CashNet USA....slimeballs Collectors for them....big time!

[NHC]

[tigergem]

A couple of years ago "Investigators" called my mom and dad and told them they would have me arrested for being in possession of stolen property, because of the secured loan I wasn't paying on. The problem was, no way to really track where the calls were coming from at that time. The area code was some place in Sacramento, but I couldn't track a business listing, or a personal listing... or anything. If you called there, though, you only got a recording, if this is an emergency hang up and dial 911. Nobody to talk to and mess with. I never get any FUN with these calls. I think I got gypped. I swear, I want to go back into debt just so I can have phone fun. (Just kidding.)

[NHC]

Actually, based on some further investigation...this is a BIG scam. One thing I didn't mention is that I didn't even remember having a loan with these people but some of these places operate under several different names...

I have already filed complaints with the AG offices of New York and Colorado and a complaint with Cash Net USA.

Well, CashNet USA just called me. It IS indeed a scam....I do not have an account with them, nor have I ever....in fact, they seemed rather shocked. I guess the next step would be to file a formal report of some kind. It's scary to think how many people are litterally scared to death into giving these peopel money...and it make me even happier that I was such an A-hole to them on the phone!!!

Are there any techno geeks out there? Here is a part that I overlooked but now it seems kind of important....the number that called me came up on caller ID as 1021. The first time I called the number they gave me I got one of those recordings "all lines are busy. Please try your call again later"...I haven't heard one of those in years....so I redialed and this time it rang about 5 times before anyone picked up. The second time I called them....the line rang a good 6 times before anyone picked up. I'm wondering if this could be some sort of call router...the guy on the phone had a thick middle eastern accent....

[tigergem]

So -- am I understanding this right? The "Officer" that was calling you, was calling from a phony collection agency that was never hired by CashNet?

[NHC]

So -- am I understanding this right? The "Officer" that was calling you, was calling from a phony collection agency that was never hired by CashNet?

YEP! Somehow someone has gotten ahold of some information and is using it to scam people out of money using scare tactics (gee...how original.... ) I have never had an account with CashNet or any of it's affiliates....

[tigergem]

No not original. I remember back in the day, we used to get collection notices in the mail for accounts for small amounts, less than $50 ... here and there... for debts that never existed. Magazine subscriptions mainly. I imagined even then that people just paid them. I never subscribed to magazines because I didn't really have time to read them. If I wanted one, I would pick it up on the news stand. So I knew it was a scam for sure. So this is how that practice has evolved? Wow.

[NHC]

No not original. I remember back in the day, we used to get collection notices in the mail for accounts for small amounts, less than $50 ... here and there... for debts that never existed. Magazine subscriptions mainly. I imagined even then that people just paid them. I never subscribed to magazines because I didn't really have time to read them. If I wanted one, I would pick it up on the news stand. So I knew it was a scam for sure. So this is how that practice has evolved? Wow.

Yep...this is the next fabulous scam...I just finished filing a report with the FTC...and since it's cold and snowing and I can't play outside...I think I'll go file a report with my local police too.....

[WhatMoney]

You have probably already read this, so I'm just adding it here for more info.
Note their telephone numbers are spoofed and the calls are usually coming from outside the United States. I'd guess Pakistan, Iraq, or Iran. The accent is middle eastern. About all you can do is report it to your State's AG, and they can put out warnings like the Kansas AG did below. I must have 50 spoofed numbers in my caller ID files I have labeled as scams & fraud. It's getting worse by the day.

Consumer Alert: Attorney General warns Kansans of debt collection scam

January 29, 2010 -- Attorney General Steve Six is cautioning Kansas consumers about telephone calls from apparent fake debt collectors who are impersonating law enforcement officers in an effort to extort money from consumers. Consumers are warned to not submit payments to these fraudulent debt collectors.

When calling, the scammers most often state they are attempting to collect a debt related to an internet payday loan obtained by the consumer, but which the consumer never repaid. Consumers state they have never obtained such a loan or paid off the loan years ago. The scam artists have most recently identified themselves as ACS, National Affidavit Processing Department and United Financial Crime Division, but may use additional phony names. It appears the phone numbers used by the scammers are “spoofed” numbers, so that the number appearing on a consumer’s caller ID is not the actual number of where the call originated. It appears the calls in question may be originating from outside the United States.

When questioned, the individual calling refuses to disclose the full name or address of the collection agency they claim to represent. These scammers have been able to provide consumers with identifying information, such as the consumer’s social security number, home address, e-mail address, names of family members and the consumer’s computer IP address. Since the callers are able to provide valid personal information, consumers may become confused and believe they are being contacted in regard to a legitimate debt.

If the initial debt collection scam is unsuccessful, consumers have been re-contacted months later with the scammers posing as law enforcement officers or officers of the court. Typically, the consumer is threatened with arrest for fraud or some other fictitious crime unless the consumer agrees to immediately wire money via Western Union. The fictitious officers strive to frighten and confuse consumers into compliance by using legal sounding terms such as “We’re filing an affidavit against you” or by stating a lawsuit has been or is in the process of being filed against the consumer.

A hallmark of each scam has been calling consumers repeatedly at their place of employment. This scam hit home when an employee of the Kansas Attorney General’s Office was repeatedly called both on her cell phone and at work. Despite the employee’s repeated verbal disputes, the caller refused to provide any identifying information to allow her to send a written dispute. The scammer also continued to call her numerous times a day regarding a payday loan she denied obtaining. Two months later, she was again contacted by telephone by an individual identifying himself as an “officer”.

“I denied owing the debt and refused to pay without being provided validation of the debt. I was then told, ‘If that’s the case, I will have local law enforcement come to your place of business and drag you out kicking and screaming’,” stated the employee.

“It is important for consumers to know their rights under the law,” Attorney General Six said. “If a consumer is receiving calls from a debt collection company and believe it is a scam, I encourage them to contact our office immediately.”

Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), collectors are required to send consumers a written notice within five days of the initial contact. The notification should contain information such as the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed and a statement informing the consumer they have thirty days to contact the debtor in writing to dispute the debt or request validation of the debt. In addition, legitimate debt collectors are prohibited by the FDCPA from making false or misleading representations, such as the consumer has committed a crime, implying nonpayment will result in the consumer’s arrest, or using the threat of violence.

More information is available on the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/cons...edit/cre27.pdf.

To register a complaint with the Kansas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, call 1(800) 432-2310 or visit www.ksag.org.

[dscurlock]

No not original. I remember back in the day, we used to get collection notices in the mail for accounts for small amounts, less than $50 ... here and there... for debts that never existed. Magazine subscriptions mainly. I imagined even then that people just paid them. I never subscribed to magazines because I didn't really have time to read them. If I wanted one, I would pick it up on the news stand. So I knew it was a scam for sure. So this is how that practice has evolved? Wow.

I actually got a bill from a name brand magazine that I never
subscribed too..I think it was Business Week and it was for
$80...for one, I only order the slutty/gossip magazines for $12
per subscription..I do not read any type of business magazines,
why read business, when all you need is in Gossip Weekly...

[catleg]

It may be a source of terrorist funds. Report to Homeland Security. That seems to be the only thing the FBI investigates these days right?

[GoingDown]

The scary thing is that they called BOTH the home phone number and the work phone number.

So they weren't just randomly calling numbers out of a phone directory.

They had both phone numbers.

Where did they get this information?

You may want to put a fraud alert on your credit report, because obviously, someone has access to your personal information.

[silly50]

I thought this sounded familiar....

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-718-569-6654

Very interesting article on this site. (I love this site. When I started getting collections calls before filing, I checked every phone # here, & I gathered armor to deal with creditors.)

Since these creeps have so much info on people it got me to thinking. I have a vague memory of hearing on the news early in 2009, that a Merchant Processing company, I believe in Kentucky, had had their huge computer database of credit/debit card info hacked. At the time I thought nothing of it, but about a month later, I got notice from Citi that they were closing my old CC, and issuing a new one, due to the possibility of "a merchant database compromise" (their words). And it would make sense that these scumbags waited a year before starting to use the info they "acquired" . Since anyone who might have been notified to flag their CRAs would have forgotten by now that it had happened.


I just checked: it was Heartland Payment Systems out of New Jersey. They said 10s of millions of accounts.

I also remember another incident when a million or so CC documents disappeared either from or with a UPS tractor-trailer that was in the process of moving the paperwork to a warehouse location.

With these kinds of breaches in security its no wonder they have so much info on people.

[Flamingo]

Also note it is so so easy to spoof certain names to show up on caller IDs as a certain place calling in order to scam the intended party. You can go on the internet and purchase accounts to show whatever you want to appear on the other end as a caller ID. So watch all this stuff and always check your credit reports. Also, if you have filed BK, all that information is public record and who knows who has PACER accounts this day and age to get information. Example of scam using caller ID. We have our newspaper delivered daily. One evening the phone rings and it is the name of our newspaper company on the caller ID. I answer recognizing the name. The caller is a young person obviously a bit shaken and sounding like he is reading off a form. He advises me that our delivery subscription is up for renewal and expiring soon and to renew it he would need our "debit" card number to continue the subscription. All sorts of bells and whistles went off in my head. I informed the caller that I do not provide debit or credit card information over the phone and would be more than happy to go online to renew or if they could send me a statement in the mail I would send a check. I also asked when the account expired and he gave me the wrong information (little did he know it's deducted monthly from our checking account automatically). He hemmed and hawed and stated some garbage information and when hanging up did not provide the usual 800 information all are required to give if they have any questions regarding the call. I immediately called our newspaper company who informed me that no one from their company called our residence and they have had similar recent complaints - got the usual do not provide information over the phone, etc. from them. So someone "spoofed" the name as a caller ID and somehow got the information for people having home delivery of newspapers. How did they get that information? I am assuming it was a worker at the company or someone driving past houses looking for newspapers in the driveway. Scammers are always on the move to obtain identifying information in any way they can so even a newspaper in your driveway is a start....

[silly50]

One of my biggest concerns...

I'm a medical biller & well versed in the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA), which covers privacy & security issues for protected & sensitive personal information. Many hospitals & physicians are sending their billing overseas to India, Philippines, and other countries. These countries are not subject to our HIPAA laws. So sitting on computers overseas are SSNs, addresses, phone #s, DL#s, you name it. Whatever's in your health records.

Well during the period of time leading up to my bk when I was hearing from all my creditors (all biggies: BoA, Chase, Citi), I come to discover that all of them have call centers overseas. So now here are more computers that have sensitive info sitting on them in the form of all of our banking info.

I got so sick of trying to understand these people & trying to get them to understand me, trying to explain that I was suddenly unemployed for the 1st time in 37yrs, the guy says yes we are all having tough times right now. All I could think was BS, you're doing just fine cause you have all our jobs over there. This was the mortgage co. (BoA). The second one I talked to asked me if I had considered refinancing & proceeded to give me the refinance TF #. I would've said 'and what part of I'm unemployed don't you understand?' except I knew it would have been lost on her. It's funny now, but it was still raw then & I didn't find it funny. All I kept thinking was 'great! not only did CW/BoA serve up subprime loans they were now also seving up subprime customer service.

But my point is, with these countries not being subject to our laws, I am extremely angry and concerned that all this sensitive info sits on computers where we have no real control over the security of who has access, who sees it, etc....(or how they use it???)

What happened to the campaign promises of penalizing big companies that outsource jobs overseas? Does anyone really wonder why America is having such financial problems?
This to me is a two-fold problem: A lot our jobs are going overseas & all of our most sensitive info is going with them.


Flamingo, you make some excellent points!

[NHC]

It may be a source of terrorist funds. Report to Homeland Security. That seems to be the only thing the FBI investigates these days right?

I filed a report with the FTC....I don't know how much good that is going to do....and I have no idea how these idiots got both of my phone numbers....so yes, I did talk to the folks at my bank and the local police department. At first I think they thought I was out of my mind until I played the voice mail message off my cell phone....