keep on talking buddy because we're gonna get plenty of your voice on tape."
The verbal assault went on for nearly two minutes before the man hung up.
Mey said she immediately called 911 to report that someone had threatened to sexually assault her. She says she was terrified because she believed the call was from a local number. Mey said she then bolted the door and got her husband's gun out of the dresser and hung it on the bedpost in her bedroom.
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View All Comments (521)
perryb56
12:21 AM EDT
Apr 26, 2012
I get countless calls from companies that have no affiliation from any company I've dealt with. they are VULTURES hiding behind a veil of respectability
Alliespaz1127
12:16 AM EDT
Apr 26, 2012
There are some collection companies that also tell single mom's not to feed their children so they can get paid
Alliespaz1127
12:16 AM EDT
Apr 26, 2012
Sometimes these bill collectors will tell mom's not to feed their kids so they can get paid.
View All Comments (521)
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God Bless and Stay the course.
" All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men (and women) to do nothing "
You should run for office.
You are my hero! I have been living with this problem for two years. My identity was stolen and my info keeps getting sold to collection after collection agency. I put up with the phone calls and threats, and after awhile they stop when they know they will get nothing. I have had to have a police officer waiting with me when a woman threatened to come into my place of work--she never showed up. I am so tired of the stress of dealing with this at work and the calls that get to my elderly mother. I am now going to use lawsuit as a precedent whenever they call me. Honestly, after a months peace the class started again. For the first time yesterday I finally broke down and prayed to God to take it away--that I could not deal with the anymore. Today, I come in and get news of this story. I think you are an answer to my prayers.
http://triblive.com/usworld/1220325-74/mey-de ... ect-federal-owe
Neither the defendants nor their lawyers could be reached for comment yesterday.
The telephone call Mey received two years ago from a telemarketer implying that she could lose her house if she didn't pay a debt irritated her, she said. Mey said she didn't owe the money and that she and her husband have "pristine credit."
"It was like a stick-up over the phone, a shakedown," she said."
We've set up a special email: evildebthounds@gmail.com.
Global AG, LLC (aka GAG aka Global Attorney Group)
Reliant Financial Associates (aka RFA)
Asset & Capital Mangement (aka ACM Group)
Western Capital Group (aka WCG)
Bertrand Mangement Group (aka BM Group aka Bertrand & Associates)
USC Mediations
BQR Capital
Blackstone Capital Group (aka Blackstone Financial Group)
National FC (aka ISAP aka APRA)
United CC Holdings
United Financial Partners
Bureau of Asset Mangement
Bureau of Debt Recovery
Capital Recoveries
Credit Recoveries
ABA Inc
Pacific Larsens Group
First Grand Holdings LLC
Capital Nation Services LLC
American FC LLC
One FC LLC
Credit MP LLC
United CC LLC
Portfolio MG LLC
Edison & Park Management Group LLC
Financial Portfolio Company LLC
First Planners United LLC
Asset Portfolio Partners LLC
United Services Partnership LLC
First United Holdings LLC
http://www.ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-schneid ... ormer-customers"...
April 23rd 2012
A.G. Schneiderman Sues Business Equipment Company For Ripping Off $3.5 Million From Former Customers
New York-Based SKS Associates And Northern Leasing Systems Drained Millions From Bank Accounts Nationwide Without Warning
Lawsuit Seeks Restitution For Tens Of Thousands Of Defrauded Former Customers
Schneiderman: We Will Fight To Ensure An Honest Marketplace; Deceptive Business Practices Will Not Be Tolerated
NEW YORK– Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced a lawsuit against a group of New York City-based business equipment leasing companies that fraudulently siphoned millions of dollars from their former customers, including mom-and-pop stores and other small businesses. Northern Leasing Systems, Inc. and its affiliates, which lease credit card processing machines and other equipment, carried out a deceptive scheme to drain over $10 million in unauthorized debits from the bank accounts of over 100,000 former customers up to 11 years after their equipment leases had expired, ultimately retaining at least $3.5 million.
To disguise the scheme, Northern Leasing and its affiliates, Lease Finance Group LLC, MBF Leasing LLC, Golden Eagle Leasing LLC, and Lease Source-LSI, LLC, used a shell company, SKS Associates LLC, to deliberately mislead customers in an attempt to avoid any harm to Northern Leasing’s business reputation. Tens of thousands of former customers were shocked to discover automatic debits from their bank accounts, by a company they had never heard of.
“These companies engaged in a series of deceptions to squeeze unauthorized fees out of their former customers up to a decade after their contracts expired. We will seek both restitution for defrauded customers and substantial penalties from the companies to ensure justice and accountability prevail,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “My office will do everything in its power to ensure that New York’s marketplace is honest and fair. Deceptive business practices will not be tolerated.”
..."
Hide their ill-gotten gain from Diana?
Kim Miller has now re opened a shop for the owners of the company being sued. She now operates under a fictitious law firm (illegal) where she continues to scam people for money that is not owed.
Address:
8401 Page st. Buena Park CA 90621
SUITE 102.
http://vntproperties.com/suites/102.htm
$4k for 4000 sq. ft. ($1 / sq. ft.)
http://www.google.com/search?q=site:800notes.com "Jun 2012" AND "papers"
1) Pretending to be a "process server", to make it appear there is some "lawsuit".
2) Generic name like "Nationwide". They could be anyone, anywhere, yet they sound like some large corporation.
3) Calling from a cell phone. Standard practice for these fake "process server" scams, so that the original contact number is disposable, to evade locating them even as they pretend to be some "process server".
4) Leaving a number to call back. Why would a process server want you to call back? They are just hired to serve papers, and that's all they get paid for. Why would they call in advance, so you could evade service?
5) Leaving a "cause number". Bet that number doesn't even match the form of your local county court.
6) Supposedly having no information at all. They are depending on YOU to fill in missing :"information" of what YOU think this "debt" might be.
That's +6 in the fraud index.
It's a shakedown scam, following the common scripts for such fake "debt collection" shakedowns.
Number just showed up, consistent with a fly-by-nite fake shakedown racket, rather than a legitimate debt collector with years of business. Either just started up, or they may be continually changing their number, to stay ahead of the law. Profile matches profiles of other such scams.
https://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/8662499604
Bet you never get "served". It's all an act, to panic you into paying a "settlement" without even any proof you owe them.
File fraud complaints with FTC and your state AG..