888-366-8644

I received a call from this number as well last week.  First some investigator/locator has been calling my phone and work and told me I have a suit against me.  When I told this guy, the name he gave me Terry Buch, I don't know anything about it he gave me this 888 number to call.  What was weird was that when I called...a lady answered the phone with just an "hello" instead of with a company's name.  I then said, hello, and she said wait a minute.  Then when someone else came on the phone, they said they are with Nationwide.  Gave me to another lady to go over my claim/suit and told me I can resolve it without going to court if I agree to pay.  First of all...if anyone gets summon for anything...no one calls you for anything.  They just automatically go to your place of employment or house and give you the summon.  

Well...after doing more thinking and researching, my son became sick and had to be in the hospital I decided to call this number back and it said it's not a working number?  So...I would say it is a scam but I just only wish this investigator/locator would stop calling me.  He called like 6 times today!  Maybe I just need to block his number but what if he really shows up at my job?!  What should I do?

Consumers across the country report that they're getting telephone calls from people trying to collect on loans the consumers never received or on loans they did receive but for amounts they do not owe. Others are receiving calls from people seeking to recover on loans consumers received but where the creditors never authorized the callers to collect for them. So what's the story?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, is warning consumers to be on the alert for scam artists posing as debt collectors. It may be hard to tell the difference between a legitimate debt collector and a fake one. Sometimes a fake collector may even have some of your personal information, like a bank account number. A caller may be a fake debt collector if he:

is seeking payment on a debt for a loan you do not recognize;
refuses to give you a mailing address or phone number;
asks you for personal financial or sensitive information; or
exerts high pressure to try to scare you into paying, such as threatening to have you arrested or to report you to a law enforcement agency.

If you think that a caller may be a fake debt collector:
Ask the caller for his name, company, street address, and telephone number. Tell the caller that you refuse to discuss any debt until you get a written "validation notice." The notice must include the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor you owe, and your rights under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
If a caller refuses to give you all of this information, do not pay! Paying a fake debt collector will not always make them go away. They may make up another debt to try to get more money from you.

Stop speaking with the caller. If you have the caller's address, send a letter demanding that the caller stop contacting you, and keep a copy for your files. By law, real debt collectors must stop calling you if you ask them to in writing.

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 whom you're dealing with. Scam artists, like fake debt collectors, can use your information to commit identity theft – charging your existing credit cards, opening new credit card, checking, or savings accounts, writing fraudulent checks, or 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. Contact the FTC and your state Attorney General's office with information about suspicious callers. Many states have their own debt collection laws in addition to the federal FDCPA. Your Attorney General's office can help you determine your rights under your state's law.>

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt076.shtm

Thank you so much for the information.  I did ask them what company they are with and they said they are with Nationwide.  I always thought Nationwide was an insurance company, at least that's the only Nationwide I know of.  

They know my address, place of employment, phone numbers, and banking information.  They even told me how much the loan was for and which company, but the company does not ring a bell or even sound legit.  I went through my bank statement and did not find anything to that amount being debited into my account.  

I'm not concerned about the company itself, just this investigator/locator person name Terry Buch who has been calling me nonstop and calling my job.  I'm afraid that he will show up.  I can't call him back because it won't allow me to leave any voicemails.

Well, I tried to call this 888-366-8644 number back today and had my boss called it back and we got a message saying that this number is not available as if it was a cell phone recording message.  What kind of financial company have a recording like that if they are well known around the country?  It would've at least said something like "thank you for calling Nationwide...." but nope, just a message saying "Phone number 888-366-8644 is not available.  Please leave a message."  

Well this Terry Buch called back again twice today to my employer threating me AGAIN!  For one thing, I have friends who work in law enforcment and they are not suppose to threat anyone.  Like I had mentioned before, if you are to be served any kind of paper they are suppose to just show up at your home or place of employment...not calling you, threating you beforehand.  Plus, they can't make any arrest because for one thing...the loan or debt is not local...so what are they going to do...extradite me to wherever?!  They are not suppose to hound you over and over.  Also...any warrants, arrests, or summon should be made by local law enforcements only!  

I have concluded that this is definitely a scam!  The only thing is...I wonder how I can keep this locator guy from harrassing me at work?!