A follow up on the recent post on payday loans. I’m finding a lot of my clients with old payday loans are getting threatening phone calls from debt collectors. These collectors will call cell phones or at home or at work. They use highly-aggressive tactics. For example, they may pose as a police investigator or court official.
These callers will accuse people of fraud (from failing to repay the payday loans) and will ask for immediately payment to avoid arrest and imprisonment.
Please read over this FBI press release from earlier in the year: http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/new-twists-to-telephone-collection-scam-related-to-delinquent-payday-loans
I’m finding that more and more of my clients are being bothered by these scam artists. You can’t fight them with a Fair Debt Collections Practices Act lawsuit (because how can you sue someone if you don’t know who they are, or where they are located!).
So, my advice is to be calm, read over the FBI’s press release and don’t allow yourself to become agitated. If you do happen to find a legitimate phone number, then please make a note of it and perhaps we can find out who these scam artists are.
2 Comments on “Beware of Payday Loan Telephone Scam”
Reminds me of the call I got from 352-200-2205. The caller posed as a police officer and demanded payment for a loan I supposedly took out 19 months ago. I’ve been checking my credit report all this time so I knew I didn’t have that problem. I told the scammer I knew what he was up to and hung up. I also reported the scam call to the local police and showed them the complaints I pulled up at http://www.callercenter.com/352-200-2205.html.
These scammers are incredible. I find myself answering questions from clients every single day about these types of collections calls. But there’s little that we can sometimes do.