404-855-7905

This "agency" that handles fraud cases claims to be looking for someone they think I know and  in contact with currently, which I'm not. They have been calling me on and off for about 2 years now and I've explained I do not know the person of interest and I'm not in contact with them. They seem to accept my response and back off for a few months then resume these annoying calls everyday until I get ticked off. It's time to fight fire with fire so I'm on a mission to find out what this agency is and why they can't take my word for it that I do not know this person and to leave me alone!

Called my job and threatend to call my supervisour telling them that they were charging me with three felonies check fraud/payday loan from last year.

Name of Caller Aeden Edwards Check INvestigator-4048557905

It's a SCAM!
Ignore all future calls.

This person named Aiden Edwards keeps calling and harassing me on my job stating that I am fradulent on something that  I have no idea about. I am so tired of these scams and people trying to scare you into paying something that you don't even have a clue about.

Do you know what the company name is and what did you do

The same Aiden Edwards has been calling my mother and sister threatening to throw me in jail for 60 days and charge me with 3 felonies also!!! Go the the Federal Trade Commission and file a complaint and record all future phone calls is what my lawyer said to do!!!!
DO NOT DEPOSIT THE MONEY INTO THE BANK OF AMERICA ACCOUNT# 229041497819!!!!!!!!!!!

She called my mother aswell, received a phone call from her this morning
Not quite sure if it is a scam

Aeden Edwards Check Investigator-4048557905..Called leaving a message stating I have committed fraud and I have to the end of the day to hire an attorney. This person called someone from my past claiming I used there name as a reference recently. I would like to know how I can put a stop to this harassment?

I received a call from Aiden Edwards that was very disturbing. She claimed that I had a payday loan with Arrowwood Investments that I never paid almost 5 yrs ago and that she was going to turn my case over to the Michigan State Atty General and that I would be arrested within 2 hours and that it would take $750.00 to get me out of jail. I was extremely upset and every time I asked a question she became ruder. She asked me if I had the means to hire a defense Atty within 2-3 hrs because I was going to jail. I explained that I may have had a payday loan almost 5 yrs ago but I was that it had been paid. I asked how I could remedy this problem and she rudely told me that there was no way and that I was going to jail. I told her that it would be difficult to provide documents showing this paid from almost 5 yrs ago and she just repeatedly kept telling me I was going to jail and eventually hung up on me. My husband recently suffered a heart attack and this stress is not helping his health.

Just got a call from Aiden also and tried to get me to deposit money.  It is a SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Do not deposit in Bank of America or Suntrust.....

THIS IS A SCAM!!!!!!! My husband got a phone call from the same girl stating that he has to come up with $900 or he is going to jail for fraud, because of a payday loan he had 6 YEARS AGO!!! I told him it sounded like a scam and told him to call his bank. That check came out of his bank account 6 years ago... DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY MONEY!!!!!!!!

They just called my step father at his job. THIS IS A SCAM.. DO NOT GIVE ANY INFO TO THESE PEOPLE. They call me with a differnt name. For a cash advence. THIS NUMBER IS 404-855-7905.. DO NOT ANWSER THIS CALL... The FBI is trying to get these guys.

This is an offshore payday loan debt collection extortion scam that has been going on for at least five years. The FBI is aware of it but is unable to go after those involved due to lack of money and manpower. I looked back and found some old information which may prove to be helpful:

They obtained your information through Teletrack:

Kudos to "Sam" for giving the most intelligent and informative posts on this scam. READ, Bookmark and use as needed:

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-631-456-4041/2

I have been receiving phone calls from this group since late April / early May of 2010.  There is a good chance that they also attempted to contact me roughly two years ago before I entered into Chapter 7 Bankruptcy protection, as I faintly remember hearing the same script more or less.

As others have stated, the callers are difficult to understand.  Generally speaking their command of the English language is quite poor and their accents are hard to follow. At times they will get certain words or phrases mixed up.  It would be funny if it wasn't for the fact that they had:

a) Your SSN
b) Your home address
c) Your work address
d) Your banking info
e) Names, numbers and potentially the addresses of "references"
f) A complete and total lack of ethics and a basic understanding of the FDCPA.  

I have personally filed reports with the following agencies, often with limited (if any) success:

Local Police
my state's Attorney General's office
FTC
FBI
Secret Service

Generally the local police won't be able to help much.  The callers are using a combination of prepaid cell phones and VoIP, making them difficult to trace.  Also at their disposal are various spoofing tactics being implemented to catch people off guard - meaning the number that appears on your Caller ID isn't the number that is calling you for starters.  Without gaining a subpoena for the billing information for the numbers in question, the local police won't be able to get very far.  

My state's Attorney General's office couldn't offer much assistance either.  I received a form letter in the mail that my complaint was received and I would be contacted if they needed additional info.  It was more or less the same information I obtained from the FTC.  They each advised me not to give the individuals over the phone any account information or to authorize payment.  That's just common sense, though.

I never got anything from the FBI, either.  There is a good chance that since I haven't suffered a monetary loss that my concerns are low on the totem pole.  I hate to say this, but that is truly the case. Unless you were in the hole for a $1,000 (or more) you aren't going to get much more than "sorry to hear about your situation, change your phone number and move on".  I seemed to get some activity from the Secret Service.  I spoke with agent Doug Zloto. (Google him, referencing threads like these plus his name and you'll find his number also)  He seemed to care a bit more than the average person, but after giving him access to my Google Voice account, there has been no further activity from him that I'm aware of.

In the meantime I changed the wireless number the fraudsters had access to, they have no direct way to get a hold of me.  (Calls at work have ceased for some reason)  That in turn resulted in my "references" getting phone calls from the crooks.  Here is a word of caution for women that have been getting these calls - don't say anything and just hang up.  The callers are quite abusive towards women callers.  Why?  Possibly the culture.  If they are Indian / Pakistani, women are second class citizens there.  You will be treated like garbage.  This happened to a family member when she was trying her best to be extremely nice over the phone.  

The callers currently attempt to reach me through the female family member and an unused Google Voice number that they managed to find of mine.  I keep the Google Voice number open because, well, I can't delete it yet.  So, about every day, 4-5 times a day for the last week, I get voice messages from them.  It's usually just two full messages though - the other calls are broken up with static or they are attempts to read the script until the callers then screw up.  Really, they are that adamant on getting the script 100% that they will hang up mid-sentence and call back 30 seconds later.  

At this point it's a stalemate with these people.  

1) While they have the lion's share of information on us, they can't really do anything with this information.  

Why?  Think about it.

If they were to ever take funds out of your account without authorization, it's fraud and worse (for them) it is traceable.  That's why they won't do anything with your information, contrary to threats they make.  The money from your account has to go somewhere, and either your bank or a law enforcement agency can determine where the money was routed.  As a bank customer you are protected - you'd get the stolen money back in your account after 7-10 business days and the bank would be temporarily out the funds deducted from your account while they conducted their investigation.  The bank, along with law enforcement, would track down the fraudsters and apprehend them.  The fraudsters do not want to incur the wrath of a bank, just extort money out of you.  Remember that.    

Your authorization would absolve the bank from any and all liability, leaving you holding the bag.  Never give them authorization for anything - for all you know the call is recorded.  

2) We have no information on them.

Seriously, this has been going on at least since 2008, possibly longer than that based on some accounts. (6 years??? Holy crap!)  You would think someone would have slipped up by now.  Sadly, they haven't.  We can continue to grow our own intel on them and compile lists of aliases and phone numbers used, along with paraphrases of scripts used in order to educate other victims.  I'm actually putting together a site now in the meantime where I'll host audio files and lists of previous numbers used.  800notes.com is great, but no two calls are exactly the same.  It would be nice to have a site dedicated to the scam and how it works.

So that's where I am with these calls.  I have suffered no monetary loss, though I have been harassed both at home and at work.  They threaten me with arrest and other "fun" things in order to get me convinced I have to pay them.  My friends and family have been targeted and local and federal law enforcement agencies haven't been able to put a stop to things.  So, it is what it is.  I am out a wireless phone number I had for roughly six years, which is terrible since I was using that line when looking for a new job.  

Whenever I'm bored I spoof my number using Google Voice and return the calls.  I've called them the poster children for birth control, etc.  Basically a lot of nasty things that I'm sure the moderators here wouldn't appreciate me repeating - bottom line nothing nice.  I always like to close saying their parents must be real proud knowing their sons weren't man enough to get real jobs.  That usually gets a decent response.  

Way I see it - they can't do anything to me. (Despite a threat yesterday that my life would be f'ed up)  They can threaten all they want but my credit is frozen and my bank information has changed.  I've changed the only number they could really access me directly on and I've instructed my employer and family to not answer the calls.  I just call and harass them now when I find a few extra seconds.  What's the worst they can do to me?  Charge me with harassment?  

Nope, then they would have to identify themselves.

Oh, and don't bother contacting Cashnet USA about the calls.  Their "fraud" department could honestly care less.  Their "investigation" is merely a means of buerocratic CYA.  I would even be surprised at this point if actual law enforcement is involved in any shape, way or form at this time.  

There is a good chance that the information these crooks have on us was obtained from Cashnet USA - either from a database leak or from a collector that was once authorized by Cashnet to call on delinquent customers.  The other chance is they have access to Teletrack, and pulled all of our information off of there.

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-646-274-1143/3

For at least the last four years, possibly longer, a group has been calling former payday loan applicants advising them that they have defrauded a bank and are now being sued for non-payment of a loan.  The callers will claim to be calling on behalf of an attorney's office (name varies), the Dept. of Law and Investigation, ACS, or other similar combinations below:

United Legal Processing Division
Midline Marketing
Crime Monitoring Services
Monetary Crime Division
U.S. National Bank
Attorney General’s Office (usually in California)
American Legal Services
Affidavit Consolidation Services (ACS)

You will be threatened with arrest, a costly trial and possibly worse.  In no shape, way or form can you be arrested for non-payment on a consumer debt.  Do not believe these threats, as they are without merit and cannot be carried out in the manner they allege.  

Who are they?

In the past when pressed by law enforcement for an address, the callers have provided the following information:

David Morgan and Associates
Morgan & Associates
Morgan Associates
954-727-8481
1155 Northwest 85th Street
Wintergarden, Florida  33150
(Address is likely invalid)

The collector's MO matches a once legit collections agency called Ellis Crosby & Associates.  Here are some links on them:

http://www.budhibbs.com/collectorpages/ellis_crosby_and_associates.htm
http://www.budhibbs.com/collectorpages/EllisCrosbyJudgment.pdf

They have been previously fined over $1.3 million for various violations.  They have been known to use phone banks in India to make their calls, which more or less coincides with the difficult to understand accent many of us detect when we are contacted.  

The last time this group went by any "official" name was back in 2008:

Ellis Crosby & Associates / Douglas & Morgan Associates
4494 Southside Boulevard Suite #200
Jacksonville Florida 32216
Phone:  800-928-3536 / (904) 928-3536
(Address is likely invalid)

There are NUMEROUS consumer alerts out against this group of individuals:

Florida:
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/061107/met_176207561.shtml

Kansas:  
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/01/ks_debt_collection.html

Colorado:  
http://www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov/press/ ... lls_likely_orig

Rhode Island:  
http://www.collectionscreditrisk.com/news/rho ... -3002135-1.html

West Virginia:
http://www.wvago.gov/internetloanscam.cfm

Missouri:
On July 15th, 2010 a Public Awareness Bulletin was sent out by Missouri Information Analysis Center.  

"..received reports from individuals in Ohio and Illinois reference suspicious telephone calls they received. In both instances, the callers are reporting that a voicemail is received from a man, with a Middle Eastern accent, identifying himself as an officer working with the Financial Crimes Unit.  The message indicates that the reason for the call concerns a loan made by the receiver or someone in the receiver's family. The voicemail requests that a return call be made and a telephone number is provided. When a return call is made, the caller is asked to provide personal identifying information such as their date of birth and social security number.

Reports indicate that the calls are frequent and persistent and that they even threaten arrest or legal action if information or money is not provided. It appears that the individuals making these calls may have access to some records connecting individuals and their relatives.  Missouri does not have a Financial Crimes Unit and all indications are that this is a fictitious agency. If you receive a similar phone call, please be advised that it is a scam and please contact your local law enforcement agency or the Missouri Information Analysis Center at 866-362-6422."

Bottom line:

Do not supply the callers with any additional information.  Inform them you have reported them to law enforcement and hang up.  If you haven't already, go ahead and report the calls to local law enforcement, your state's Attorney General and beyond.  Look up the local Secret Service branch's information in your area and get in contact with an agent there.  

If you ever applied for a cash advance online, your information is out there.  
Possible sources for the breach of your privacy are:

* The scammers obtained your information from Teletrack - a reporting agency used by many cash advance lenders to determine their risk lending to you.  The service is able to tell cash advance lenders if you have existing loans with other companies, for example.  Many state laws prohibit borrowers from having more than two cash advances out at the same time.

* The scammers created their own fake payday loan application site.  People looking for a cash advance went to the site and applied, thus freely providing the scammers with their information for malicious use at a later time.  

* The scammers were able to get into the database(s) of cash advance lenders - probable targets being Sonic Payday and Cashnet USA.  


How to protect yourself:

* Inform your employer.  You are likely getting calls at home and/or at work, so make sure your employer is aware the calls are part of a scam and to not take them seriously.  Advise the callers that they are no longer allowed to call you at work.  If they continue to call, document the date and time of the calls you received.  Save voice mails left if at all possible.  

* Change your number(s).  For some this may not be an option, for others a one-time number change can be done free of charge.

Be advised - any references you listed on your payday loan application will be contacted.  Let those people know that this is a scam, and they can disregard.

* Use Google Voice.  Google Voice is a great replacement voice mail system for just about any phone number you use.  Messages can be transcribed and voice mail recordings can be saved as mp3 files.  

Pro Tip - call the scammers with a Google Voice number before turning off your old phone numbers.  Make sure when you call you identify yourself so they can start up their script.  At any point after they have your information pulled up just hang up.  They will then start religiously calling your Google Voice number.  At this point, you are free to change your regular phone number(s) and enjoy not having these people ever call you again.  (And laugh at the fact these people are basically talking to a brick wall several times a day)

The scammers change their numbers frequently.  Law enforcement used to think it was because the callers ran out of minutes on their prepaid wireless accounts or they were shuttered due to fraud, but now they understand it's simply to evade detection by savvy consumers online.  With the proliferation of VoIP, it's even easier for the crooks to stay a couple of steps ahead of law enforcement.  Below is just a sampling of the 30+ numbers that have been used in recent memory.

1-201-244-7722
1-209-349-7382
1-209-797-2212
1-212-500-0839
1-213-256-0408
1-213-995-3039
1-281-763-0433
1-347-289-3902
1-347-844-6817
1-347-844-6831
1-424-354-4270
1-516-232-8905
1-516-232-8935
1-518-212-0219
1-561-300-8018
1-561-210-4185
1-626-200-4646
1-631-456-4041
1-646-274-1143
1-646-810-8635
1-650-241-4604
1-707-401-4056
1-707-633-2789
1-708-401-0535
1-716-442-2824
1-717-862-4080
1-718-705-8669
1-760-514-0132
1-760-563-5384
1-772-318-4938
1-850-201-1111
1-858-777-1977
1-859-908-2281
1-866-860-4509
1-877-226-7488
1-888-706-7463
1-888-771-9249
1-888-785-4479
1-909-327-4870

So can they really do anything to you?

It's not a simple yes or no answer.  Logic dictates that, if they really wanted to take you for a ride and drain your bank accounts, they already would have.  

So, why haven't they?  

Authorization.  

Why do you think you are being called so much?  Perhaps it is because they like the sound of your voice?  No, they have to have your authorization to take any form of payment from you, period.  The callers know their audience, and that audience is typically a bunch of people that have applied for payday loans in the past.  Most of those people they call couldn't afford an attorney if they wanted one, and are so used to receiving collections calls that so long as they sound like a real collector, they will likely be perceived as one.

Furthermore, they don't even really want to talk to your attorney - that just sounds official and scary enough.  A real attorney would take the callers to task and write them off as two-bit con artists.  The callers need you, in writing, to authorize payment against the fictitious debt they claim you owe.  Go ahead, ask them for proof you owe the debt - more commonly known as verification of debt.  See what they say.  A phone authorization carries very little weight, so if they have something signed by you on file, you are done for - and the callers know that.  That authorization is the only thing these callers are doing by the book, and for good reason.  If they just went all willy nilly and made an ACH debit from your checking account, without your written approval, you could in turn report the transaction as fraudulent to your financial institution.  In about 7-10 business days, you would get the funds returned to your account.  Then the scammers would be up against a bank and their team of lawyers and investigators.  

Bottom line:

If you haven't paid the callers a dime, don't.  If you planned on paying them to shut them up, just don't.  Remember - you are not being contacted by a legally licensed, ethically owned and operated collector.  Read up on the FDCPA - http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf - and know your rights.

PS--The FBI sent out a Press Release on this scam just last week:

Extortion Scam Related to Delinquent Payday Loans

Washington, D.C.
December 07, 2010  FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691

— filed under: Press Release

The Internet Crime Complaint Center has received many complaints from victims of payday loan telephone collection scams. Callers claim the victim is delinquent in a payday loan and must repay the loan to avoid legal consequences. The callers purport to be representatives of the FBI, Federal Legislative Department, various law firms, or other legitimate-sounding agencies. They claim to be collecting debts for companies such as United Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Net, and other Internet check-cashing services.

According to complaints received from the public, the callers have accurate data about victims, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, employer information, bank account numbers, and the names and telephone numbers of relatives and friends. How the fraudsters obtained the personal information varies, but in some cases victims have reported they completed online applications for other loans or credit cards before the calls started.

The fraudsters relentlessly call the victim’s home, cell phone, and place of employment. They refuse to provide any details about the alleged payday loans and become abusive when questioned. The callers have threatened victims with legal actions, arrests, and, in some cases, physical violence if they do not pay. In many cases, the callers harass victims’ relatives, friends, and employers.

Some fraudsters have instructed victims to fax a statement agreeing to pay a certain amount, on a specific date, via a pre-paid Visa card. The statement further declares the victim will never dispute the debt.

If you receive these calls, do not follow the caller’s instructions. Rather, you should:

Notify your banking institutions.
Contact the three major credit bureaus and request an alert be put on your file.
Contact your local law enforcement agencies if you feel you are in immediate danger.
File a complaint at www.IC3.gov.
Tips to avoid becoming a victim of this scam:

Never give your Social Security number—or personal information of any kind—over the telephone or online unless you initiate the contact.
Be suspicious of any e-mail with urgent requests for personal financial information. The e-mail may include upsetting or exciting but false statements to get you to react immediately.
Avoid filling out forms in e-mail messages that request personal information.
Ensure that your browser is up-to-date and security patches have been applied.
Check your bank, credit, and debit card statements regularly to make sure that there are no unauthorized transactions. If anything looks suspicious, contact your bank and all card issuers.
When you contact companies, use numbers provided on the back of cards or statements

http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/paydayloanscam_120710

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-951-489-0227

This same lady ms.edwards also gave me this same story calling uo to my job and telling my supervisir that i was a fugitive.  She didnt ask for any money, but insisted rmthat because i disputed the charfe that i should turn myself in. I was very pissed and concerned. I didnt realize it was a scam until i put the number i nto goggle and this website popped up. This is after i called the police and fbi. Still waiting for a outcome. The lady i spoke to unlike many of these other complaint spoke proper english.

Are these the same people who also operate under Peter, Simon Associates, Hollander and Chase, and Investigative Recovery?

If so I sent them a letter demanding they cease calling myself, my family and my employer but I have received two calls in the last two days. I haven't answered the phone yet but when I do I will be informing them that I am recording the conversation.

If you have fallen for this scam is there any way of getting the money back?

Just got a message from Aiden Edwards this morning at work.  Same phn# 404-855-7905.  Left mess stating that its in regards to some kind of check fraud.  And that I would need to have my attorney ready before they proceed with further action.  I've gotten calls like this before from other companies.  I've paid like two of them after calling the original creditor and tracing the account down to the company.  I've even received proof of payment stating that my debt was paid in full with the original creditor.  

However, I do still get calls from other companies stating I still owe the balance.  When I tell them that I've already paid the balance with the company they end up leaving me alone.  So sad to say it can either be fraud or the real thing.  But from what I gather reading all the previous posts, whether they're real or not, they still can't threaten you or verbally abuse you.  

And from reading previous posts about this number, only makes me think that this one is a scam.

Received a call from Aiden Edwards this morning stating that my husband was being charged with some type of fraud. She refused to give me any information, she just kept saying that we had better have a good defense attorney by the end of today or he was going to be thrown in jail. I did a reverse phone number look up and it came up as a no name cell phone out of Georgia. I then googled the number and all of these claims against this number appeared. I want to thank everyone who has posted/complained about this scam. If not for all the information my husband and I may have fell victim to this horrible person. Thanks!1!

Had a voice message from a Mrs. Aiden Edwards on the machine when I got home this evening stating that she was from the Fraud Recovery Division and referenced the name of a "Person of interest" She then went on to state that I or my attorney should return her call within business today to discuss that matter. The message anded very rudley with a caution to "Govern myself accordingly."

The interesting piece of all this is that the number does not show up in the caller ID list on any of the three phones in the house and there are no callers listed for the time stamped on the message either. I was immediately suspicious by the rude comment at the end of the message to govern myself accordingly, the second thing to make me even more suspicious was the lack of evidence of a call from this person at all on my caller ID, and finally after a Google of the number lead me to this site I was fully convinced that this is a SCAM.

I can tell you that I will not be returning a call to this number for any reason

How about this!!  I am a working LPN at a very busy nursing home. I recieved a call today from Aiden Edwards from the fraud investigating unit charging me with malicious intent of defrauding a financial institute. I was told that i was going to be arrested within 12 hours and that she was only calling me to get a statement from me not to collect any money.  I asked her what could i do, i was freaking out.  I guess this was from an old payday loan that i didn't pay off.  She told me that i needed to come up with 7,500$ to bond myself out at my local district court and that because i was being charged with a felony i would not be able to bond myself out with the usual 10% bond of 750.00$ but the full 7,500$ or else i was facing 6 months in jail!  I almost cried on the phone i begged and pleaded with her that i didn't want to go to jail.  I asked her what could i do to make this right?  She said that she would talk to her dispatch about holding out on faxing over to my local courthouse the case papers.  She said that she talked to "dispatch"and that she would only be there for the next hour, so that she reached a settlement with the original lawyers that handled the case before she did, and that if i could come up with 1,275$ to send out to them that all charges would be dropped.   So i of course, frantically left work immediatly caught my father coming in the door of my place of employment telling me about the disturbing phone call they recieved.  We went straight to my dad's bank to start to withdrawl the money.  Luckily......"thank GoD!!!!"  i was going through a bankruptcy and had an attorney to ask questions about this.  I learded that this was a scare tactic, but i never really realized the depth of how much of a scam this is.  i was actually getting ready to have my own parents withdrawl this money from their bank to keep me out of jail, this was their house payment that they were going to no pay to keep their daughter from going to jail ffor six months, i need a clean record to continue being a nurse.  Luckily for me, i took the advice of my husband who has had a run or two with such legal matters, a good bankrupcy lawyer or otherwise i might have boughht into this scam and my poor parents would have not been able to make their house payment on their fixed budget!  She's lucky that she's calling me from Georgia, i'd love to find some good ol' boys to set this matter straight the old fashioned way!!