I've been receiving voicemails at home for the last couple months from someone with a very heavy Indian accent-this was the first time I could understand the number after listening to it many times. The message always says the same thing saying 'the very second you receive this message, I need you or your attorney to return the call. The issue at hand is extremely time sensitive. The hotline to my division is 786.866.2982. Don't disregard this msg. Now if you don't return the call and I don't hear from your attorney either, the only thing I can do is wish you good luck, as the situation unfolds upon you, goodbye'.
I called the number. The man answered the phone simply with a 'hello' and I indicated that I had received a message to call. He was unable to locate my 'file' by my name and proceeded to ask what number I received the message on. I gave him my number and he was supposedly able to retrieve my file. He then proceeded to ask me my last name; I told him I wanted to know what this was about before I gave out any more personal information. He said he wanted to make sure he had the spelling right... So I cautiously gave him the name they had asked for (my name before I was married, not my current last name. He then asked if my SSN was xxx-xx-xxxx and I said no; I was really suspicious. Then he said he was an Officer and if I didn't cooperate the papers would be filed tomorrow after 4:30 P.M. And I was being charged with three counts of something. He said he needed to talk to my lawyer. I asked him what the charges were for and he said US National Bank had legal action pending because I took out a payday loan in 2005 from my email address (which he rattled off) and didn't pay it back. I asked what company and he said Quick Pay Day, to which I replied I had no idea what he was talking about. He then got rude and said he knew where I worked and named my former employer, to which I emphatically replied "No, I don't work there!"
He then asked again for my attorney. He told me I would need to hire an attorney and pay the debt to stop the pending charges, being filed after 4:30 tomorrow. I repeated, "so you want me to hire an attorney and have him call you. At what number?" He then gave me a 321.821.0017 number, to which I said that wasn't the number I just called; he said that was his direct line. I asked for the address of the company. He rudely told me all I needed to know was the City and that he was in Florida. He again said he was an officer and didn't have to give me any info. And that was because they had already sent me multiple emails with confirmation of receipt and a letter to my home, that they were no longer able to provide me with any written correspondence. He advised that there was, another option if I wanted to take care of my debt.
At that point, I pushed for him to give me some sort of validation and something in writing so I could see what this debt was about before I agreed to anything. I said if it was valid, I'd certainly pay up (knowing it was a bunch of crap!). Anyway, at that point he again told me I wasn't cooperating and had been under investigation and that I didn't need any proof of anything, just to have my attorney call him or else, and he hung up on me.
That's when I went to my computer and googled the suppposed name and found multiple of the same stories here, just slightly different information.
Based on the information and other victims' reports I've viewed today, I will write the various credit reporting agencies to ensure that an alert is placed on my SSN. I'm glad I was cautious this time, I almost fell into a similar trap a couple years ago and rushed to wire money, thinking I had some bill out there I didn't know about. However the wire service was down. A few hours later when I called the number back to tell them I couldn't get it done that day, the number was disconnected! I'm very glad I didn't get caught in this one... I think that's where he was headed if I had believed his line of bull!
Hope others find this useful as well!
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