Rancho Credit Management, also known as Card Services, The Trading Post, Fidelity Settlement Group, or Golden Arch Cas*no is a real company. It's involved in debt collections, interstate tobacco sales, online gambling, and, I believe, debt consolidation.
The company is owned primarily, 95%, by Richard Burns. 90+% of the debt owned by the company is out-of-statute, four years or older; you should always ask what the write off date of the debt is, especially with them. Some of their collectors will insinuate prosecution, they like to tell people that they are in the "pre-legal" department, THEY HAVE NO PRE-LEGAL DEPARTMENT, they're just
debt collectors working from home, or from the office, in Encinitas.
Some of the collectors will threaten out right with prosecution, they do this on out of statute debt. It's illegal. A bunch of debt collectors, sitting at their cubicles, dialing away. They work on commission, and salary, typically 20% of what they collect.
The company says it employs independent contractors, but they supervise employees, and monitor hours, which is technically illegal, if you're employing independent contractors.
It's probably just an I.R.S./tax evasion tactic. From what I know, their books are completely out of order. If the I.R.S. decides to take notice, I don't think Rancho Credit Management will be around for long.
As I said, though, it is a real company. If they own the debt, they won't own it six months from the time they call you; they'll sell it to someone else.
What they really want is for you to sign a promissory note saying that you will pay the debt, that way they have a binding legal document/agreement; they want to turn out of stat debt into in-stat debt. In-stat debt is worth more.