On August 7, 2008 I received a phone call at 5:57p.m from 818-336-9384 to my personal cell. The company was stating that they were trying to collect a debt that was incured by me back in December of '07. They said that I had taken out a pay day loan, read me back the last 4 didgets of my s.s.#, my home address, and my email and claimed that I had never paid this loan and that there will be a team of debt investigators visting my home tomorrow between 11-12p.m to discuss this matter, and that if I wasn't at home they would come to my work. I was asked initially by the first woman who called me if I had legal representation, and when I said no, and started asking questions who she was she said she couldn't help me further. She could not tell me the exact date this supposed loan was taken out on, or the original amount of the loan, but that I now owed $1095.00 to their company by tomorrow.
I asked if they obviously had my home address, phone number, and email address then why wasn't I contacted about this sooner. And if I had taken this said loan, then why weren't there automatic debits coming out of my account to pay this loan back? I asked who the company is that this loan came from, and she rattled off this almost commercial like shpeal about US National Bank having over 200 companies that do buisness with them online. When I kept pressing for information (which was in and out because her phone line sounded like she was a million miles away) she said I had to talk to a Mr. Ray Stewart gave me his # at 818 336 9384 and stated that he would be able to answer my questions further.
I then call Mr. Stewart at the given number, and he has such a thick indian accent that it's almost impossible for me to understand. He rattles back the same story, that I took out a payday loan back in December of 2007, reads me all of my personal information... ss#, bank account #, routing # and states that I owe $1095 to US National Bank. I ask again who they are, he rattles off the same commercial the woman did. I ask for more details... the date the loan was taken out, the amount of the original loan, etc. I finally get a date of Dec 6, 2007, but he still doesn't know the original amount.
We go back and forth several time, me asking him questions, him trying to dance around real answers. The line sounds so far away that I can barely hear, and I finally say to him that I believe this is all a scam, that I am obviously a case of identity theft and that I would be reporting his company to the BBB. He said I am more that welcome to do that, and then told me if I did I would be "very sorry." Shortly after that statement there was silence and the line disconnected.
When I called back a Mr. Anthony Clark answered the same # and stated that Ray Stewart was not available, and I tried to get him to help me with additional information and he told me that the file was locked up and someone had taken the key home and he couldn't look at it and that I would have to call back in the morning!
I even attempted to contact my bank, the fraud department, and ran a freecreditreport to try to find what they were talking about. Not to mention, I know for a fact that I never took out this loan... nothing was found.
This is an absolutely rediculous sceme. Report! Report! Report! One of the major DEAD give aways is that all of these people were extremely Indian with all extremely American names... "Anthony Clark, Ray Stewart" Gimme a break. The internet is crazy kids, watch your backs.
Amanda
Chicago, Illinois
U.S.A.