ARA did send me a letter, regarding a debt incurred over 14 years ago with a similar named company. They used "Lenders" but mine was clearly "Auto Finance", and still is. Statute of limitations in my state is 6 years. I know I do not owe this.
After calling the numbers on the letter to have them answer" We're sorry the call cannot be completed as dialed", I searched for them on the internet and saw nothing but complaints and BBB filings.
I picked the letter apart for fraud.
The mailing address contained *Auto*Mixed* which is normally used by junkmail. The return address is probably a PO Box where someone just goes by to sweep for checks payable to an account with his initials "ARA" on it. The ink print of the letter was not dry when mailed, as the rubbed text was clearly visible on the remittance envelope. Some dope with an inkjet printer made this. Any company worth their salt collecting debts will certainly have a nice office machine or at least a laser printer.
This is a mass fraud attempt by someone who has illegal access to partial if not full consumer credit bureaus. They are hoping to prey on someone who is interested in repairing their credit in a tough economy. If you can't reach anyone on the phone, you are practically expected to send a starter payment to keep them at bay. A true Collection agency will not use the phrase "seek whatever remedies are available", this vocabulary is clearly being used by your local burger slinging 18 year old.
If you receive one of these letters, do not respond to it by sending money blindly, and do not volunteer your bank information if you manage to get someone on the phone. You will never see it again, and it will not benefit anything in your name. DO make sure to register a complaint with BBB and your local consumer affairs guru at the news station.
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