Complaint Review: Kristie Edwards ARA Inc

Last night, I received a phone call out of the blue from an unidentified man claiming I owed $1200.00 on a Discover Card through Chase Manhattan Bank that was opened in 1993. This person knew my social security number and my current address as he nasked me to confirm them.

I have never had a Discover card nor do I use Chase Manhattan Bank. In fact, I have no credit cards at all. When I inquired why I had never heard of this debt or received any letters in the mail, they berated me and got abusive saying that I was lying, that I obviously had received the letters. I asked to speak to a supervisor- Kristie Edwards- who said she could reduce the interest that had accrued if I paid them right now $462.20. I asked again why in 20 plus years I had never received a letter or invoice, they just threw legal jargon at me and rattled off a bunch of previous addresses (some correct, some not) of where I had lived.

I then asked them to send me a letter in writing, which they said they would not do, but if I gave them my email address, they would. Hesitantly, but still scared of thi looming debt, I gave my email. I then received a photocopied letter titled "Affadavit and Assignment" that claimed that they were now in control of collecting this debt. 

I went into Chase Manhattan Bank this morning and asked if they had any information on a charged off account and they said they in fact did not. They said, from their perspective this looked like a scam. The bank associate there even called their internal offices to find out more info and they said there was none.

Kristie Edwards called me again this morning and when i answered, she said "HI this is Kristie" not "Hi this is Kristie Edwards from ARA. Totally unprofessional. I told her I had gone to the bank and they had no records and I was going to get my credit report to see where this was coming from.

So I did get my credit report, called ARA, Inc back, thinking I could clear this up. This is when it got really hostile. The person I talked to was not Kristie Edwards but someone else who told me that if I was a "responsible adult" I would just pay this lowered fee of $462 RIGHT NOW or they'd be forced to sue me, serve me with a court summons and I'd have to pay the entire amount as well, hire a lawyer and pay unspecified court charges of $3500. I got super scared and was on the brink of just paying it, but then I googled them and found this site where I saw many people with similar claims.

At this point, I am ignoring them and if they do decide to sue me or serve me with a court summons, I will dispute the entire thing. I am convinced this is a scam and these people are awful, demeaning and super abusive.