The IC3 gets a high number of complaints from victims of payday loan telephone collection scams. In these scams, a caller states that the victim is offending in a payday loan and must reimburse the loan to avoid legal consequences. The callers claim to be representatives of the FBI, Federal Legislative Department, diverse law firms, or other legal-sounding bureaus. They claim to be gathering debts for companies such as United Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Net, and other Internet check cashing services.
One of the most subtle facets of this scam is that the callers have precise information about the victims, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, employer details, bank account numbers, and names and telephone numbers of families and friends. The technique by which the fraudsters acquired the personal information is vague, but victims regularly convey that they had finished online applications for other loans or credit cards before the calls initiated.
The scammers persistently call the victim’s home, mobile phone, and place of employment. They decline to offer any information of the alleged payday loans to the victims and turn bad-mannered when questioned. The callers frighten victims with legal actions, arrests, and in several cases physical violence if they reject to pay. In several cases, the callers even resort to harassment of the victim’s families, friends, and employers.
Some scammers force victims to fax a declaration accepting to pay a specific dollar amount, on a definite date, via prepaid visa card. The declaration further affirms that the victim would never dispute the debt.
These telephone calls are an attempt to get payment by infusing fright in the victims. Do not follow the instructions of the caller.
If you receive telephone calls such as these, you should:
- Contact your banking sectors;
- Contact the three major credit bureaus and apply for an fraud alert on your file;
- Contact your local law enforcement agencies if you feel you are in abrupt danger;
- File a complaint at www.IC3.gov.
To be aware of all types of scams, visit Ripandscam.com