Phone Scammers Threaten Jail Time, Victims say -- Eric Alvarez
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Pay your debt or go to jail. Victims say that's how scammers pretending to be debt collectors are threatening them.
A sudden ring from a 615 area code, then a threatening voice from a woman claiming to be from national investigator services in Nashville.
"They had my name, they had my social security number, and they had a previous address of mine," said Rhonda Stewart, who lives in Washington DC.
The voice over the phone told her to pay the $1,465 balance of a 2008 payday loan, Stewart said.
Stewart said she paid the debt back in 2008 but that only made the woman on the other end of the line more threatening.
"Threatening me with lawsuits, threatening me with being arrested, threatening me with being charged with defrauding a financial institution," Stewart said.
The callers eventually sent Stewart a validation letter from the address...PO Box 7227 in Nashville.
Stewart was savvy enough not to give the voice her bank information, but she's still concerned the callers have her name, which at the time was Rhonda Small. They also had her address, and information about a previous loan.
"They can steal your identity and ruin you for having this information," Stewart said.
Fox 17 went searching for answers, but right out of the gate, we ran into a roadblock because there is no PO Box 7227.
The phone number on the letter led to a cell phone.
Kate abernathy
Department of commerce and insurance
17:12:32 - 17:12:49
"No matter what the situation is, whenever a company offers just a PO Box and not a firm address, a street address, that's a red flag," said Kate Abernathy, spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, which licenses and registers all accredited collection agencies.
Abernathy ran the company through the state's system but found no record of the company.
Stewart isn't the only person they called, according to the Better Business Bureau.
"They said i could make the payments to their office on the same date each month to remain out of jail," wrote one anonymous victim on the BBB's website. "I don't have another dime to give them."
Another warns families, once you give them your bank information, they don't stop leeching.
"The AML group used the bank card information that I provided on 8/7/13 and authorized for a one-time charge of $408.00 a second time on 9/3/13 without my authorization," the complaint read.
The BBB flagged National Investigator Services and its alias the AML Group with an F-rating, but for the victims the damage is done.
It's unclear how many people actually fall victim to scams because many times they're too ashamed to admit they were had, but what is clear is how to fight back.
"The best way to counteract scam artists is to be incredibly prepared as a consumer," Abernathy said.
That's exactly what Stewart did, by using the same high-pressure tactics she says could save you...
"I still remained calm and just asked those questions and I even told them come on, come arrest me, you don't have anything to arrest me for," Stewart said. "I haven't heard from them since."
Stewart hasn't stopped fighting.
"They should be going to prison, whoever these people are," Stewart said.
She says she's working with the attorney general's office in DC to keep better track of scams like these.
"People like this who are defrauding you, they can wipe you out completely, if you're not careful," Stewart said.
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These people really need to go to prison.
I had this happen years back they even pretended to "transfer me" to a detective from the Hamilton county sheriff's office, I asked if I could collect the funds and get a call back in an hour they agreed. I went to my sheriffs office, and talked to a real detective, no warrant out on me, then the detective had a bright idea; they put a recorder and a tracer on my phone, and we waited together for them to call me back. The guy pretending to be an officer about pooped himself When detective jones took over the call. Last I heard they found the guys real info thanks to the trace and their is a warrant for impersonating a police officer out on him, talk about karma.
Dealt with similar phone calls. Never once has anything come from it.
had not has GN
Nothing ever will
Who pays debt collectors these days
Stupid people
I worked for one month for a debt collections company. Never again. Awful job, low-pay, extreme pressure, and very shady, scummy place, ran by people whose life work has been basically bouncing between empty jobs, get rich quick schemes, being loan sharks, running pyramid schemes, used car salesmen, operating questionable payday loan places in strip malls, and otherwise, are slime balls. They tell you to treat people as shitty as you can, berate them, and make them feel like you're on the top of the world of success, and they are the scum of the earth and nothing. I was seriously told that that if I made people feel shameful about themselves, they were most likely to come up with money to pay us. I was told that no matter what amount they offered to pay, that if it wasn't the full amount, try to make it seem like it wasn't enough and that they weren't even trying. I had a "case", where the lady offered a $300 a month payment on a $1500 bill, and my supervisor told me to tell her that it seems like she was trying to find ways to get out of paying, and then drill her about how unacceptable that was, because she already let the debt get this bad. I ended up getting nothing because she hung up on me. Then, I got written up for performance issues, not controlling the call, and for losing a payment! Part of the training including coaching you to make people think you have authority over their life from this point on, and to make them believe if they owe bad debt, that means you can do whatever you want to them. I was told to never say they could be arrested, but if they asked if they could, don't exactly tell them no; instead, tell them something like, "You owe a serious amount of money, there are going to be serious consequences." or "Sir/Ma'am I am NOT a lawyer, if you want to get one that is fine, and you might need it after this, but from the looks of your situation now, it doesn't seem like you could afford even afford to retain a lawyer! It is better to just figure this out with me, so it doesn't get that far. Are you really going to continue to be so irresponsible on your OWN debt that you let it get to a point you have to find a lawyer?", then from there add, "It is time to grow-up and take accountability for money you owe to others, I am calling to help you through that, but you are making it impossible. Is this how you want your life to drag on?" These sentences were on the scripts that were hanging on the cubicles we worked in, that we were to say in response to anything said to us by our cases. We all were told to always use a "stern, and slightly annoyed tone", as if we just can't believe how disappointed we are in this person, like a scolding parent talking down to them. Then, your trained to use anything you can against a "case." (We referred to them as cases, not customers or human beings, just "cases") If we heard kids in the background, use that against them by implying their kids could be taken away, but don't ever come out and say it (because it's not true), same if you heard pets in the background. Imply that if they "face legal consequences" that they won't be around to take care of their pets. Threaten to contact their co-workers or boss to try and get them to pay. Threaten to come to their house, as a next step, if they refuse to resolve it over the phone. If we managed to be able to dig up their references, for instance, if they had put down names of relatives or friends on a credit application, then we would threaten to contact those people (we never did and weren't allowed to) If we managed to get a copy of their credit report, use any other debt against them, even if it was paid debt. If we were able to find out if they were in college, use that against them and say that if they credit problems, they won't find a job after they graduate anyway, because no employers will hire someone with bad credit (which is false, I had horrible credit, my own creditors after me, and a bankruptcy, but worked there and so did most of my co-workers) They loved it when a "case" was a younger person, or elderly person. They were the most easy to intimidate, lie to, threaten, and squeeze money out of. We were trained to tell younger "cases", such as people in their early twenties, that happened to live with their parents still, that we were going to contact their parents next, and we legally could since they lived there (which was false, we couldn't contact anyone but the person who owed the debt.) The trainer I was assigned to, would tell younger people in college things such as, "If I were you, I'd forget going to school for now, and get as many jobs as you can to pay this debt off! You aren't going to get a job anyway with your credit this bad, and you are going to be more in debt racking up all these student loans! Do you think that is really a good idea ?" and other things, such as, "You're older than me and you still live with your parents? What happened in your life to make you hit the bottom so hard? I'd be utterly ashamed of myself if I was in your situation Ma'am/Sir, and you don't even seem to care!" They would tell senior citizens even worse things, and always about cleaning out their retirement if they went to court, or stuff about freezing bank accounts, or being able to confiscate any money left from an estate or a will to their family members after they die. It just went on and on and on. It was completely amoral, unethical, and just teetering on illegal, all the time. After I quit, it took them nearly three months to pay me for the month I was there, then, they finally sent me a check with coffee stains on it, an they short changed me nearly a week. Their check bounced. I had to deal with my bank to recover the funds. Yes, a debt collector paid me, and their paycheck bounced.
There are only 2 types of debt that will land you in jail- IRS debt(failure to pay taxes) and failure to pay child support. Worst case scenario is being taken to court. But even then, it would have to be for a good size debt- most likely 3k and up. If you're in collections over something under 1000 it's very unlikely you will get taken to court. Collectors aren't going to pay 1500 in legal fees and court costs to collect on a 500 dollar credit card bill. In this case, it just hurts your credit and will make future borrowing much more difficult
This happened to me today, but it was an audio recording and the woman sounded American. A 590 area code. It scared the crap out of me. They threatened to have me arrested for a debt and she said she was a federal agent. That's a scam... right?!
Got a similar call. It's a complete scam!
Valkyrie_ offline this happen to me too with the 844 area code. They threatening to send me court for wire fraud. I never took out a pay day loans. What should I do?
Valkyrie_ offline James Maurice Rutherford
It is a scam 100% of the time. You can not go to jail for not paying your debt.
@@patriot4life450 ask them for a mailing address company name and the persons name and send them a certified letter ask them to verify the debt. More then likely they won't be able to do it. Talk to a lawyer as well.
actually the 6th amendment gives the right to counsel If I don't recognize the number I don't pick up.
They are probably those dam Indian people they will not stop until they are punished publicly just like Oj Simsons trail was aired public if those Indian people get caught the public ought to see to it that there trail aires. then maybe they just might quit .
damn trial publicly trial airs Is English not your primary language???