888-315-1787

Called me and stated that legal papers involving a criminal or civil matter would be served on me.

Called me and stated that legal papers involving a criminal or civil matter would be served on me. that the same thing they told me.

Got the same thing...what is up with this?  Is this real?  I can't imagine anything I would have done that would constitute such a call....has anyone learned anything about this company?  Appreciate any responses

Sounds like a scam to me.  There are many other threads on this site in which people report the same scam.  If you are going to be served legal papers, they don't call you in advance to let you know!

Thanks for the response...it sounds like a scam

Call from this number saying the same thing with half wrong info and were not using my legal name. Feels like a scam.

Just debt collectors! Using scare tactics! please get in line fools!Why do they call from a blocked number and then wonder why people don't answer.

I received a call also.  I didn't answer the phone and the message that was left is that they are wanting to file criminal and/or civil charges against me.  

For what, I have no idea.

I have been getting harassed by what I believe to be the same people mentioned here for the last YEAR. It looks like it IS a payday loan scam and the FBI website has information on it. Follow this link or read below: http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/e-scams

New Variation on Telephone Collection Scam Related to Delinquent Payday Loans

02/21/12—The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) continues to receive complaints from victims of payday loan telephone collection scams. As previously reported in December 2010, the typical payday loan scam involves a caller who claims the victim is delinquent on a payday loan and must make payment to avoid legal consequences.

Callers pose as representatives of the FBI, “Federal Legislative Department,” various law firms, or other legitimate-sounding agencies and claim to be collecting debts for companies such as United Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Net, or other Internet check-cashing services. The fraudsters relentlessly call the victim’s home, cell phone, and place of employment in attempts to obtain payment. The callers refuse to provide information regarding the alleged payday loan or any documentation and become verbally abusive when questioned.

The IC3 has observed variations of this scam in which the caller tells the victim that there are outstanding warrants for the victim’s arrest. The caller claims that the basis of the warrants is non-payment of the underlying loan and/or hacking. If it’s the latter, the caller tells the victim that he or she is wanted for hacking into a business’ computer system to steal customer information. The caller will then demand payment via debit/credit card; in other cases, the caller further instructs victims to obtain a prepaid card to cover the payment.

The high-pressure collection tactics used by the fraudsters have also evolved. In one recent complaint, a person posed as a process server and appeared at the victim’s job. In another instance, a phony process server came to a victim’s home. In both cases, after claiming to be serving a court summons, the alleged process server said the victim could avoid going to court if he or she provided a debit card number for repayment of the loan.

If you are contacted by someone who is trying to collect a debt that you do not owe, you should:

Contact your local law enforcement agencies if you feel you are in immediate danger;
Contact your bank(s) and credit card companies;
Contact the three major credit bureaus and request an alert be put on your file;
If you have received a legitimate loan and want to verify that you do not have any outstanding obligation, contact the loan company directly;
File a complaint at www.IC3.gov.

I received several messages,  from edward collins portraying himself as working for kelly Sorrentino- like some sort of law firm and claiming to be process servers for a criminal complaint.  rediculous assertions and false pretenses.i gues wanting to verify the false information, then, a male portraying himself as kelly sorrentino with this number called. i think they are scammers looking for personal info

Received voice msg on home phone for son. Instructed to call Charles Emory, from Kelly and Sorrentino Law on behalf of the Cherokee Cty. District Court, Case # H00*** claiming to serve a summons at work or home. Not knowing why he would be summoned to court my son immediately called 866-616-7517 and left a msg. About 2 hours later a man called from a different number (888-315-1787). He told my son the case involved an unpaid consumer debt and gave him the business name. My son told him that particular debt had already been to court two years ago. The man said the case was filed as a criminal case through a higher court. He accused my son of "Theft by taking or deception" because he didn't return the item he purchased (in 2007). (BUT!) my son could avoid court if he would pay now. My son currently has $150.00 in an acct. he opened last week.  The man asked for the $150.00, required bank routing and account number to withdraw $150.00 payments every two weeks. My son said it sounded legit and after being unemployed for the better part of two years he didn't want anything to interfere with a new job he started last week. So as the story goes, after having his call forwarded to yet another number (855-377-8108) my son gave this stranger everything he needed to steal every penny to his name - because he didn't know any better and because he was threatened. But it is odd that my son checked his credit reports before relocating for his new job, applied for an apartment rental (they ran a credit report)  two weeks ago and now this. However, I've been unable to find the attorney, or law office referenced in the voice msg. received at my home. One thing is certain the caller had bits of information from my son's 10 year credit history but what he presented is incomplete and incorrect. Exception: Bank information. Honestly, we don't know if this is a scam.

Melanie called. They claim to be from the Law Offices of Kelly Sorrentino & Mariam claiming that legal actions have been taken against you

I received the same call from a "Natalie Martinez" stating that it was either a civil or criminal matter and it would be sent through the courts if I did not call 8777895574 and speak to Kristen Harper. She also gave a case number. I asked where she was calling from, she said Caryville which is a small town close to where I live..which literally has a gas station & post office & thats all it consists of.

Today is Sunday, however they called me this past Friday and I’m just now getting around to hearing the message. They said that if I don’t return the call then legal actions will be taken against me in district court. The call back number was different from the number that they called from.  I wasn’t aware that they called and gave you a heads up whenever legal actions was being taken against you. I will be calling first thing in the morning to see what this is all about and then UPDATE THIS THREAD!

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 are now also claiming that they will be in an “orange vest” and 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 or some sort of complaint and that there is a pending legal matter or action about to filed against you to create the sense of urgency.  They tell you that they are a “process server” and can not give you the particulars of the case since the file is sealed. This is simply ruse to get you to call another number (often with a made up case 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).  They threaten to serve you at home or at work.  They tell you that if they serve you at work they need a supervisor, security, or HR person there as a witness, hoping that will cause you to panic over the alleged embarrassment of being served at work.  They also tell you that you will need two forms of ID.  None of which is true.  Process servers do not ever call ahead so that you can dodge them.  Process servers get paid to serve papers, nothing else.  They certainly are not going to pass up a paycheck by telling you that you can avoid being served, they are not going to give you an extra day or even a few hours to get a “stop order”.  Court documents are time sensitive and have to be served within a certain amount of time.  Remember that you can always call the local courthouse to see if there is actually a lawsuit that has been filed against you.

It is incumbent upon them under the law to prove that the debt exists and that you owe it, and (this is the important part) 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.

First, you should make a complaint at this Federal Agency, and while there you should also read up on how debt collection is supposed to work as well as what your rights in this matter are: https://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

If you call that number, the after hours robo-greeter IDs them as "(Mumble) Arbitration Firm".  They  then ask you to punch  zero where you are connected to the office of "Kristina Edwards".   Please note that the term "Arbitration Firm"  is nothing more than scammer double talk for debt collection firm.

In any event, this "Kristina Edwards" persona appears in other scam calls on 800notes. See:
833-340-7417  800notes.    Calling the 833 number gives you "The Office of Kristina Edwards" as well.

Clearly a debt colleciton scam, little better than outright extortion.

___________________________
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.

Received this call today, "Hi, my name is Melissa Allen. I'm trying to get in contact with the Teresa church. Regarding a complaint that's been filed against your name and social security number ending in ----, I'm not sure if you received any information on the matter as of yet, but I do have the name and number to confirm that you are able to contact for the details, they will be able to disclose all the information with you as a whole file the complaint why what you can do to possibly resolve this matter voluntarily before the Summons out to the District court. So you can speak to Maria Lopez the contact number for her is 833-817-6931 and the case number to reference is as an Apple 439851 that's for you. So you only have 24 to 48 hours before the filing as completed at that point that office will no longer be able to assist and you will be required to physically appear in court to process of it does come out to either your place of employment or residence to serve you with that summons not the contact that office in time and you do come to an agreement. It is Abe, excuse me, it can't put a stop to any further court proceedings. So again Teresa church can speak to Maria Lopez for further details that 833-817-6931 case number a as in Apple 439851. Thank you."

This is the entire message...sound like a scam.