844-438-3980

Got a missed call from this number. Something about a complaint and updating my information. They stated they will contact my HR department at work. Received phone call from a local number in Texas and told me to call 844-438-3980. Anyone receive the same call?

Criminals are masquerading as debt collectors in an attempt to extort money from people by scaring them into believing that:
a.    You are going to be sued and it will cost you lots of money when they allegedly “win” their case.
b.    That they are about to file criminal charges or that you will be criminally charged (they use the bad check or hot check claim a lot) and go to jail, even though debt is civil not criminal, there are no criminal charges, and debtor’s prison was outlawed over 200 years ago.
c.    That they will take away your driver’s license.
d.    That will garnish your wages without actually being suing you, going to court, or even winning a case and obtaining a judgement followed by a judge’s consent to the garnishment.  They also claim that your wages will be garnished in amounts far above all legal limits.

One of the tricks they use is to call your family, friends, neighbors and/or places of employment (past or present or both) to create panic and embarrassment so that their intended victim calls them and they can scare that person into paying their extortion money.  They often call people that have never even been associated with you because they get erroneous information off of the internet.

They will use the words “Mediator”, “Arbitrator”, “Law Office” or claim that they are a “Lawyer or Paralegal” to make you believe that they are something other than a debt collector want-a-be and that they don’t have to follow Federal and State collection laws, even though they do have to follow those laws.  They also tell you that if you fail to call them back you are "waiving your right to council" or that “the case will proceed without you” which is pretty much nothing but hogwash.  They tell you that they need a “statement” from you regarding the complaint and if you don’t call back they “wish you good luck as things unfold”. They use the phrase “consider yourself notified/served” or “govern yourself accordingly” a lot, something they should do themselves.

They claim they are officers of the court, or that an officer will accompany them, or even that they are sending officers to arrest you.  All hogwash.  They tell you to lock up your dogs and guns for “everyone’s” protection.  More hogwash.

They mention that they have received a Fax document, to create the sense of urgency and tell you that they are a “process server”. This is simply ruse to get you to call another number where they will ask for money to “make it go away” (this is actually the same place, they work in teams, one pretending to be the server, and the other usually pretends to be a lawyer).  Process servers do not ever call ahead so that you can dodge them.  Process servers get paid to serve papers, nothing else.


It is incumbent upon them under the law to prove that the debt exists and that you owe it, and that they have the legal right to collect it.  You are not obligated under the law to prove that you don’t owe or that it is paid.  

Federal law (FDCPA) requires them to send you a letter (US MAIL ONLY) postmarked 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 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:   https://800notes.com/faq/attorney-general

Same here- I rcv'd a call from a California local number and told me to call 844-438-3980!
Must be a SCAM.

Same here! It was a local California number then told me to call this  844 number! I see you guys posted this in January. Ever hear anything else from these people?

these people just called and I asked for them to remove my number...  was told just for my attitude in asking that I will not be removed and then I was hun up on! called back and was laughed at and told that I should fix my attitude and be nicer to get my number removed and was hung up on again...  the lady's name was PATRICIA!!!  she hung up on me 3 times with phrases against me having an attitude for asking for my number to be removed!  so I vote everyone keep calling her and over and over asking for numbers to be removed!!!  DO NOT GIVE ANY PERSONAL INFO TO HER!!!

Yes, I just got the same call, I assume not to call back?

I just received a call from these people. They said I owed a certain amount from a US Bank account, which I haven't had in at least 10 years. She wanted either the last 4 of my social or the middle 2. Is this a SCAM?

Got this too.  I'm going to report both numbers to the gov do not call list.

Got same message from Ohio local call telling me to call 844 438 3980 about a complaint and updating information stating they would call my HR dept??

Exact same call a few hours ago. All of the exact same language of what you have here. It's ridiculous that these companies won't say who they are and who they are looking for and for what reason.

Got the same call about 20 mins ago. I gave the last four of my social :( I hope they can not do anything with the last four. I only found out it was a scam after I googled the number on here. I also talked to a Patricia and it was also in regards to a US Bank account that I have not had in 10 years. I actually just had a bankruptcy discharged that is why I was shocked about the call. Call my lawyer though and we did include US Bank. Definitely a scam!

I am getting phone calls from this number threatning me they will call payroll dept. . Have not received a letteror anything in the mail . .Please take care of htis

>> Please take care of htis  <<

Um ...
How, exactly, are we supposed to take care of your problem?

Maybe you need to read this:

A phone call, email, text message or postcard from a supposed debt collector is not legally sufficient proof of debt.

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

Unless the original communication contained this specific information, 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 - US Mail ... 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, MoneyGram, Western Union, prepaid gift card or other untraceable means, then the call is definitely not legitimate.

REMEMBER THIS IF YOU FORGET ALL ELSE:
1.  Legally, THEY must prove you owe the debt (you do not have to prove to them that you do not owe the debt)
2.  They must prove they have a legal right to collect the debt
3.  They must send you snailmail with specific info within 5 days of the original contact, if you request that validation notice, or if that information was not provided on initial contact.  You have up to 30 days to reply to that letter.

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

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Please reply to this post, to let us know you read it, or have taken suitable actions to protect yourself.

This is a transcript of my voicemail. It was a local call in WA State with a 253 area code. I presume phishing scam.

"Hello, my name is Kate Wilson. You were not available today and this message is in regards to a complaint notice to your attention. Please immediately contact 844-438-3980. Again the number is 844-438-3980 to update your address or contact information. After a 3rd failed attempt, I'm required to direct further attempts to your HR or payroll dept on file."

I had the same thing. Kate Wilson called with the SAME EXACT voicemail. I live in the Phoenix metro area and it came through on a local #. I blocked the number. I actually had the same exact scam happen to me last year. I am thankful for websites like this and the people who provide their personal experiences. Thank you!

I have the same number calling, they won't tell me who they are.  Unless I give them my add social security number and I will be sued.  I called back and asked who they are, they mention in harassing them and their going to sue me.

Do NOT call them back.  Do not give them any information.  If it is important they will send you something in the US mail.

If they are bothering you, report them:

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0149-debt-collection (Threatening civil proceedings with no intent to follow through, or threatening criminal process in order to collect a civil debt is a  violation of the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.)  The same goes for endless telephone harassment

Note that the US Supreme Court in the Case of HENSON ET AL. v. SANTANDER CONSUMER USA INC., has recently ruled that the provisions of the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act do not apply if the creditor owns the debt in question.  As a practical matter this probably won't effect the kinds of scam debt collectors who often show up on 800notes.  The scam collectors don't give you any information about themselves so it is impossible to know whether or not they in fact "own" the debt in question.  Most do not send debt validation letters and many often say they are collecting for someone else.  So, make the complaint anyway if they are bothering you.  Let the FTC sort it out.

Also contact your local attorney general

If they continue to bother you,  and you know you do not owe any money, tell them that you know this is  a debt scam and that you are making a complaint to the police for extortion.  Once you get a copy of the police report and they call you again , just read out the  file number and the name of the PD or Sheriff’s office involved.   Tell them you’ll be glad to send a copy to them at whatever address the jack***es are working out of now.

You'll probably have to yell at them and talk over them.  Tell 'em  no scammy debt collector is going to push you around.

You have to get tuff with these people because,  being akin to thugs, brute force is (metaphorically speaking).   the only thing they understand.

If you call that number the person answers saying the Litigation Department, supposedly of "Lincoln Equities".   Blatant debt scamming operation.

History on 800notes.
Calls from:

818-230-2718
844-645-4348
844-747-3908
844-645-4348
844-801-5605
844-801-6772
_____________________
Informational post

Just because someone on the phone calling you says you owe a debt does not mean you actually owe it.

If a voice on the telephone claims you owe a debt:

1.    Demand the person give you his or her name, company name, and address
2.     Demand a debt validation letter by US mail.  E-mail no good.
3.    Do not pay  the collection agent or anyone else a  dime until the debt is validated

Of course they won’t do this, no scammer ever will, so simply ignore them and block their calls.

If they are bothering you, report them:

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0149-debt-collection (Threatening civil proceedings with no intent to follow through, or threatening criminal process in order to collect a civil debt is a  violation of the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.)  The same goes for endless telephone harassment

Note that the US Supreme Court in the Case of HENSON ET AL. v. SANTANDER CONSUMER USA INC., has recently ruled that the provisions of the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act do not apply if the creditor owns the debt in question.  As a practical matter this probably won't effect the kinds of scam debt collectors who often show up on 800notes.  The scam collectors don't give you any information about themselves so it is impossible to know whether or not they in fact "own" the debt in question.  Most do not send debt validation letters and many often say they are collecting for someone else.  So, make the complaint anyway if they are bothering you.  Let the FTC sort it out.

Also contact your local attorney general

If they continue to bother you,  and you know you do not owe any money, tell them that you know this is  a debt scam and that you are making a complaint to the police for extortion.  Once you get a copy of the police report and they call you again , just read out the  file number and the name of the PD or Sheriff’s office involved.   Tell them you’ll be glad to send a copy to them at whatever address the jack***es are working out of now.

You'll probably have to yell at them and talk over them.  Tell 'em  no scammy debt collector is going to push you around.

You have to get tuff with these people because,  being akin to thugs, brute force is,  (metaphorically speaking),   the only thing they understand.

I just received the same call from a Kate Wilson using a local number about a complaint and after a 3rd failed attempt, they would contact my HR dept on file. I am HR lady so please call me about this nonexistent complaint!