Hi: Just had a message at work from phone number
866-201-4603 asking to speak to either myself or
my attorney here at my job....I called back but an answering machine came on "saying please leave message for the receptionist...Does anyone know this number?..

[jj]

called the number and got a live body. lady who answered would not divulge any information on who they were. She answered security desk with no other identifiers.

My... bad collection agency or scam radar went off.

Thanks for the response...Do you think I should be worried?..Probably a payday company?

[jj]

Never worry, its negative energy. If you have defaulted on any , yea it could be. what you may want to do is to call back and find out why they were calling that way you know. then you can decide how to deal with it. Keep a notebook handy so you can write down what they say, what you say.. stay calm and if they start throwing threats around, write them down and do not believe them. Once you know why they called you can plan how to handle it. Many people here, including me wil gladly give you our opinions on how to handle it. Good luck and just ask for help if you need it.

[david]

You are right JJ, there should be a log file of such calls so that the purpose of each call becomes known at the required time. Apart than that, if it's a collection agency and the recording of the phone call is permissible in the state you live, you can record them for legal purposes. If the state laws do not allow recording of the phone calls secretly, you will have to inform the other party about the call being recorded. If the person continues to speak, it proves his permission given to the recording.

This way, if there are any threats or harassments during debt collection (which are legally restricted), it can be presented to a lawyer for further actions.

[john]

I just found out that this number (866-201-4603) belongs to Interstate Wire Compliance Bureau. It is the direct line of Stone Rockwell

This is a collection agency that is being hit with negative consumer feedbacks. This agency is believed to have some connection with Ellis Crosby. So you need to be proactive before making any commitment.

Know your consumer rights listed in the fdcpa law. You will learn about your legal rights and know how your debt should be paid to the collection agencies collecting on behalf of your creditors.

I got the same message. I subscribe to Pre-Paid Legal. com and I called an attorney there and they told me to call the and file complaint with the Attorney General and Federal Trade Commission. I have done both. By law they have to send you something in writing telling you what this is about. Sounds to me like they are a collection agency using bad tactics and have had several complaints filed on them. Hope this helps. I wouldnt worry too much about it. File a complaint and they will leave you alone or have to prove a debt exists.

Call Equifax and trans union to put a fraud alert on your file - that way they have to comtact you to search your file because they will prpbably try to put fraudulent information on your report.

I recieved a call from a man claiming to be with the state of wy compliance dept don freedman asking for me and or my atty and that i will be arrested if i do not give them a check over the phone i gave them my ckng info after i thought about it and not feeling comfortable called the orginal creditor who gave me the # of the collection agency that has my file and it was not interstate compliance bureau they advised me to close my checking acct and they will take pymnt when i am able to pay them (first credit america)800-293-1486 who was very proffesional and followed the fdcpa. Without threating me in any way
Again he had nerve to call today and threaten me i explained to him that he misrepresented himself broke the fdcpa several times, i am in the process of pursuing this to the fullest ....................

[john]

TIFFY, never give your personal and bank information until you are sure that the company is having legitimate details about your accounts. Only after the debt is validated by the collection agency, send payment through money order as it is the safest method of payment.

Since you have given the account information to interstate compliance bureau, monitor your bank account closely. They may try to hit your file with negative information and this will be a fraudulent activity as per the fdcpa law. Keep a check on your file.

I notified my bank and have closed my account, but i will be pursuing this with the federal trade commission as well as the states atty office

Hi can anyone tell me who it is I'm supposed to call if I'm receiving phone calls at work from Assett Acceptance. I've been giving monthly payments but they want more money. A Ms. Linda Hansen continues to call me at work. I also had authorized them to take a certain amount out of my account on a monthly basis. Now I'm worried whe will get upset and withdraw an amount that has not been agreed upon. What can I do?

[david]

Veronica, do you have the agreement contract signed with Asset Acceptance? You must have the details of the debt in writing for which they are collecting money from you. Apart than that, they must also not withdraw more money than the agreed amount. If anything happens that has not been mentioned in the contract, it will result in a breach of contract shaping legal actions.

Send a cease and desist letter to the company and stop them from calling your place of work. Give an option to be contacted by mail only so that you remain in touch with them.

If there is any complaint you wish to place against this company, you can contact the local AG's office as well as the FTC and the BBB. They already have large number of complaints against them.

I rcvd a call at work from don freeman stateing if my attorney did not call him back within the hour he was issuing affadavits for my arrest for banking fraud(this was a result of a payday loan that was legally discharged thru chapter 7 bankruptcy) my attorney called and toldl the man who he was and mr freeman hung up and would take no further calls.

[Virginia-Legal-Defense]

(Note - comments are as to Virginia law - probably but not necessarily the same where you live)

If you owe money to A and get a bit behind, you may get a call or letter from B saying "you owe A this much, send us (B) a check at our (B) address".

Caution: if you pay B you don't necessarily get credit towards your debt to A. B may be entitled to legally keep your money without having to send any of it to the creditor to reduce your debt if you signed a contract that says you're willing to pay all costs of collection (a standard boilerplate provision in most consumer contracts). Secondly, it could be a scam - even if there is a relationship between A and B, B could still defraud you and A could go to court and get a judgment against you - your payment to B would not be a defense.

Always, Always, Always make your payments to that person (including corporate entities) to whom you actually owe the money unless and until you get something in writing from the original creditor indicating that they have transferred or assigned the debt to someone else and instructing you to make future payments to that someone else. Never ever send money directly to a collection agency without having first received such instructions from the creditor.

That means, do not disclose the details of any payment medium to anyone over the phone, especially if (1) it's not someone whom you personally know and trust and (2) you called them, they didn't call you. That includes checking account and credit card information, paypal authorization, etc.

[curlycarl]

Virginia-Legal-Defense

According to the suggestion given by you, I understand that the CA must show us the details of the contract signed with the original creditor and other debt validation details before we agree to pay them.

But, in some cases, the CA is not giving the required details and after contacting the original creditor, it is found that the debt has been sold to outside collection agency. After trying repeatedly to get actual information of the debt from the collection agency, nothing helps. In such cases, what should a consumer do? Should he wait till the time an agency comes with the legitimate details? My concern is my credit that has already been tarnished and I am trying to repair it by paying the full money. But what should be done while I am moving between collection agencies?

I will appreciate your comment on this general situation.