Court Summons Questions

Date: Mon, 03/25/2013 - 18:33

Submitted by anjackson20
on Mon, 03/25/2013 - 18:33

Posts: 21 Credits: [Donate]

Total Replies: 20

So, tell me: Is this indeed a scam, or am I actually being served papers?

I received a phone call and voicemail from a “Rose Miller” on March 22 stating that it was a courtesy call for documents of a certified notice of intent to appear in court. She stated that she would be stopping by my place of residence to get a signature for these documents, as it is required to do so before she can give them to me. She stated that she would be arriving on Tuesday, March 25 no later than 5pm. If there was a scheduling conflict, I needed to contact the filing party at 888-837-4565. There is also a claim number that was listed on the outside of the envelope and she gave it to me. She then stated at the end of the voicemail: “You have been notified.”

I decided to go ahead and call the number she gave me. I was connected to a “Mr. John Abbott” at a company called “Sterling Account Solutions. He stated that they were based of out New York. He did not give me a city, nor did he give me an address during the phone call. He asked me to verify the last 4 digits of my SS# before he continued. Afterwards, he then went on to state that through the county I live in (Ohio, Franklin County), a court summons had been issued to be through a company called RCL Finance. Supposedly there were two accounts against me (attempt to defraud the company and attempt to not pay the loan) and that this dates back to September of 2011. He also stated that he tried to contact me through email (he had my email address, and I have never received anything from them via email) and that this company is deciding to go ahead and pursue court measures.

Now, I recognize the name, as Pay Day 1 is a company that is tied to them. As far as I know, I thought the balance was paid.

Thanks a lot to you both! I

Thanks a lot to you both! I had a feeling that it was a scam, but I just wanted to make sure it was. There is a little more to this story, just so that I can get all the details out for anyone else who may come across this problem. I'll paste it below. For some reason, the forums here wouldn't allow me to post the whole story, so I apologize for that. I plan to file a complaint online with my AG and if that "Rose Miller" does show up at my home or contact me again, I will have to call a police officer to meet her here. I would hope that they really aren't bold enough to step foot anywhere near my apartment building. But, you never know with these idiots:

I contacted PD1 for a similar situation months ago and they told me that there was no record and that it had been moved on to some other company. This gave me the impression that it wasn’t paid like I thought it was and I asked if it had been. The rep at PD1 stated that she couldn’t give me that information and then gave me another number to some company. It’s a long story, but I never reached anyone to validate this. So, after not hearing from either PD1 or any of the other companies I contacted that time, I assumed I paid it.

Here I am again, months later, getting another threating phone call for the same issue from a different company. I tried to get out as much information as I could, but eventually "Mr. Abbott" rushed me off the phone because "the office is getting ready to close." He stated that if I didn’t pay the prearranged amount of the remaining balance from RCL Finance ($464.20), then the paperwork would be sent. Of course, this was after he stated that the total balance with court fees and everything else included was $1936.14. I told him that I did not have those funds and that I have no recollection of receiving any notification of this balance. He said that was fine and that if I wanted to sort this out, to call him back on Monday.

It slipped my mind and I didn’t even bother to press the issue further. I figured it was a scam and let it go. BUT, I received another phone call from “Rose Miller” again today, verifying that I got her message and stating that she will be out tomorrow between 3-5pm. She had my full address and name. I asked her whom these documents would be coming through, and she said that she was with an “independent carrier.” I found that odd, as normally court summons are issued through USPS or Sheriff, at least that’s what I’ve been told for the state of Ohio. She refused to give me her company name, telephone number (as it was blocked each time she called) or any other information. She just stated that she was hired to deliver documents and it’s my decision to sign or not.

After that phone call, I contacted a lawyer. He stated that those documents were invalid and that it was probably a scam attempt. I quote: “No legal company would be sending you documentation through an independent mail carrier. You would’ve gotten them through USPS or a Sheriff. Also, if there is no case on file with the Clerk of Courts for Franklin County, then whatever they are sending you is invalid. They are probably processing forms. Do not take anything or sign anything from them. Tell them to leave the premises and to not return. If they do, then contact a police officer.”

So, I took the time to call “Sterling Account Solutions” again. I got a different male, by the name of “Davis Castill.” He was very pushy and rude after a while, since I started asking him for information. He gave me the same information that “John Abbott” did, but he gave me a different total balance ($2127.86). I caught him on that and asked him why they would be telling me a different balance from last time. He hesitated, stated that it wasn’t notated on my account and that he would go and speak with Mr. Abbott. But, before he went, he stated that it was probably a waiving of court costs, since they do that sometimes. It can range from $300-$500. The difference was nowhere near those amounts. The difference was only $191.72. He put me on hold to speak with this person, came back and stated that was indeed the case. I told him that Mr. Abbott did not mention waiving any court fees and that the balance he gave me on Friday was what the total was. By this point, he was getting very irritated and kept asking me if I wanted to take care of the balance or not. I finally told him that unless I receive proper documentation that I do indeed have a balance with this company, I’m not paying anything. He then huffed and stated rudely, “Then, wait for the documents,” and hung up the phone.

Just to make sure that I’m not digging myself into a hole, I contacted the same lawyer again and he reassured me that they had no case. I even called the County Courts to make sure I had no case on file, as well as looked it up online. Nothing was there. I then called “Sterling” one more time, to tell “Davis Castill” that I spoke with a lawyer and that whatever they are sending me isn’t valid and I then asked if it was processing forms. He stated he wasn’t sure and that it wasn’t his department and it was the “carrier department.” I asked him if he had a number to that department, and he said no. I then asked him that if I refused to sign for the documents, would anything get processed? He stated most likely not. He said the only way to get those papers was through signature. I told him what would happen if I didn’t sign, he stated that he didn’t know, since “no one had ever asked him this many questions before. No one has ever refused to sign the documents.” I told him that was odd and thanked him for his time.

I also recorded both conversations with Mr. Castill with a recorder, just for my own records. I've written everything down as well. Now, if this "Rose Miller" shows up at my apartment, I will be video taping it with my phone as well, just so I can have more proof incase these morons do indeed push a court summons through. I've read stories here about some of these stupid companies actually process this stuff without warning and people actually having to go to court.