347-416-5175

Received a message from an officer Alice claiming to be from the US department of Financial Crimes. Just said to call him back. This is a scam, my spouse has been getting the same phone calls. These people need to stop

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

I received a call on 1/7/11 and 1/8/11, about I owe this company $550.00 for a payday loan I supposedly took out on 6/2010. I ask for the name of the company and who is the original creditor and I couldn't get a answer. His name is Mike Willliams and told me I need to send him $100.00 today and they will mail me my paper stating who the person that I owe. Can someone help me with this problem.

I need these people to stop calling me,  i keep on getting calls on my cell and at work and they are putting my job at risk. I'm going to call the police if they dont stop calling me.  He said that he was Officer Fletcher.

I have reported these people the the Ftc and my Attorney General.... these people are awful human beings and they need to be told so

I received a call from them starting yesterday!!! They left a message and like others, didn't understand it and called them back. They were the most rudest people and told me not to raise my voice and hung up. So I called them back I was called some very colorful four letter words and hung up on.... They left a message at my job.

On today, they called again by an officer Clinton. I had requested that they not call my job, he said that he wouldn't and would not provide me with info regarding this so called loan that I took out, after several minutes of getting nowhere, he said that he was going to sue me and hung up!

After researching this so called company on the internet, I came across the number for a local police dept, contacted them and they told me to contact my local dept. I did! They can't get away with this!!!!

Keep getting calls at work and home from "dept. of investigation"  Officers Jimmy Johnson, Steve Johnsojn and now Charlie Brown. They have SS# and want verification. What they think we are idiots I think they are. Maybe they should get a real job and a real life.

This person has been calling me, threatening to send out his officers.  I am a federal employee, and this needs to stop.

I have been recieving 5-9 calls per day, the three i recieved today,were very rude telling me they are going to send my info to local courts for a law suit,send out a an officer to my home within the next 3 days to arrest me,i do not have or owe a payday loan of 350.00. I called them back 4 times a today trying to get info so i can report this, guess what they gave me a bogus address and they are calling from cell phones, this so called officer SCOTT PARKS with an indian accent need to stop harassing, me , he had the nerve to ask me why i called him 3 times today to get info!!!!!! They have my social security number address and bank accout numbers. Now i am getting new account set up with my bank,and reported to police, and secret service in my area

I keep getting calls from an officer by the name of Scott Parks. He says he is calling me from Brooklyn New York. The phone number is 1-247-416-5175. He says I owe Cashnet $550.00 for a Payday Lona. Inever recieved a loan from this company. I called them and they told me that it is a scam and do not send any money or give out information. I did make a report to my local police department  and the Federal Commission office about the calls. This person has an Indian accent. I feel I am being harrarssed because he is calling my home and my job asking to speak to my supervisor and telling me that I will be arrested if I do not make a payment.

Thank you for all the information.  I receive these calls constantly.  I know they are a scam but yes I have had to change my telephone numbers

Received a call from this number from a Officer Charles Brown who had my ssn# and is going to file a claim against me... i am tired of these harrasing calls.

These guys are scam artist. Let your employer know you are a victim of this scam. Some how they are getting our information and trying to scare us into sending them money. First off you can not be arrested for owing money in this country. If this were the case 1/2 of the US would be in jail now. That is ridiculous. Report these scammers and let your employer know whats is going on.

I got a call today from Officer Charles Brown. I called the number back a woman answered and said Dispatch, I asked for Officer Brown and she said they didn't have an Officer Brown working there. So I contacted a very good friend with the Police Dept and he said it was a scam, and sent me this link..My caller id said this call was from Brooklyn N.Y. I get calls all the time that I never answer Thank God for caller id.

These people call me several time office Thomas and I need to call him back because I will going to court for a fraud case. And he can stop the court case if I pay a certain amount of money. This is a scam because when you call back they dont even know who you are and  if this officer is working there are not

rcieved harassing phone calls saying that i owe money on a loan

Harassing phone calls about collections that an employee owes money that has nothing to do with our business.  This is a scam.  They are calling daily.

I receive this call from Officer Charles Brown, Telling me i have a law sue.

I got two messages from Officer Patrick Wilson saying that I was going to be sued because I did not pay a loan and that I owed 4500.00.  I said can you please tell me who the loan was from he said it was from some Cash Net place and then said that it was the parent company of the place that gave me the loan.  I said well who was that small lender he told me that he couldn't tell me.  I told him to email me the information since he had my email address along with all my personal information.  He told me that it was a legal matter and that he couldn't do that.  If I didn't give him money today or tomorrow that he was forced to take my information to the court house on Monday.

I told him I would call him back after I researched this information.  I am not calling back especially after I have seen all these replys!

I've callled him back I've had other people call him back because he did the same thing to me calling me like 50 times a day for the same thing so today i decidedto call the local police in my town and he called and asked this "officer patrick information about him and he started changing his story around because he has calling me from all over the world at the end of the conversation he hung up the phone on the police officer so he won't be calling me back...