330-849-2731

This is yet another attempt to scam people out of money by intimidation.... block this number and post everything you know about them.

They called asking for me.  Said I owe a balance on an ACE cash Express account that I know I paid over 2 years ago. I have the receipt. The person said her name was Investigator Sutton from Johnston & Moore Associates.  I asked them to send me documentation showing the account number it is referenced to and then we can proceed from there.  She was pleasant, which is a first.  I was pleasant back and said I won't pay anything unless I have some type of written proof that it is still owed.  She then asked "So you deny the opportunity to settle this outside of court?"  I repeated myself again, "I neither deny or agree to settle it out of court.  Please mail me documentation with the amount owed and the account number it is referencing and we can handle it from there."  She put me on hold and then an operator came out saying there was an error and the line was being disconnected.  

Sincere congratulations.  You handled that call in a very effective manner.

Lurkers, as the above poster knows:
A phone call from a supposed debt collector is not legally sufficient evidence of debt.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) includes statements such as this:

* Every collector must send you a written “validation notice” telling you how much money you owe within five days after they first contact you. This notice also must include the name of the creditor to whom you owe the money, and how to proceed if you don’t think you owe the money.   ["Written" means snailmailed ... not emailed or texted]

Source:
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0149-debt-collection

Therefore, if that caller wants you to pay immediately, before you get the written validation notice via snailmail, or if the caller wants payment via green dot, Western Union, or other untraceable means, then the call is definitely not legitimate.

IF you wish to communicate with the supposed collector / creditor, visit  the following page, for example "Action Letters" to snailmail:
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/blog/debtcollection/

If you KNOW you owe no money, or believe the call was from a fake debt collector, please take the time to read this:
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0258-fake-debt-collectors

Thank you so much.  I always feel intimidated with these calls, but I know I have receipts to prove my payments... they just seem so real.  One person even called and talked to my Director at work and told them they were going to come serve me court orders.  My director informed them the hours we are open.  No one has ever shown up and I reported them to my local authorities as well.  
Your message does put me at ease.  Thank you.

Claim they are Johnston and Moore and are  located in Columbia South Carolina. Sometimes they call themselves Richardson and Simms under the phone number  480-270-8627.  Richardson and Simms is a phony company.  It is part of a large number of phony companies.  

 The scammers are using the following business names (and there are many others, and they seem to create new ones daily).  They will normally answer the call back number as “Investigations”

Richardson Simms Assosciates
Holland, Dempsey, and Associates
Reynolds, Hill, and Associates
Berkeley and Associates
Kaufmann and Associates
Sanderson Blaine & Associates
Blaine and Associates
McKenzie Reid Associates
Kennedy, Kline, & Associates
Nationwide Asset and Recovery
Piedmont Investigations and Procurement
Raffino, Garrison, & McCoy
Greenman, Schwartz & Associates
McCoy Law Group
Salem Associates
Reynolds and Associates
Ryan, Carter and Fields
Berman, Maxwell and associates
DOF Investigations
Vaughn & Associates
Bailey Rowe and Associates
Berkley Hughes and Associates

Don't pick up on numbers from any of these groups.  Don't call them back.

For at least the last year, an illegal group of debt collectors have been terrorizing consumers, their family, friends, and employees threatening to arrest the individual of an unpaid loan or other debt (their generally don't even owe). Be aware debt is a civil matter, not a criminal matter, and you can't be arrested. They threaten a warrant if the victim does not pay a sum of money by the credit card over the phone.

Some of the people they are calling do not owe a debt.  Others they are calling have already settled their debt with the organization who owns the accounts. Even if you do owe a debt, do not be deceived by the actions of this group.  Many of the accounts they are attempting to collect they do not own.  In other words, if you pay these people, that is not going to clear your debt with its rightful owner.  

Although when pressed the callers give the victim an address in Columbia South Carolina (usually a vacant lot) or Atlanta GA (often a parking lot near the bus station or a Peachtree Road Address). They are actually out of the Charlotte North Carolina area. The scammers are using the following business names (and there are many others, and they seem to create new ones daily).  They will normally answer the call back number as “Investigations”.  They often call people with a recording claiming they are looking for a "defendant"

Richardson Simms and Associates
Johnston & Moore
Holland, Dempsey, and Associates
Hughes and Berkeley
RJ Financial LLC
Ondrick and Miles
Anderson & Banker Mediation or Pre-Trial Litigators
Reynolds, Hill, and Associates
Berkley and Associates
Kaufmann and Associates
Sanderson Blaine & Associates
Blaine and Associates
McKenzie Reid Associates
Kennedy, Kline, & Associates
Nationwide Asset and Recovery
Piedmont Investigations and Procurement
Raffino, Garrison, & McCoy
Greenman, Schwartz & Associates
McCoy Law Group
Salem Associates
Reynolds and Associates
Ryan, Carter and Fields
Berman, Maxwell and associates
DOF Investigations
Vaughn & Associates
Bailey Rowe and Associates
Berkley Hughes and Associates


Here is a set of links to a variety of threads on this forum that document this group and its behavior. They include the experiences of victims as well as a former employee or two that quit within a week of finding out exactly what was going on. They also include responses from consumer advocates and people who are really criminal justice professionals advising victims of what to do

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-748-8367
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-719-1725
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-676-3492
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-805-5549
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-751-1084
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-803-2349
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-775-2417
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-775-2418
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-755-3417
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-746-3946
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-676-3485
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-966-3768
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-699-9749/2
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-966-6246
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-678-5437
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-967-0061
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-746-3948
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-791-2353
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-699-6246
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-735-8624
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-751-1083
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-736-3678/2
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-966-8529
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-967-2633
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-460-1576
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-609-3074
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-576-6210
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-601-5849
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-230-1283
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-658-0438
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-510-9327
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-509-0338
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-803-0755
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-511-0627
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-509-3033
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-509-0339
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-511-0631
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-883-2350/2
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-244-3381
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-512-0269
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-295-9550
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-966-6277
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-511-4248
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-725-5312
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-756-9997
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-512-1278
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-512-0531
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-512-0273
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-719-5041
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-791-9102
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-512-400-2637
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-585-730-6153
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-512-1712
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-657-1430
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-643-7815
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-860-3119
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-860-2973
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-831-4161
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-316-3547
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-714-134-4576
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-948-4460
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-415-1851
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-678-389-6196
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-584-6184
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-210-239-1791
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-844-245-7180
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-415-1287
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-440-210-9666/2
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-455-6485
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-425-201-0376
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-393-3515
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-406-272-8763
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-393-0743
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-408-9651
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-855-254-0813
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-727-260-5017
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-330-849-2731

Awesome post slim. Very informative.

Got a call from this number telling me I had a court case

call came in no I'd no message