877-815-8501

Calls approximately 10x a day and no message!!! its so annoying

One of our deployed soldier's family was called by someone at this number and they were asking to have his military records faxed to them in Alabama.  That sounds like attempt at identity theft.

Claimed to be a formal federal agent of the US Treasury, called about someone with a vaguely similar name but in no way could they have legitimately called us about someone else. Other records say this is an illegal prospecting company who CAN NOT access the actual claim/account until after you request they do so. Their activities are illegal and they are calling random numbers illegally trying to find info. Our state police said this texas/ga company is illegal and is not authorized to do this here. They have called many times.

Update after reading the comments on this list.
This time an individual is identifying himself as a member of a law firm calling re a "...matter with the U.S. Treasury Department."
I copied the message to disk and intend to check on legal procedings. I do believe this is a violation of the FDCPA(Federal Debt Collection Practices act). Check it for youself.

This number said it was a collection agency.  Calls repeatedly.

Recorded female voice claiming to be a law firm. "Very important information, call 1877-815-8501 central time.
Sounds like a scam. Shows caller ID as unknown name and number.

person calling saying they are from a firm they are not really from. Insisting I tell them my information. An attempt at identity theft.

if they can call you with info from their dat base...let them mail you what they need!

see my post....if they need anything..let them mail it.....and they have your address...so do not give it to them..if its for real

here is info on their 'law office'/collection agency

http://www.dfas.mil/militarypay/debt/collectionagencies.html

We received a call from a "lawyer's office" last night.  We returned the call and received an answering machine.  Do not give them any information.  The US Government does not use outside legal council.  It is a phishing attempt.  If it was truly a representative of the government, then they would have all vital information and would not need to request this information over the phone.  Also, lawyers usually do not have 1-800 numbers.  Ignore this call.  Lawyers send information in written form for documentation purpses.

I reieved a message on my answering machine from a tom from the law offices of Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & S and was told to call him back at 1-877-815-8501 ext 7155. I have called 3 times and twice it was a woman and I asked her where they were located and she said Houston, Texas. The third time a ruff voice man answered and all 3 times was sent to "Tom's" voicemail. Are these guys for real and how did they get my home nuber as I just got it 2 weeks ago so I know its not in the phonebook. And if they aren't real what can we do to stop them as I remember seeing on dateline where companies like what this sounds like operate by former cons.

Linebarger Goggan Blair and Sampson LLP
105 S Main St.
Fort Stockton, TX 79735
http://www.publicans.com/index.htm


The Eyes Of Taxes Are Upon You
IRS deadbeats beware. A law firm of Austin-based "bounty hunters" is on your trail

What do you get when you cross a tax collector and a lawyer? At the law firm of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, you could get rich.

Once, public employees collected most taxes. But as states and localities have sought to trim costs, they've outsourced that work. Linebarger has been there to capitalize, tracking down bad debts for government agencies at all levels, mostly in Texas. The 113-lawyer Austin firm owes some of its success to skillfully deployed political largesse. Over the past four years, Linebarger has contributed roughly $1 million to Texas statewide candidates.

Now the firm, which handles only collections, has landed what could become its most important client. This month it began collecting debts for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Following its playbook, Linebarger had spent generously to lobby Congress to direct the IRS to hire outside bill collectors. It brings a hardball reputation to its new role. "I call them bounty hunters," says Bill Aleshire, former head of the Travis County (Tex.) governing council and a longtime critic of the firm.

Dale Linebarger started collecting bad debts right after law school. "I was a 29-year-old lawyer who needed a job," he says. "Bill-collecting was not what I thought I was going to be doing." Linebarger, now 63, started his own firm in 1976. The new chair of the firm's management committee, DeMetris A. Sampson, says governments need help gathering revenue to pay for public services. From the firm's perspective, she adds, "we expect it to be extremely profitable."

BRIBERY CHARGES
It has been. Linebarger declines to disclose its revenues, but it often pockets 15% to 20% of the bad debts it collects. The firm estimates it will track down more than $1 billion this year in back taxes and other debts. That could translate into $150 million to $200 million for the firm, an estimate Sampson doesn't dispute. In addition to its 66 partners and 47 associates, it employs about 1,500 nonlawyers around the country.

Success has come with some blemishes. In 2004, Juan Peña, then a name partner, pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges for his role in winning collections contracts in San Antonio. Also that year the firm confidentially settled a suit by a competitor that alleged fraud in obtaining municipal business in Texas. A spokesman says "the matter was settled to the mutual satisfaction of both parties." The IRS has acknowledged knowing about these and other controversies before awarding Linebarger the work.

At first, the IRS deal will be small potatoes. This year only about 12,000 taxpayers will be contacted by one of three private outfits: Linebarger and traditional collectors CBE Group in Waterloo, Iowa, and Pioneer Credit Recovery (a subsidiary of Sallie Mae) in Arcade, N.Y. Each will receive up to 24% of what they bring in. By 2008, the IRS plans to hire as many as seven more companies. Within a decade it expects private agencies to collect more than $1.4 billion from 2 million recalcitrant taxpayers.

Senate Democrats are still trying to kill the plan; they think the government could do the work better. Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, opposes the plan, too: "From a business perspective, this is just wrong. This work can be done at less cost by IRS employees." That's an argument even IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson concedes is correct.

Yet Congress approved the plan in 2004, in part because it fits with the GOP belief that turning over more government responsibilities to the private sector boosts efficiency. Lawmakers also preferred to pay private outfits a percentage of what they collect rather than directly spend to hire more IRS staff.

Even if the outsourcing plan goes forward, Linebarger partner Michael T. Vallandingham says the firm will be lucky to break even at first because startup costs are high and cases are few. But, he adds, "the IRS is arguably the largest creditor in the world. The upside is a $300 billion tax gap." That's the difference between what the IRS says taxpayers owe and what it collects annually, and it represents a huge growth opportunity for the firm.

Linebarger and other debt collectors used their political muscle to build support for outsourcing. Linebarger paid Washington law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld nearly $500,000 from 2002 to 2005 to lobby for the law. "That's not unusual when you have an issue in Washington," Sampson says.

Spreading around money is nothing new for Linebarger. No fewer than 34 lobbyists represent it in Texas alone. And when it comes to campaign contributions, "they are very big players," says Craig McDonald, executive director of Texans for Public Justice, a campaign finance watchdog. The firm and its employees gave more than $537,000 to candidates for statewide offices in the 2004 election cycle and have already contributed more than $472,000 this season.

Firm founder Linebarger, who stepped down on Sept. 1 to senior adviser status, says the campaign money "opens the door so we can have an audience. We are competitive in everything we do, and that includes making contributions."

Over the years the practice has employed a former Texas governor, an ex-congressman, several ex-state legislators, and local officials. It also builds local connections by acquiring established debt-collection firms around the country. For Dale Linebarger, it's just good business: "We try to hire talented people who can open a door and help you get a contract. That's why you spend your money."

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_39/b4002087.htm

Caller claimed to be a debt collector for the US Government. She claimed her name was Sandra Garcia and calling regarding an outstanding debt on our employee pension plan, but didn't have any of the information besides a balance due.

Send them this letter VIA certified mail with return receipt requested DEMANDING validation of this alledged debt. Keep copies of everything you send:

Today's Date

Your Name
Your Address

Linebarger Goggan Blair and Sampson LLP
105 S Main St.
Fort Stockton, TX 79735

VIA CERTIFIED MAIL

Dear {insert name of collector or company},

I am writing in response to your (letter or phone call) dated {insert date}, (copy enclosed) because I do not believe I owe what you say I owe.

This is the first I've heard from you, or any other company on this matter therefore, in accordance with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Section 809(b): Validating Debts:

(b) If the consumer notifies the debt collector in writing within the thirty-day period described in subsection (a) that the debt, or any portion thereof, is disputed, or that the consumer requests the name and address of the original creditor, the debt collector shall cease collection of the debt, or any disputed portion thereof, until the debt collector obtains verification of the debt or any copy of a judgment, or the name and address of the original creditor, and a copy of such verification or judgment, or name and address of the original creditor, is mailed to the consumer by the debt collector.

I respectfully request that you provide me with the following information:

(1) the amount of the debt;
(2) the name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed;
(3) Provide a verification or copy of any judgment (if applicable);
(4) Proof that you are licensed to collect debts in (insert name of your state).

Be advised that I am fully aware of my rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. For instance, I know that:

Because I have disputed this debt in writing within 30 days of receipt of your dunning notice, you must obtain verification of the debt or a copy of the judgment against me and mail these items to me at your expense;
you cannot add interest or fees except those allowed by the original contract or state law.

You do not have to respond to this dispute but if you do, any attempt to collect this debt without validating it, violates the FDCPA.

Also be advised that I am keeping very accurate records of all correspondence from you and your company including recording all phone calls and I will not hesitate to report violations of the law to my State Attorney General, the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau.

I have disputed this debt; therefore, until validated you know your information concerning this debt is inaccurate. Thus, if you have already reported this debt to any credit-reporting agency (CRA) or Credit Bureau (CB) then, you must immediately inform them of my dispute with this debt. Reporting information that you know to be inaccurate or failing to report information correctly violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act § 1681s-2. Should you pursue a judgment without validating this debt, I will inform the judge and request the case be dismissed based on your failure to comply with the FDCPA.

Finally, if you do not own this debt, I demand that you immediately send a copy of this dispute letter to the original creditor so they are also aware of my dispute with this debt.

Signature here
Your Printed Name

http://www.fair-debt-collection.com/Disputing ... ute-letter.html

Wow, this scam artist left a message on the answering machine warning of its "very private and personal" information, and if I was not the person who the call was for, I was to hang up! HaHa....It all sounded so fake, with the use of the attorney's names and the lack of true discretion and real information.

Glad I looked it up on the web.  And glad to see so many posts against this number. Thanks!

Got a telephone call today from 877.815.8501 and left no voice mail message.  I don't answer telephone calls from unknown callers.

I called there bluff. I told them that they were trying to scam me. I told them I did not think anything they said was true. I told them I was going to have the cops contact them.... they said they would get them on the phone for me. I asked them how i would know they were cops. They did not have an answer. lol. I said ok well how about you tell me where your office is so I can come down and talk to you about it in person they said they could not give it to me because they were in a top seceret building. Well just so happens i have a security celerence. I told them and they said well we can't tell you because you might come out here and try to hurt someone. I told them that they had not had the chance to rip me off yet, so I was not upset. It was funny to me. I get kicks out of this stuff. If you got ripped off by this i'm sorry. Don't be to hard on yourself this stuff happens to alot of people every day. One thing is for sure though, if you owe money to the big GOV they will get it out of your taxes or dock your pay. They do not have to make threats. If you have already given your money to them, GO TO THE COPS! These people, as you have seen, are not to smart. You might be able to get your money back.

You guys are all a bunch of paranoid creatures... man.

The number is from a collection agency contracted from DFAS. I had a VA education overpayment, and I submitted a waiver for it. Well, the VA denied my waiver but failed to deliver the letter to my new address, so they turned my debt over to collections. The firm is called Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson, LLP, and you can find the information here: http://www.dfas.mil/militarypay/debt/collectionagencies.html

Now, since the VA failed to contact me about the debt and there is now interest, I am working directly with the VA Debt Managment Center--not Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson--to repay the originial debt amount.

U R an intelligent person.  Too many of these posts are so off base.  People failing to do the homework to ascertain that the government contracts w/ Private Collection Agencies (PCAs) to collect all non-tax debts.