530-745-6688

I am getting phone calls from this number stating that they are a law firm and that my husband got a cash advance from Cash Advance USA in the amount of 300.00, we have never received a cash advance.

i just recvd a call from this number stating they were calling from a law firm and that i had recvd money from a cash advance usa i told the so called lawyer that could not be true iam 19 years old iam in school and i have never took a cash advance said he was going to be down loading the info in court i told him to go a head a would consult a lawyer i called my mom she called that number they would not pick up no voice mail this has to be fraud my mom said

I am getting a similar call since yesterday and he threatens to 'download' my files in the court... i wonder what he really means by that and says if you want to save yourself, call for an out of court settlement. Well, I am going to report this to the FBI since I never took any loan.

Good idea!

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.

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

Yes, it is a scam. I reported the number to the FBI and Federal Trade Commission. He threatened me with a lawsuit and the scary part is that he had my ss# and address. I also filed a police report. Beware of another partner to this scam, a Mark Brian working with a Scott V. Boruta credit card processing company. He is apart of the scam, his number is (727)286-6175 or (800)518-1226.

I also received a call from the alleged Harrison Law Firm from a man that stated his name was Brian Shelton.  The call was so broken as if it was an oversees call.  I had great difficulty understanding him.  He asked was I aware that there was a law suit against me.  When I told him no, he said he will transfer me to his senior attorney to explain it to you.  He transferred me to another man with the same Indian type accent.  Who stated there was a law suit against me and my social security #.  He wanted the name of my lawyer.  I kept asking him his information and what are these rediculous allegations; he kept saying don't interrupt him.  He's trying to help me.  He's reading my file of which he had all my information as well. Finally after what sounded like a script he finally told me he was Brian Shelton from Harrison Law Firm but I thought the other guy said he was Brian Shelton, weird.  He said his client has a law suit against me for theft of funds, for a payday loan I did not repay, and I need a criminal lawyer.  I asked again who is this client.  He stated I was interrupting him and he's trying to help me.  Do I want to know what this is all about? Arent you XXXXXX SS# XXXXX email address XXXXXXX driver's licence...  He had all my info!  Weird. Then he finally says USA Advance.  I told him that the allegations are false.  He says.  "You are acting as if this is a debt collector, this is a law firm.  I want to see you in court."  "We need to resolve this...."  At that point I would not continue any longer with this nut, I knew he would be asking for money next.  I asked his # and I'll call him back.  When I called back, I received a very weird busy signal.  Then I tried again about a 1/2 dozen times and I received a recording that said calls are not accepted at this number.  What kind of law firm is this?  I immediately reported this to the authorities, filed a police report, a report with the FBI.  When I returned home I had 2 messages on my phone from the man with the same voice but this time he said his name was Alex Jefferson.

These are the messages he left... no law firm leaves messages like this on a law suit:

"Hi my name is Alex Jefferson, from the legal department of Harrison Law frim.  This call is for XXXXXX.  XXXX please call me back on my number, my number is 530-745-6688, I repeat it is 530-745-6688.  My senior attorney would like to have a word with you.  So call me urgently, as soon as possible.  Good bye and God bless you. /sic/

Keep in mind this was the same man that "Brian Shelton" transferred me to that was supposed to me the senior attorney who stated his name was Brian Shelton too.  Then he leaves a message that he is Alex Jeffereson and the senior attorney wants a word with me.  It was the same man... I thought he was the senior attorney.  These people are crazy.  

This is crazy how did they get my information, I changed everything.  Beware of this and if you get a call please report it so these crooks can be stopped.  Its my belief that they are operating from India or somewhere oversees.  

Also don't open these emails.  USAdvance@ixsfr
I'm not sure if it is them but that is a very strange email address.  I'm just sending it to the FBI, I'm not opening them.

Yes, I am in Wyoming.  And I have been threatened by them for over $6,000.  And that I took a payday advance of $300.00.  No, I did not..I will call the court house and then the police to make sure that I am being scammed....

I went thru the exact same thing last week.... this Alex Jefferson went on to even say" We even have a reference name that you used" so I asked him who the reference name was that I supposedly listed, and said" you listed John Doe"... I almost busted out laughing. But I was so so furious that these pople have the nerve to harrass me. I work for a living, and I work hard, why in the world can't they work for themselves, instead of trying to rob others!!! What's also strange is whne they leaves you the message and the telephone number to call back on... you call the number they give you and of course no answer, or it automatically disconnects you, and 1 minute later they call you again. So I let this Alex finish what he wanted to threaten me with and he asks for my attorney, so I give him a fake attorney name, and he seemed quite surprised when I gave him the attorneys name, and then he hngs up on me............ughhhh I am so mad at people like this. What cowards, they hide behind fake phone numbers, fake names, fake business names.

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

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

Thank you for describing what happened in detail. It will help potential victims from being scammed.
The FBI warns about payday loan extortion scams here http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/paydayloanscam_120710 
The BBB has issued several alerts on this scam, just google "bbb.org alert phony debt collector"
Report to the Internet Crime Complaint Center http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx , the Federal Communications Commission http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm , the Federal Trade Commission https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/ and your state AG, as appropriate.