650-419-5601

I received a voicemail message from a caller at this number who claims he's following-up on a debt collection on me and that I need to call a company named SAR (he provides the 800 number to call) to resolve my outstanding debt. However, I don't have any outstanding debts.

Two interesting things about his voicemail message:

1) The message I recorded on my phone just states the number the person is calling - I don't state my name, just the phone number the caller has reached. In the voicemail that this caller from SAR leaves, he doesn't state who he is trying to reach. He just says to call SAR with regard to an outstanding debt.

2) I've received voicemails from other numbers linked to SAR that weren't about debts but, instead, in the voicemails they left, they claimed there is pending litigation against me and that I must call them back to prevent the litigation from moving forward against me. Again, in the voicemails they leave, they don't state who they're trying to reach - they just state that the pending litigation is tied to the owner of the number they're calling.

Given this company SAR has been tied to numerous scams, this must be another number SAR is using to instigate their scam operations from.

SAR & ASSOCIATES POSSIBLY ASSOCIATED WITH STUDENT AID CENTER
Posted in:  https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-399-1719
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-310-9738/7
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-399-8115
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-399-1679
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-650-419-5601
Web site gives an alleged address:  http://sarandassociates.org/contact.html
BBB lists an SAR & Associates as being a debt relief company:  http://www.bbb.org/south-east-florida/busines ... ion-fl-90299686
The address on the web site comes back to a company called the Student Aid Center:  http://www.studentaidcenter.org/contact.php
Which has a bad review on their BBB page with an F rating, an alert about a pattern of complaints, totaling 195 and 14 negative reviews:  http://www.bbb.org/south-east-florida/busines ... ral-fl-90084328#
Now the important part is the last name of the co president, Alvarez.
Sunbiz. Org information on Student Aid Center:
STUDENT AID CENTER, INC.
Filing Information
Document NumberP13000030956 FEI/EIN Number46-2453199 Date Filed04/04/2013 Effective Date04/04/2013 StateFL StatusACTIVE Last EventAMENDMENT Event Date Filed12/10/2014 Event Effective DateNONE
Principal Address
2500 NW 79TH AVE.
SUITE 190
DORAL, FL 33122

Changed: 12/10/2014
Mailing Address
2500 NW 79TH AVE.
SUITE 190
DORAL, FL 33122

Changed: 12/10/2014
Registered Agent Name & Address FERNANDEZ-MORIS, RAMIRO
2500 NW 79TH AVE.
SUITE 190
DORAL, FL 33122

Address Changed: 12/10/2014
Officer/Director Detail Name & Address

Title President

MORIS, RAMIRO
2500 NW 79TH AVE.
SUITE 190
DORAL, FL 33122

Title President

ALVAREZ, DAMIEN
2500 NW 79TH AVE
SUITE 190
DORAL, FL 33122

Sunbiz.org has four SAR & associates, but here is one with the principal having the same last name as the Alvarez listed in Student aid Center:
S.A.R & ASSOCIATES, LLC
Filing Information
Document NumberL15000148080 FEI/EIN NumberNONE Date Filed08/28/2015 Effective Date08/28/2015 StateFL StatusINACTIVE Last EventVOLUNTARY DISSOLUTION Event Date Filed09/25/2015 Event Effective DateNONE
Principal Address
8201 PETERS ROAD
SUITE 1000
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33324
Mailing Address
8201 PETERS ROAD
SUITE 1000
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33324
Registered Agent Name & Address ALVAREZ, ALAN
8201 PETERS RD
SUITE 1000
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33324
Authorized Person(s) Detail Name & Address

Title MGR

ALVAREZ, ALAN
8201 PETERS RD, SUITE 1000
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33324
Damien Alvarez is listed as a principal in Secure Asset Recovery:
SECURE ASSET RECOVERY, INC.
Filing Information
Document NumberP15000021018 FEI/EIN NumberNONE Date Filed03/04/2015 Effective Date02/27/2015 StateFL StatusACTIVE Last EventAMENDMENT Event Date Filed08/20/2015 Event Effective DateNONE
Principal Address
19100 SW 24TH STREET
MIRAMAR, FL 33029

Changed: 08/20/2015
Mailing Address
19100 SW 24TH STREET
MIRAMAR, FL 33029

Changed: 08/20/2015
Registered Agent Name & Address ALVAREZ, DAMIEN
2500 NW 79TH AVE
SUITE 140
DORAL, FL 33122
Officer/Director Detail Name & Address

Title P

ALVAREZ, DAMIEN
2500 NW 79TH AVE., SUITE 140
DORAL, FL 33122

The address on SW 24th St is a residence, but the second address on 79th st, suite 140 seems to be a loan company of some sort, possibly between these three businesses they are getting people’s information?
http://www.placestogoinmiami.com/places/1736999-Retail-Business-Funding/
http://www.placestogoinmiami.com/places/1701334-ContractorFunding/

This site lists them as active even though Sunbiz does not:  http://florida.intercreditreport.com/company/ ... lc-l15000148080

Florida office of Financial Regulation has no listing for them as required by Florida law to be a debt collector.
It seems they send the same letter and amount to everyone.  Other complaints:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Sar-Associates/Plantation-Florida/Sar-Associates-The-company-sent-me-a-threatening-lawsuit-letter-stating-I-owe-them-1450-1264940
http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/sar-associates/plantation-florida-33324/sar-associates-said-the-are-representing-lts-management-they-say-i-owe-them-money-i-d-1264798
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 of 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
Also file a complaint with the Florida AG’s Office:  http://myfloridalegal.com/
http://www.flofr.com/StaticPages/FileAComplaint.htm

BigA, thanks for the info! Also, I just found out something very interesting: This company goes by the name of "SAR" but when I looked-up SAR on the Internet to find out more about this company, I found that "SAR" is an acronym for "suspicious activity report". It's interesting that this company goes by the name of "SAR" and "SAR" is an acronym for suspicious activity. It's kind of like the owners of this company are indirectly letting you know that they're outfit is a scam operation.

Noticed the tie to "Student Aid Center" so looked into SAR as acronym in that context. Bingo! Student Aid Report is described by the feds here - https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/next-steps/student-aid-report. Then I remembered an old anonymous call for relief on "my student loan" that I openly laughed at because I never had one. Not so funny now that it may be linked to these SAR clowns calling since. Maybe the scam is indirect, identity theft (duly reported in my case) to bogus student loan to collection, rather than scammer cold calling. If so, it's clearly systematic based on the postings here and elsewhere.