844-880-6266

This is a scam. DO NOT PAY ANYTHING.

Basically, it's a variant on the "delinquent payday loan scam" (see FBI's warning: http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/paydayloanscam_120710), but with native English speakers instead of the typical Pakistani (whose horrible English is a dead giveaway that it's a scam). Nevertheless, it is the same scam.

Essentially, the caller says that you took out a payday loan and didn't repay it (or some variant of not repaying a debt), and that you are now going to be criminally prosecuted. Even if you were delinquent on a debt, even a payday loan, you cannot be criminally prosecuted. A failure to repay a payday loan is not the same the same as writing a bad check (the former is a promise to pay at a future date like any other loan, while the latter is you guaranteeing there are funds available at the time of writing the check (e.g. at a grocery store)).

The reason this works is that the scammers often have personal information. They typically get this information from setting up a fake payday loan website (or comparison site) or pose to payday loan "shopping/comparison" sites as a company offering loans when in fact they are just harvesting the information for this scam. Thus, when someone applies for a loan at one of these sites, the scammers get all your information.

Anyway, these guys are complete scammers. Don't worry, they can't do anything to you.

Don't pay them anything. Don't give them any additional information, and certainly don't give them any of your financial details. Just ignore them (don't answer their calls, don't call them back - if you accidentally answer the phone and find it's them, just hang up) and report them your State Attorney General and the FBI. The FBI is actively looking for these types of scams and WILL take action, so forward as much information as you can (including any voicemails they leave making illegal threats) to them and let's get these guys in prison where they belong!

Also, since these scammers are operating outside the law, it won't do any good to tell them to stop calling. Just ignore them and report them to the FBI along and give as much information as possible (number they called from, time, date, and any voicemail messages).

Hello all, this is Mr. Legitimate.  Got a call from these guys claiming to be Check Recovery Systems.  Never heard of them.  Anyways, the same old typical threats and intimidation.  Obviously aiming for that time-sensitive "act now" sales tactic.  Trying to sell you fear and threats of legal proceedings YOU DON'T WANT and obviously DIDN'T REALLY EARN.  You're being criminally investigated, consider this your legal notice blah blah blah.  The number they're calling from doesn't Google search back to any business.  Plenty of listings regarding the generic term "Check Recovery Systems", all of which are handled by separate entities, not one all powerful entity called "Check Recovery Systems".  

Technically, if these guys were a legitimate business, their name wouldn't be so generic, their number would trace to a business, with a website and which didn't operate in the shadows, and they would send you something in the mail ON PAPER that could be shown in court.  But that's just the thing:  If this was legitimate, it would operate LEGITIMATELY.  ON PAPER.  Nothing in the legal system is done without paper.  Nothing new here, move along.  Don't pay these guys anything.  Don't give them any info.  Not to be trusted and not anything that is apparently anything to truly worry about.  If you were being subpoenaed, it would be on paper.  And they wouldn't give you a call to tell you that's what they were going to do, they would just do it.  Because that's the way subpoenae-ing people works.  It has to be completely ad-hoc and catch you off guard, absolutely no warning, especially not verbal, or you would avoid it like a plague.  I haven't been "surprise surprise" subpoenaed yet.  Therefore, plenty of logical reasons right there why this was completely illegitimate.  Have a nice day, and stay safe!  These fkr scammers sure are getting desperate and pushy!

Hello all again, Mr. Legitimate for a second time,  just thought I would share something with you.  I did an owner lookup of this number.  Turns out, this number is owned and maintained by Level 3 communications; a VoIP provider (of course!).  Leased to a miscreant, apparently.   Interestingly enough, it Has the following lease information:

Working             2014-07-29
Active             2014-07-29
Reserved     2014-07-29

Particularly interesting is the fact that this number just became reserved today.  Surprise surprise, VoIP is easy to spoof numbers, because of the way VoIP works, but the traditional POTS Plain Old Telephone System network does not allow you to do that.   When using VoIP, you have to tell the POTS Plain Old Telephone System what your number is to the outside world.  On the POTS, that is handled for you, and you can't change or spoof it.   Any IT guru could tell you about that.

Just goes to show that this is a scam.  Scam scam scam it's so scam from everything I've seen so far.  VoIP caller ID spoofing.

800notes is so awesome.    Just learned about this new trick though:  800ForAll dot com.  Let's you look up lease information on toll free numbers.  Use the box in the upper right-hand corner to look up lease information.  You can see lease information and a contact phone number of the company to contact that leases the number you're searching lease information about.  Have an even nicer day!

received a voice mail saying I owe Bottom dollar which is an online loan according to the caller she said she is from check recovery systems. She said the complaint against me is check fraud and this could be settled if I call her or done in court. What really scares me is that she said the last four of my ss number and last four of an old checking account