844-276-0353

I got a call from them yesterday. They say there name is nationwide recovery association, a collection agency. But they seem fraudulent as they are not registered as a collection agency in my state, nor is there any information on them on the web.

This is a common ploy by criminals attempting to extort money from people by scaring you into believing that you will be criminally charged, go to jail, lose your driver’s license, have wages garnished, etc. all for an alleged or nonexistent debt.
Federal law (FDCPA) requires them to send you a letter (US MAIL ONLY) within 5 days of their first contact that contains their name, physical address, the creditor’s name, and the amount of the alleged debt.  It also must contains “mini-Miranda” telling you that it is an attempt to collect a debt and that all information will be used for those purposes.  The one other important thing that this letter must also have in it is that you have a right to dispute the debt within 30 days receipt of the letter and if you do so, all collection activity must be stopped until the debt is verified.
Read up on your rights here, get template letters to send and also make a complaint at this government site:  http://www.consumerfinance.gov/
Also file a complaint with your State Attorney General's office.
List of State AG’s offices:  http://consumerfraudreporting.org/stateattorneygenerallist.php

Just got a call from them. Registered on caller id as 00000000.. they called our land line. Then my phone ( cell) and my daughters cell asking for my hubby. All the same story . And no one could pronounce any english words correctly.
Im not going to lie. I was a little freaked out until my daughter showed me this site.
Please be careful who you give your information to.

They called me today, asked me for my brother's phone number as he was about to be charged with serious litigation. I knew they were scammers, but I asked for their number as I also got the 00000000 number.
Sarah Johnson was her "name", from Nationwide Recovery or some such fraudulent fake company.These people are really vile individuals and I can only hope they get their comeuppance.

These [***] called me twice last night.

I received several harassing calls from an unknown number and the caller said his name was John Wellington. He keeps calling El Camino Hospital 650-988-7880 to get in touch with my co-worker regarding case # 40084. He has a foreign accent and he claims it is regarding  a "pretrial case" for the state of California. He stated that my co-worker right to an outside court had been forfeited because of the timeline. I forwarded the call to my co-worker and he said this was a scam.

By the way, the caller id reflects all 0's and not an actual number; the scam caller provided me with this toll free number 844-276-0353.

I have had the same experience with this caller. I received a call on Friday; however, they said they were contacting me from a legal department and I had 5 days to pay. They called my ex-husband and also called me at work on Monday. This time, they said they were from NationWide and they had my back name and social number. When i questioned the caller she said I could ask questions in court. She became rude and hung up on me. Beware of this called; definitely a SCAM. I notified my bank immediately.

After being slightly freaked out about the call from Donna Lee Smith, ( let's face it; we all owe someone somewhere,) I came to this site. I did my research about division of pre trial as they stated they were calling FOR.... not FROM,  and this is fake. Didn't give them a second thought.
Thanks everyone for posting about this number and easing my mind.

Received a call for ex husband, saying they were going to garnish his wages as he was seriously behind and in trouble. Didn't believe it for a second....

A gal who could barely speak English left a message on my home phone saying she was from Nationwide Recovery and there were potentially 2 allegations against me.   Then she left a message on my cell phone saying the same thing and then "You have been notified".  She called my home number again and She asked me for the last 4 digits of my SS# to verify my identity. I told her I do not give out personal information on the phone.  She then asked if my address was XXX main street and I said no.  She said now that they found me they were going to pursue legal action against me.  I said "yeah, you do that."   This is a scam.  Block this number on you phone.  Lowest form of scum on the earth.

Voice mail was received from 206.408.2492 but referenced 844.276.0353 to call back. Female with heavy foreign accent claimed to be Sharon Smith called regarding 2 allegations against me and that if I called them before they my state and county (they named both) found me at home or place of business I could deal directly with plaintiff but if state or county found me first I would forfeit my right to deal directly with plaintiff. The call ended with " First name, last name (used my nickname not my legal name) you have been notified". Initially scared me but figured it was a scam. The number they called from is a landline per online searches but more than likely they are using Internet calls. Jerks.

On 4/30/15 at 4:50 pm i received a phone call from this number wanting to leave a message for my mother stating she was alicia ray. Stating my mother has 2 allegations against her and that if she wanted to settle out of court she can do so my contacting the legal department at the number above case # 412960.  They called my job which i work for the federal government and wish they would stop calling my job looking for her and leaving a message at a government entity.  If they continue to call i will be speaking with our oig department so i can file claim against them. This is not my debt. Ive against this ignorant people and others not to call me. I do not care if this is my mother they are looking for im not responsible for paying anything and will not so stop harrassing me.

How can I verify whether or not a debt collector is legitimate?
Here are a few warning signs that could signal a debt collection scam:

The debt collector threatens you. Legitimate debt collectors probably won't claim that they'll have you arrested or claim that they or their employees are law enforcement officers.

The debt collector refuses to give you information about your debt or is trying to collect a debt you do not recognize. You have certain rights to ask a debt collector to verify the debt. You can use this sample letter to request this information. Ask for an explanation in writing before you pay.

The debt collector refuses to give you a mailing address or phone number.

The debt collector asks you for sensitive personal financial information. You should never provide anyone with your personal financial information unless you are sure they're legitimate.
If you think that a caller may be a fake debt collector:

Ask the caller for his or her name, company, street address, telephone number, and professional license number. Many states require debt collectors to be licensed. Check the information the caller provides you with your state officials, or the state in which the debt collector holds a license. If the caller refuses or is unable to provide you with information about his company, or if you can’t verify the information he provides, do not give money to the caller or company.

Tell the caller that you refuse to discuss any debt until you get a written "validation notice." This notice must include:
The amount of the debt
The name of the creditor you owe
A description of certain rights under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
If a caller refuses to give you all of this information, consider requesting this information in writing or seeking assistance before paying the debt to make sure the debt, and the company, are valid.

Tip: You can consider sending the collector a letter requesting the information by using one of the CFPB's sample letters. You can also submit a complaint to the CFPB or you can contact your state Attorney General’s office.

Do not give the caller personal financial or other sensitive information. Never give out or confirm personal financial or other sensitive information like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number unless you know the company or person you are talking with is a real debt collector. Scam artists, like fake debt collectors, can use your information to commit identity theft such as:
Charging your existing credit cards
Opening new credit card or checking accounts
Writing fraudulent checks
Taking out loans in your name

Contact your creditor. If the debt is legitimate – but you think the collector may not be – contact your creditor about the calls. Share the information you have about the suspicious calls and find out who, if anyone, the creditor has authorized to collect the debt.

Report the call. Submit a complaint with the CFPB or get in touch with your state Attorney General's office with information about suspicious callers.

Stop speaking with the caller.If nothing else works and you believe the calls are fraudulent, send a letter demanding that the caller stop contacting you, and keep a copy for your files.

Tip: You can use this sample letter to write a letter demanding the debt collector stop contacting you. By law, real debt collectors must stop calling you if you ask them to in writing.

Tip: If you're having trouble with debt collection, you can submit a complaint with the CFPB online or by calling (855) 411-CFPB (2372).

http://www.consumerfinance.gov/

Just got a call from them. And they won't give me a mailing address or business address. Wanted money through prepaid cards but don't accept mailed payments saying they don't trust the mail.

Scam. They called me and left a message for my father with the same details as others: charges against him, can settle only before he's apprehended, used the correct county name he lives in. They also called two of my siblings today as well. I called the company back and asked them how they got my number and asked them not to call me again. They asked for my dads phone number but of course I did not give it to them. Shame on people who prey on trusting individuals who want to help out family members.

I got a call for my sister thought it was a scam however she knew about the debt and made arrangements to settle.

The reality is some of us will never admit to our family members, friends or coworkers that the calls from debt collections company are valid. When my manager called me in his office about the message he received I pretended that I had no idea what this company was referring to because I was a bit embrassed. While I may not like the messages that they use it was a legimate debt that was funded by Advance America. I called and spoke with Kevin Brown who worked out an affordable settlement.

the reality is this.  Company shills such as yourself come here to blow smoke thinking that no one here knows anything about the law or how actual debt collectors are supposed to collect a debt.  So, let us start with your story. "that the calls from debt collections company are valid".  The reality is that they are more often not valid.  These pages in this web site are filled with those stories.  "When my manager called me in his office about the message he received I pretended that I had no idea what this company was referring to because I was a bit assembled"  well whether you were embarrassed or not is not the real issue here.  You see when this alleged debt collector revealed your information to your office manager, he violated Federal law. "While I may not like the messages that they use it was a legimate debt that was funded by Advance America"  Again a violation of Federal law.  Furthermore, you admit that you failed to pay this alleged bill?  Hmm, that would mean that you lied when you filed the application for the loan and said you would pay them back.  So, if you lied then, what makes you believe we should believe you now?

Perhaps you would like to give us the actual address of this wonderful company.  It should be right at the top of the letter they sent you, the one required by law.

Funny - how about learning collection laws of the USA!!!!  What is the physical address of his company???

TWO shill alerts in a row!!