866-204-5738

Received a recorded message claiming they are from the "Department of pre-legal intervention and mediation."

I have never done anything illegal, nor do I know of anyone who'd want to sue me...I also do not need a mediator. This is a scam phone call, since anything legal (including government or lawyers office) do not work on Labor Day (which is the day I received this call).

Also, they cannot serve you over the phone - everything must be done in-person, with a witness present/legal server/etc. Do not call them back, if you do, all you get is a pre-recorded message...

...coincidentally, it is the SAME GUY/SAME VOICE making the phone calls and on the answering machine. If they were a legitamate firm, they would actually have someone picking up phones during business hours!

Hey Thanks, I was worried. I recieved a message and on Labor Day. I figured it was bogus, but I looked it up anyway. Your notes helped my sanity! Thank you!

Received the same phone call yesterday, called back today and said I was being served on this Friday. Filed a complaint with FTC.

Just got the same bogus message, I will be reporting it. Thank you all for the posts & heads up.

Hey

Have you heard anything back from them?

received a call from them last week too..when i called back same voicemail ..got another  call from same person who left a voicemail..when i called back it was the same thing as before a guy named   CLARANCE WHITFIELD...1-866-204-5738.........NO CLUE.................................

I just now rec'd the same recorded call staying that I would be served within 72 hours. At my work or home.  I do not work I am retired.. Have no idea who this is.  From what I read it is a scam from a bill collector.  He mentioned something about federal law.  Can u say that?? They also told me to leave my number and the mediator would call back...This answer was by the same recorded vioce that called me the first time.  How do you stop these people from scaring individuals,  I am a senior citizen with only social security...could not garnish the government even if they wanted to..Disgusted

Got same message about being served in next 72 hours.
After searching on net got here and see its not just me and is obvious that it's some scam.
I registered with the do not call list.
Also if the moron who is trying to pull this scam is reading these posts.
I did you a favor as since you mentioned a federal law I went ahead and reported the call to both the FBI and the FCC forwarding the message you left.

I got a call today as well. I answered and it was an automated message with the same content described above. I called back and the call went to voicemail directly (same voice). I am reporting to FBI and FTC right now.

The same thing happened to me he told me I owe money from a payday loan and he is sending me documents to go to court. I have no idea how he got my information but if any of you all can possibly help me by figuring out if its legit or not I will be really happy.

I just received a message from 866-204-5738, with a file number and everything. Left my name and the file number that was referenced to me it was a recording that left a message.  HELP!!!

I think its a scam

Got the same threatening automated msg as everyone in previous posts. Called back at 1-866-204-5738 and got another automated msg and then said to hold being transferred to my mediator. The guy that answered also said he was Clarence Witfield, said he was from Pre-Legal and Mediaton Serv. Stated that he was calling on behalf of Advance Payday Creditor LTD re: a payday loan I defaulted on. I told him that I've never heard of that company and he said it's the parent company of the loan I got on the internet. I asked him who I got the loan with originally and he said again the same name as above. I explained to him that I have been victim of a scam before and do not discuss any debts unless they are validated. He they tried to tell me that he is not a collection company that I have 2 charges for criminal fraud and check fraud and that I can be fined and spend 60 days in jail when this goes to court but he is trying to mediate a settlement and then the criminal chgs will be dropped. That the total cost is 7000.00 but that some of the legal fees could be reduced if this stayed out of court(like I have 7000.00). I know that I do have a couple of payday loans that I defaulted on after my car accident and have been working to pay those off but this company is not a familiar name. I told him I wasn't working out any agreement re: something that I have no idea who it is and not been validated. He said so your waving your mediation rights.  I said I'm not saying anything I just said I have no idea what this is about. He said fine you will be served on Friday between 9-5 by your local sheriff's dept. I called the attorney generals office in my state and she said sounded like a scam but to call my state's attorney's office and they will know if there are any chgs filed. Guy sounded like he was talking in a tomb it was so echoy.

Did you ever get served anything within 72 hrs, and if so what and by whom if you don't mind giving that info. I'm still within that 72 hour window and on pins and needles.

Consumers across the country report that they're getting telephone calls from people trying to collect on loans the consumers never received or on loans they did receive but for amounts they do not owe. Others are receiving calls from people seeking to recover on loans consumers received but where the creditors never authorized the callers to collect for them. So what's the story?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, is warning consumers to be on the alert for scam artists posing as debt collectors. It may be hard to tell the difference between a legitimate debt collector and a fake one. Sometimes a fake collector may even have some of your personal information, like a bank account number. A caller may be a fake debt collector if he:

is seeking payment on a debt for a loan you do not recognize;
refuses to give you a mailing address or phone number;
asks you for personal financial or sensitive information; or
exerts high pressure to try to scare you into paying, such as threatening to have you arrested or to report you to a law enforcement agency.

If you think that a caller may be a fake debt collector:
Ask the caller for his name, company, street address, and telephone number. Tell the caller that you refuse to discuss any debt until you get a written "validation notice." The notice must include the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor you owe, and your rights under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
If a caller refuses to give you all of this information, do not pay! Paying a fake debt collector will not always make them go away. They may make up another debt to try to get more money from you.

Stop speaking with the caller. If you have the caller's address, send a letter demanding that the caller stop contacting you, and keep a copy for your files. By law, real debt collectors must stop calling you if you ask them to in writing.

Do not give the caller personal financial or other sensitive information. Never give out or confirm personal financial or other sensitive information like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number unless you know whom you're dealing with. Scam artists, like fake debt collectors, can use your information to commit identity theft – charging your existing credit cards, opening new credit card, checking, or savings accounts, writing fraudulent checks, or taking out loans in your name.

Contact your creditor. If the debt is legitimate – but you think the collector may not be – contact your creditor about the calls. Share the information you have about the suspicious calls and find out who, if anyone, the creditor has authorized to collect the debt.

Report the call. Contact the FTC and your state Attorney General's office with information about suspicious callers. Many states have their own debt collection laws in addition to the federal FDCPA. Your Attorney General's office can help you determine your rights under your state's law.>

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt076.shtm

i recieved a call from this same number same prerecored message stating i was going to be served within the next 72 hrs. i have no debt, legal, or mediation issues. it scared me none the less..till i looked it up and found this site.

wow i'm so glad i found this site! i got a call like that a month ago and never got served (nor did i do anything wrong)...and i got the same call yesterday and freaked out!  it's the same number, same story as everyone elses.  how do you report the scam number and/or get them to quit calling me...it's creepy:/

Same thing as everyone else. There's no legitimate reason for them to be calling me.

HOW N WHERE CAN I CONTACT SOMEONE TO SEE IF THIS IS REAL OR NOT...I LIVE IN MARYLAND ..WHO DO I CALL....??

There is NO Department of pre-legal intervention and mediation in the federal gov. system or private sector.
THIS IS A SCAM