Just got a call from someone from "[/b]The Offices of Connie Church[/b]" (I assume so that it sounds more like a lawyers office) and they gave the 800-871-7730 as their call back number. She left me a message yesterday saying that I, or my retained legal counsel, needed to call her back. I have about 3 outstanding PDL's from back in November, when I went on Disability and needed them to help pay bills. So I've already had to deal with another one of their many named companies telling me that they were pressing charges and would have me arrested for fraud, and get me on Federal charges etc. It was enough to scare me into paying the 1st company $350(even though I only borrowed 200 or 300- and they are saying I still owe them $300 in 'fees'.) She even went as far as to tell me that it had happened to her, and she now had a permanent record, bc of something so small. That even though she didn't have a previous record, the judges are really cracking down and didn't care. I was so frightened, I got a friend to loan me 1/2 the amount she said I owed.
I googled the number this recent lady gave me after a friend informed me that she's gotten the same calls of a man telling her that they would embarrass her by sending the cops up to her job, etc etc.
I know I owe the original amounts borrowed, but it seems like these companies are loan sharking. The original people I contacted said the companies wouldn't even work out a payment arrangement with me, and wouldn't give me the contact info for them. It was a schpeel about how I had to pay $700, on a $300 PDL.
One of these other ones called me and wouldnt give me the name of the company he was calling from until I gave him my name. So I assume they use different company names depending on whichever way the wind blows. He barely spoke English, so I automatically assumed that it was a scare tactic. I spoke to him and he gave me the same script that the original lady, I paid, did about having me arrested etc etc. His accent was so thick that I had to have him repeat almost everything over and over. He started to get rude, and handed me off to someone else. At that point I could hear other phones ringing, and it sounded like a call center. So the other guy starts in about wanting to give me a case number, that he was trying to save me from an embarrassing situation and crap- I said, and "let me guess I have to pay the full balance by EOB today, or you press charges, right?" He told me they would. So I told him to keep dreaming bc I didn't have the money. He then said that I had a real attitude and good luck to me, bc I WOULD pay, then hung up.
BTW, I called the offices of Connie Church back and the lady that picked up, answered with "Jackson Phillips and Associates"
I'm in NC too, so from what I've been hearing recently- I think it was even illegal for the original payday loan people to give me the loan in the 1st place.