Counterattack on a Payday Loan Scammer

[HoustonLynne]

My tale is a common one these days. If you’re a newbie and freaking out because you are in a similar position – you are not alone.

 

I've had at least 4 of these bottom-feeding fake payday loan scammers try making a run at me over the past 2 years, and it all started with an inquiry I made through a website that acts as a payday loan "broker" -- they farm out your personal information to dozens (hundreds?) of potential "lenders" to fish for the best rates. (Lesson learned...ugh.)

(By the way, I accepted ONE offer that was legit -- complete with online contract – and I paid it back within the contract terms. I have documentation of that repayment. I don't think the ensuing calls have been related to that loan, but rather, the info I submitted to the "broker" went out to a bunch of fraudsters.)

 

A few months later, I started getting voicemails wherein the caller claims to be "Ms. Carter with the Process & Summons Division of Harris County"...blah blah blah. She leaves these threatening, official-sounding messages with a "FINAL OPPORTUNITY" to resolve "TWO COUNTS OF BANK FRAUD" directly with the plaintiff, but I must call said plaintiff's legal counsel at such-and-such number and reference "Court Docket #XYZ-ABC..." -- all totally ridiculous. I saved every one of the voicemails in MP3 format, and if I ever can identify the party, I will pay top dollar to someone to throw the book at them in civil and criminal court, if possible.

 

It got REALLY annoying when they called my father, who lives 200 miles away from me, and my brother's EX-mother-in-law in a city just outside of Houston (the references I used on that online process back in 2012).

 

But most egregious of all: they contacted my EMPLOYER and left the same detailed messages for the Executive Assistant to the CEO. It was humiliating, and the CEO was genuinely concerned for me. But I explained the situation and referred him to FTC info regarding this type of thing, and he told his Exec. Asst. to route any future calls to him, so that he could give them a run for their money. Unfortunately, they only called my employer one more time a few months later, and it was another voicemail, so no one ever actually spoke to the caller. But they pop up with calls to me and family members every few months.

 

So I'm still waiting for the sheriff to show up with my warrant. I guess he's been overly busy for the past 2 years, so in the meantime, the calls seem to have shifted to some newer players who are a little less tacky about the methods they employ. However, they use veiled claims that they're calling from some governmental or law enforcement entity -- or sometimes imply they're attorneys -- and instruct me to "have my attorney" return their call. Of course, they add that I can return the call, myself, if I have no legal representation...how nice of them.

 

So I happened to answer the most recent call, which I NEVER do. The conversation was very civil -- although it violated ALL KINDS of laws and tossed around the word "felony" -- and they agreed to send me something in writing about this alleged debt. Of course, as you can well imagine, no mail has arrived in 2 weeks. And they keep calling to "follow up with me" on said documentation, and I save every last voicemail.

 

What makes this one unique is that they actually gave me a name for themselves and a phone number that appears to be traceable to an actual business. Most of these places use Google Voice numbers that change weekly, and they claim they're with a fictitious law firm (confirmed by the State Bar of whatever state they claim to be in) or a governmental agency who's never heard of them, if you contact said agency (if it exists.)

 

So now that I have somewhere I can actually send certified mail to, I am going to request (in writing) for them to send me what they allegedly sent me already, and I will go on record with a limited C&D to ensure said written documentation is forthcoming. (It ain't, by the way.)

 

And today it hit me like a lightning bolt – I can actually give them the name of “my attorney” for all future communication...! I have a unique relationship with a very accomplished state & federal trial lawyer who occasionally does legal correspondence for Fox News. These people are threatening felony charges on the phone calls, and they may just move on to another victim if I were to tell them to address all phone calls to my attorney. And while I can't put it past one of these morons to actually pick up the phone and dial the number I give them, I am 99.999999 percent certain they wouldn't dare do such a stupid thing. They may not be the sharpest tools in the shed, but any imbecile who can perform a simple Google search -- and who is racking up potential felony charges, themselves -- can see that THIS attorney may not be the best person to fool with.

 

Then it occurred to me that there may be some legal reason why I can't just go claiming she’s my legal counsel if I haven't actually retained her services (not in the past decade, anyway)...or if not a legal reason, it may just be a huge violation of privacy or other personal and/or professional boundaries. So I asked her. And she told me to ABSOLUTELY give them her name and contact info, and to be sure I let them know that she’s forwarding all info about them to the Harris County District Attorney. In fact, she wants to do that part now, if I have identifying info that can be confirmed.

 

P.S -- DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS.

[cashnocredit]

I absolutely love your story, unwillingness to be scammed, and outstanding approach to dealing with these lowlifes that are multiplying like cockroaches.

[despair808]

Thats awesome ! GO GET EM !

[HoustonLynne]

Thanks for the feedback -- this is fun! And while we're at it...what's your take on this draft of my letter. Too much...?

 

Dear Ms. Moron and Ms. BottomFeeder,

 

I am following up on our conversation of April 21, 2014, wherein you alleged felony charges against me for bank fraud, with regard to an alleged unpaid payday loan incurred [the 12^th of Never]. You indicated that the loan was charged off on [the 2^nd Tuesday of Last Week], and that the original loan amount was $510. You are claiming the current amount due is $910.74.

 

You assured me you would send documentation of your claim via US Postal Service. I have received nothing by mail from you, yet I have two voicemails from Ms. Moron, attempting to follow up on said documentation.

 

In light of the serious allegations you have made, I am making a 2nd request for the above documentation in writing.

 

Please copy all written correspondence to my attorney:

 

B@dA$$ B!tc#

123 Back-Off Street

Houston, TX 77001

 

I have been advised to direct all further telephone contact to Ms. B!tc#, as well: (123) 555-1212

 

Ms. B!tc# will be forwarding all information regarding this matter to Harris County District Attorney [Name Redacted].

 

Your receipt of this letter will be considered as having granted consent to the taping of any telephone calls to me at any number by you or your agents or assigns.

 

Both myself and Ms. B!tc# are looking forward to receiving the documentation you promised during my last conversation with you.

 

Sincerely,

 

Not A. Victim

cc: [Your Low-Life Parent Company]; [My Attorney]

[JunkBuyersWorstNightmare]

My tale is a common one these days. If you’re a newbie and freaking out because you are in a similar position – you are not alone.

 

I've had at least 4 of these bottom-feeding fake payday loan scammers try making a run at me over the past 2 years, and it all started with an inquiry I made through a website that acts as a payday loan "broker" -- they farm out your personal information to dozens (hundreds?) of potential "lenders" to fish for the best rates. (Lesson learned...ugh.)

(By the way, I accepted ONE offer that was legit -- complete with online contract – and I paid it back within the contract terms. I have documentation of that repayment. I don't think the ensuing calls have been related to that loan, but rather, the info I submitted to the "broker" went out to a bunch of fraudsters.)

 

A few months later, I started getting voicemails wherein the caller claims to be "Ms. Carter with the Process & Summons Division of Harris County"...blah blah blah. She leaves these threatening, official-sounding messages with a "FINAL OPPORTUNITY" to resolve "TWO COUNTS OF BANK FRAUD" directly with the plaintiff, but I must call said plaintiff's legal counsel at such-and-such number and reference "Court Docket #XYZ-ABC..." -- all totally ridiculous. I saved every one of the voicemails in MP3 format, and if I ever can identify the party, I will pay top dollar to someone to throw the book at them in civil and criminal court, if possible.

 

It got REALLY annoying when they called my father, who lives 200 miles away from me, and my brother's EX-mother-in-law in a city just outside of Houston (the references I used on that online process back in 2012).

 

But most egregious of all: they contacted my EMPLOYER and left the same detailed messages for the Executive Assistant to the CEO. It was humiliating, and the CEO was genuinely concerned for me. But I explained the situation and referred him to FTC info regarding this type of thing, and he told his Exec. Asst. to route any future calls to him, so that he could give them a run for their money. Unfortunately, they only called my employer one more time a few months later, and it was another voicemail, so no one ever actually spoke to the caller. But they pop up with calls to me and family members every few months.

 

So I'm still waiting for the sheriff to show up with my warrant. I guess he's been overly busy for the past 2 years, so in the meantime, the calls seem to have shifted to some newer players who are a little less tacky about the methods they employ. However, they use veiled claims that they're calling from some governmental or law enforcement entity -- or sometimes imply they're attorneys -- and instruct me to "have my attorney" return their call. Of course, they add that I can return the call, myself, if I have no legal representation...how nice of them.

 

So I happened to answer the most recent call, which I NEVER do. The conversation was very civil -- although it violated ALL KINDS of laws and tossed around the word "felony" -- and they agreed to send me something in writing about this alleged debt. Of course, as you can well imagine, no mail has arrived in 2 weeks. And they keep calling to "follow up with me" on said documentation, and I save every last voicemail.

 

What makes this one unique is that they actually gave me a name for themselves and a phone number that appears to be traceable to an actual business. Most of these places use Google Voice numbers that change weekly, and they claim they're with a fictitious law firm (confirmed by the State Bar of whatever state they claim to be in) or a governmental agency who's never heard of them, if you contact said agency (if it exists.)

 

So now that I have somewhere I can actually send certified mail to, I am going to request (in writing) for them to send me what they allegedly sent me already, and I will go on record with a limited C&D to ensure said written documentation is forthcoming. (It ain't, by the way.)

 

And today it hit me like a lightning bolt – I can actually give them the name of “my attorney” for all future communication...! I have a unique relationship with a very accomplished state & federal trial lawyer who occasionally does legal correspondence for Fox News. These people are threatening felony charges on the phone calls, and they may just move on to another victim if I were to tell them to address all phone calls to my attorney. And while I can't put it past one of these morons to actually pick up the phone and dial the number I give them, I am 99.999999 percent certain they wouldn't dare do such a stupid thing. They may not be the sharpest tools in the shed, but any imbecile who can perform a simple Google search -- and who is racking up potential felony charges, themselves -- can see that THIS attorney may not be the best person to fool with.

 

Then it occurred to me that there may be some legal reason why I can't just go claiming she’s my legal counsel if I haven't actually retained her services (not in the past decade, anyway)...or if not a legal reason, it may just be a huge violation of privacy or other personal and/or professional boundaries. So I asked her. And she told me to ABSOLUTELY give them her name and contact info, and to be sure I let them know that she’s forwarding all info about them to the Harris County District Attorney. In fact, she wants to do that part now, if I have identifying info that can be confirmed.

 

P.S -- DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS.

 

 

[mk_378]

Don't bother with letters. Their address is going to be fake. They're almost always actually offshore, which makes finding and trying to prosecute them futile.

 

When you have several calling, give each one one of the other's numbers as your "attorney". That should be good for a little entertainment.

[HoustonLynne]

Don't bother with letters. Their address is going to be fake. They're almost always actually offshore, which makes finding and trying to prosecute them futile.

 

When you have several calling, give each one one of the other's numbers as your "attorney". That should be good for a little entertainment.

Most of the callers have been unidentifiable, but this one actually appears to have a confirmed location in the Atlanta area -- they have job listings on career websites, and they have a BBB and YellowPages listing. They are also connected to another "parent company" in the Atlanta area. And the number they give (including an extension) is almost the same number listed on the BBB and YellowPages.com. They are also NOT foreign nationals -- sound like Atlanta locals.

[JunkBuyersWorstNightmare]

 

Don't bother with letters. Their address is going to be fake. They're almost always actually offshore, which makes finding and trying to prosecute them futile.

 

When you have several calling, give each one one of the other's numbers as your "attorney". That should be good for a little entertainment.

Most of the callers have been unidentifiable, but this one actually appears to have a confirmed location in the Atlanta area -- they have job listings on career websites, and they have a BBB and YellowPages listing. They are also connected to another "parent company" in the Atlanta area. And the number they give (including an extension) is almost the same number listed on the BBB and YellowPages.com. They are also NOT foreign nationals -- sound like Atlanta locals.

 

 

Atlanta-area lowlifes, that is.

[HoustonLynne]

Don't bother with letters. Their address is going to be fake. They're almost always actually offshore, which makes finding and trying to prosecute them futile.

 

When you have several calling, give each one one of the other's numbers as your "attorney". That should be good for a little entertainment.

Most of the callers have been unidentifiable, but this one actually appears to have a confirmed location in the Atlanta area -- they have job listings on career websites, and they have a BBB and YellowPages listing. They are also connected to another "parent company" in the Atlanta area. And the number they give (including an extension) is almost the same number listed on the BBB and YellowPages.com. They are also NOT foreign nationals -- sound like Atlanta locals.

Atlanta-area lowlifes, that is.

YES...thank you for the correction!

[nysbadmk8]

If you offer to mail a payment in, will they give you an address?

[HoustonLynne]

If you offer to mail a payment in, will they give you an address?

Not sure if you mean "in general" with these types of scumabags, or if you're asking about my personal experience. But I can tell you that I've never had a live conversation with any of them prior to the recent one in Atlanta. We didn't even get to the payment part, as you can imagine. But they gave me enough identifying info that I can confirm they APPEAR to actually exist on paper and with the BBB. The earlier ones (last voicemail from them was 8/2013) who said they were calling from my county or state "Processing & Summons Division" obviously aren't identifiable.

 

I've read a lot of complaints online that indicate the caller(s) would not allow a payment to be mailed -- unsuspecting consumers often panic and fork over bank account info. I've also read that a lot of them insist that the consumer purchase a prepaid debit card and give them the number to debit.

[nysbadmk8]

Hmmmmm. I would talk to them on purpose. Tell em I would mail a check asap. I wish we had a better way to nail these guys.

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[HoustonLynne]

I've been too timid to do take their calls before now. That's changed over the past few months, which is how I ended up talking to them a couple weeks ago. But I went right into asking for proof of debt to be mailed, since I have never received ANYTHING by mail from any of them. They had my old apartment number (same address, otherwise) -- but I'm certain no one has ever mailed anything to that, either.

[cashnocredit]

This is what I'd do for those low-lifes that threaten jail or other, highly illegal actions. In these cases you don't really care about validation or subtle violations since they have demonstrated gross disregard for the law already and will ignore this. What you are trying to do is trap the bastards.

 

The ultimate step to get back at these creeps is to feign a scared, unknowledgeable, consumer. Without giving them info, or even demanding validation, or asserting rights, make them think they are on the verge of getting a check. Tell them to send a letter or bill so you can mail them a money order. They will try their best to get you to give them bank account or debit card info because it is harder to trace them but don't ever do that. Just tell them you have heard horror stories about stolen stuff from your friends who have said they only pay bills by mail now.

 

This way you can collect hard evidence (along with the recordings of their calls which you can do in TX).. After you get their address you can play them to get more egregious scam stuff then nail their butts.

 

These people need to be shut down or worse.

[HoustonLynne]

This is what I'd do for those low-lifes that threaten jail or other, highly illegal actions. In these cases you don't really care about validation or subtle violations since they have demonstrated gross disregard for the law already and will ignore this. What you are trying to do is trap the bastards.

 

The ultimate step to get back at these creeps is to feign a scared, unknowledgeable, consumer. Without giving them info, or even demanding validation, or asserting rights, make them think they are on the verge of getting a check. Tell them to send a letter or bill so you can mail them a money order. They will try their best to get you to give them bank account or debit card info because it is harder to trace them but don't ever do that. Just tell them you have heard horror stories about stolen stuff from your friends who have said they only pay bills by mail now.

 

This way you can collect hard evidence (along with the recordings of their calls which you can do in TX).. After you get their address you can play them to get more egregious scam stuff then nail their butts.

 

These people need to be shut down or worse.

I like this suggestion -- I just might be courageous enough (or pi$$ed-off enough) to fight fire with fire like this!

 

Same thing as this:

Hmmmmm. I would talk to them on purpose. Tell em I would mail a check asap. I wish we had a better way to nail these guys.

Guess I just needed to hear a possible scenario spelled out so I could envision myself actually doing it! Thank you both!

Edited May 3, 2014 by HoustonLynne

[JunkBuyersWorstNightmare]

This is what I'd do for those low-lifes that threaten jail or other, highly illegal actions. In these cases you don't really care about validation or subtle violations since they have demonstrated gross disregard for the law already and will ignore this. What you are trying to do is trap the bastards.

 

The ultimate step to get back at these creeps is to feign a scared, unknowledgeable, consumer. Without giving them info, or even demanding validation, or asserting rights, make them think they are on the verge of getting a check. Tell them to send a letter or bill so you can mail them a money order. They will try their best to get you to give them bank account or debit card info because it is harder to trace them but don't ever do that. Just tell them you have heard horror stories about stolen stuff from your friends who have said they only pay bills by mail now.

 

This way you can collect hard evidence (along with the recordings of their calls which you can do in TX).. After you get their address you can play them to get more egregious scam stuff then nail their butts.

 

These people need to be shut down or worse.

 

[BDK]

This is what I'd do for those low-lifes that threaten jail or other, highly illegal actions. In these cases you don't really care about validation or subtle violations since they have demonstrated gross disregard for the law already and will ignore this. What you are trying to do is trap the bastards.

 

The ultimate step to get back at these creeps is to feign a scared, unknowledgeable, consumer. Without giving them info, or even demanding validation, or asserting rights, make them think they are on the verge of getting a check. Tell them to send a letter or bill so you can mail them a money order. They will try their best to get you to give them bank account or debit card info because it is harder to trace them but don't ever do that. Just tell them you have heard horror stories about stolen stuff from your friends who have said they only pay bills by mail now.

 

This way you can collect hard evidence (along with the recordings of their calls which you can do in TX).. After you get their address you can play them to get more egregious scam stuff then nail their butts.

 

These people need to be shut down or worse.

+1, especially the highlighted.

 

You go get 'em girl!