888-878-9345

My Maiden name is very common (Johnson).  My mother received a call from an individual asking for me...only with my Maiden name.  She asked the individual what this was regarding.  The caller then asked where they would need to send the Sherriff to deliver a court summons on case 2010-00####-0.  The caller would not provide his name and said that his company was M & E Associates.  He told my mother to have me call them at 1-888-878-9345.

We googled M & E Associates but could find nothing related to Legal or Collections.  We also tried reverse phone number lookups on 1-888-878-9345 but could find nothing.  

I tried to call the number the following morning but received a voicemail stating that if I knew the extension of the case worker to enter it now or to press "0" to be connected.  I pressed "0".  I got a recording that stated all associates were busy and to leave a message.  I left them a message with my cell number.

Before they called me back they called my Mother-in-Law's house and made the same statements as the night before.  I called them again and someone answered after selecting "0".  The man asked for my Case number.  I gave it to him.  He said that he had to transfer me to "legal".  A man named "Kaden?" took the call.  He asked me for the last four of my social.  I gave it to him.  He said that I was not the person he was looking for and to disregard.

At first I was relieved that everything seemed ok.  After thinking about it more and discussing with my family, things seemed PHISHY.  My mother, mother-in-law, and I all live in different counties.  We filed police reports in all three counties.  The Sherriff's Deputies were most concerned that this could be a Phishing Scam or an attempt to Steal my identity.

My husband called 1-888-878-9345 ("M & E Associates") the next day, went through the press "0", transfer to "legal", and was transferred to "Kaden?".  He repeated the Case # and told "Kaden?" that before he answered any questions he wanted to ask a few of his own.  "Kaden?" said, "You are calling me regarding this case...I'll ask the questions".  There was some back and forth where my husband asked what type of company (collections or legal) there were and where they were located.  "Kaden?" refused to answer any questions.  He then looked at the file and said that it looks like someone contacted us yesterday and we had the wrong person.  My husband asked, "How do you know I'm not the right person?"  He said that my husband didn't sound like a "female".  My husband informed him that he was married to the person with the name they were looking for.  He asked for the last four of my social.

My husband informed him that he would not be providing any information other than:
1) Police reports were filed in three counties and that based on nature of the calls and the Police suspected unscrupulous debt collectors OR illegal Phishing activities.
2) to never call any of the numbers associated with these family members again (numbers were provided) and that if so harassment charges would be filed.
3) The Better Business Bureau would be contacted and a report would be filed.

Again, my husband asked for company information.  "Kaden?" again refused and hung up.

I want to be clear.  I am not accusing this company of Phishing or Attempting to steal identities; However, their business practices make it appear as such and the fact that they will not give ANY information about their business makes me wonder.

Be careful if contacted by M & E Associates (1-888-878-9345).

I, too, was contacted by what seemed to be a process serving company asking about my whereabouts the next day.  I am Hispanic and have what is for us a highly common last mane.  I called the 888 number provided, was told I was with the legal departement of M and E Associates.  Before we talked about anything, the lady on the other end said she had to verify the last four digits of my social security number.  She read them to me, and it wasn't the right ones.  She explained that there must have been a mistake and said she was sorry for the bother and let me go.  They stopped calling, but my family said I should check it out.  I looked it up here but my exprience was very different than the other lady before.  THey were very courteous and said sorry many times about the mix up.  Things are different for different people and their situations I guess.

so, i got this call..lol. made me laugh at first. the guy said that i was going to be served with some time of documents..if i wanted to get the docs rerouted id have to call this toll free. so i called, they verified the last four of my social.. they went on to say that i owed some debt that had been sitting for years..so anyway..after running my credit report i didnt see it. i called experian and they said that its up to the agency that owns the debt to report it, and that if they dont report it than it wont show...ugh. so upon further investigation through the citibank charge-off department i found out that the card was a student card that was in fact issued to me through citibank and had been sold years ago. so...i started to look up civil matters that may have been linked somehow to m & e associates.. i cant believe that i acually found some civil judgements that were filed on behalf of m & e... after reading some of the posts on here and some of the posts that ive found on other sites i was really scepticle to give any type of payment.. with in a couple days i called back to m & e to see if i could get some type of letter or something, i was totally expecting that they would shy away from that..being that if they did..then that would make then liable..but to my surprise they sent me what they called a "validation letter". it had all the card info, including the card number, date it was opened..uhh...what the balance owed was and alot more.. didnt seem like there was a whole lot that the letter was missing. so, (and believe me i wasnt happy about it) i agreed to pay the settlement amount that they offered. since then ive recieved a valid payed in full letter and all is good. after seeing the dateline video on youtube that you were talking about elizabeth, i was freaked out. but after doing my research i found out that it was mine... not trying to sway anyones opinion of these guys..just trying to tell my story. IF A LAW OFFICE OR COLLECTION OFFICE CALLS YOU, DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!!!!!

M & E Associates
Michael & Eric Associates
P.O. Box 3172
Victorville, CA 92393

888-878-9345 x1004 (Patrick, Collections Rep)
888-878-9345 x1012 (Jennifer Burton, Supervisor/Director?)

http://www.meassociates.org

Patrick called my friend's telephone today and complained (to my friend) that I owe a debt and they are working now to file judgement with NY State court. They furthermore threatened to send Sheriff or Marshall officers to arrest/serve me at my friend's house. My friend got their contact info and told them she had nothing to do with my personal affairs, and then notified me immediately.

I called these jokesters and spoke to Patrick, and then his supervisor, Jennifer. If this is a legit collection company, their attempts are not only pathetic, but in clear violation of most state laws and the Fair Credit Practices Act.

Read more info to protect your rights at the FTC web site http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpajump.shtm

I also recommend reviewing your State's Attorney General web site.

I filed official complaints with the BBB and the State Attorney General's office, and outlined their repeated violations across a large consumer base. I am required to make formal complaint through the United States Trustee assigned to my bankruptcy case.

Toll Free Number Information for 1-888-878-9345

Number Status:    IN USE
Status Date:    05/07/08
Company:     RingCentral, Inc.
Contact Number:     8888984591
Website:     www.ringcentral.com
Description:     RingCentral, Inc.offers toll-free or local number with advanced call management, PBX, voicemail and Internet fax services.
Other prefixes for this number

Number    Number Status    Status Date
800-878-9345    IN USE    03/14/06
866-878-9345    TRANSIT    05/15/10
877-878-9345    IN USE    04/06/99

Portfolio Details
Offering Company:    M & E ASSOCIATES INC.
Composition:     Credit Cards
Characteristics:    2nd Placement
Portfolio Amount:    $524,993.00
Average Balance:    $394.13
Age:    01/2007
Number of Accounts:    1,200
Region:    National
Date Listed:    4/16/2010
Bid Due:    5/25/2010
Expires Date:    5/31/2010
Contact:    MERRILL MILLER, 888-878-9345
Comments:    THIS PORTFOLIO IS MOSTLY GE CAPITAL SEARS MC,WAMU,HSBC ORCHARD,AND CHASE.PORTFOLIO CONTAINS ACTIVE NUMBERS, AND CO SIGNER INFO. PORTFOLIO PRICING IS AS FOLLOWS 1.2%.
OTHER PORTFOLIOS FOR SALE CALL FOR DETAILS

M & E ASSOCIATES INC.
16501 WALNUT ST, 9.
HESPERIA, CA 92345.

Phone: 888-878-9345.
Fax: 888-878-9346.

Contact: MERRILL MILLER, OWNER
E-mail: ISGLLC@AOL.COM

Mr. Michael Crump (I.S.G LLC/Owner), (Zip code: 93721) $700 to NATIONAL REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE on 04/11/06

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/elec2/06/elec-FRESNO-CA-06-part1.html#ixzz0sGHrVtpm

Entity Name:    M & E ASSOCIATES, INC.
Entity Number:    C3284753
Date Filed:    03/24/2010
Status:    ACTIVE
Jurisdiction:    NEVADA
Entity Address:    18575 RANCHERO
Entity City, State, Zip:    HESPERIA CA 92345
Agent for Service of Process:    CORPORATION SERVICE COMPANY WHICH WILL DO BUSINESS IN CALIFORNIA AS CSC - LAWYERS INCORPORATING SERVICE
Agent Address:    2730 GATEWAY OAKS DR STE 100
Agent City, State, Zip:    SACRAMENTO CA 95833

http://kepler.sos.ca.gov/cbs.aspx

Business Entity Information

Status:      Active
Type:      Domestic Corporation
Qualifying State:      NV
Managed By:     
NV Business ID:      NV20101003433
File Date:      1/04/2010
Entity Number:      E0000832010-5
List of Officers Due:      1/31/2011
Expiration Date:     
Business License Exp:      1/31/2011


Registered Agent Information

Name:      CSC SERVICES OF NEVADA, INC.
Address 1:      502 EAST JOHN STREET
City:      CARSON CITY
Zip Code:      89706
Mailing State:      NV
Agent Type:      Commercial Registered Agent - Corporation
Jurisdiction:      NEVADA
Status:      Active


Financial Information

No Par Share Count:      0
Capital Amount:      $ 75,000.00
Par Share Count:      1,500.00
Par Share Value:      $ 50.00


Officers

Secretary - GEORGE ENGMAN
Address 1:      16299 LLANADA ST
City:      VICTORVILLE
State:      CA
Zip Code:      92394
Country:      USA
Status:      Active

Director - GEORGE ENGMAN
Address 1:      16299 LLANADA ST
City:      VICTORVILLE
State:      CA
Zip Code:      92394
Country:      USA
Status:      Active

President - MERRILL MILLER
Address 1:      18575 RANCHERO RD.
City:      HESPERIA
State:      CA
Zip Code:      92345
Country:      USA
Status:      Active

Treasurer - MERRILL MILLER
Address 1:      18575 RANCHERO RD.
City:      HESPERIA
State:      CA
Zip Code:      92345
Country:      USA
Status:      Active


Actions\Amendments

Action Type:      Initial List
Document Number:      20100177352-18
# of Pages:      1
File Date:      3/22/2010
(No notes for this action)

Action Type:      Articles of Incorporation
Document Number:      20100001755-71
# of Pages:      1
File Date:      1/04/2010
Initial Stock Value: Par Value Shares: 1,500 Value: $ 50.00 No Par Value Shares: 0 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Total Authorized Capital: $ 75,000.00


http://nvsos.gov/sosentitysearch/

Property Information for 16299 Llanada Ave, Victorville, CA 92394

Property Features:

Single Family Residence
Year Built: 2006
3 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
Approximately 1,614 Sq Ft
Lot size: 18,000 Sq Ft
Stories: 1
Rooms: 7
County: San Bernardino
Heating type: Heating & Cooling
Heating detail: Central
Roof type: Tile
Parking: Attached Garage 2 spaces
Source: Public Records

Financial History

Last sold for $122,000 on 12/18/2008
Last assessed at $122,000 on 2009

Previous sales
$95,000 on 3/24/2006
$122,000 on 12/18/2008

Previous assessments
$122,000 on 2009
$244,000 on 2008
$310,900 on 2007
Source: Public Records


More Details at
http://www.realtor.com/property-detail/16299- ... _92394_31799801

Property Information for 18575 Ranchero Rd

Property Features:

Single Family Residence
Year Built: 1983
3 Bedrooms
3.50 Bathrooms
Approximately 3,498 Sq Ft
Lot size: 60,112 Sq Ft
Stories: 1
Rooms: 9
County: San Bernardino
Heating type: Heating & Cooling
Heating detail: Central
Roof type: Tile
Parking: Detached Garage 3 spaces
Source: Public Records

Financial History

Last sold for $495,000 on 6/23/2004
Last assessed at $315,000 on 2009

Previous sales
$495,000 on 6/23/2004

Previous assessments
$315,000 on 2009
$400,000 on 2008
$525,298 on 2007
Source: Public Record


More details at
http://www.realtor.com/property-detail/18575- ... _92345_fc9e9801

Lawsuit claims Taser abuse
The Sun, San Bernardino, Calif. | April 14, 2008 | Rod Leveque | 231 words |

RIVERSIDE - Two people who were arrested at Ontario Mills mall have filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Ontario Police Department of civil rights violations.

George Engman and Andrea Braxter claim they were wrongfully detained, battered and that Engman was excessively shocked with a Taser stun gun during the April 1, 2006, incident. They further claim the officers falsified their reports of the altercation.

The pair say they are owed between $10,000 and $200,000, plus attorneys fees and other costs, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in …

Read more here http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-16247163.html

Judge rules against recusing D.A.'s office from Taser case
The Sun, San Bernardino, Calif. | December 14, 2007 | Rod Leveque | 605 words

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A judge ruled today that county prosecutors did nothing wrong when they warned a defense attorney and his expert witness that they could face criminal charges for using a Taser stun gun on their own client to re-create injuries the client suffered at the hands of police.

Attorneys for George Engman had claimed the warning was an act of prosecutorial misconduct intended to intimidate them from presenting a vigorous defense, and they asked the judge to recuse the entire San Bernardino District Attorney's Office from the case.

In a 19-page written ruling …

Read more here http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-13458611.html

George Engman's MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/irishcarbomb1977

Lawyer Has Client Tasered; Says He "Had No Choice"
A legal team in Southern California trying to create a defense exhibit has come under fire for what some might call "thinking outside the box," but others have suggested might be "illegal human experimentation."

George Engman is on trial in West Valley Superior Court for trespassing, public intoxication and resisting arrest after an incident at the Ontario Mills mall in 2006.  Engman claims that the police used excessive force when they detained him, and specifically that they shocked him 10 to 14 times with a Taser-style stun gun.  (It's not clear to me how this helps the defense -- it's still trespassing even if you get beaten up for doing it -- but the argument may be that he could not have resisted arrest because he was preoccupied with the 50,000 volts he'd been introduced to.)  The police say he was only shocked three times.  Thus the defense effort to conduct an experiment that would demonstrate the effects of repeated shocks on their client.

And what better way to demonstrate the effect of repeated shocks on your client than by inflicting repeated shocks on your client?

Read more here http://www.loweringthebar.net/2007/08/lawyer-has-clie.html

M & E Associates is a small debt collection company known for engaging in unethical debt collection practices. If this company has contacted you or someone you know, or your place of business, and threatened you with legal action, told a third party that you owe a debt, or threatened to send law enforcement to serve or arrest you, they have violated your consumer rights, Sadly, companies like M & E Associates flout the law because most consumers are not aware of their rights. Learn more about your rights here http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm.

If you feel that your rights have been violated by M & E Associates you are strongly encouraged to file complaint with the following three agencies:

You have a right to file complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

http://www.la.bbb.org/Business-Report/M-and-E-Associates-100096431

You have a right to file complaint with the FTC under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov

Finally, you have a right to file complaint with your state attorney general's office.

http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/stateattorneygenerallist.php

M&E Associates

BBB Rating = F (Lowest possible score)

http://los-angeles.bbb.org/Business-Report/M-and-E-Associates-100096431