Denver, CO – February
16, 2012 – A
call from any bill collector is certainly cause for alarm, especially if the
collector threatens to have you arrested. According to consumers who have
recently contacted the BBB, these are exactly the types of calls they’ve
received – but they don’t owe the debt and the collector isn’t who he says he
is.
While
calls are coming from different numbers and the caller may even impersonate a
police officer, the pitch is always the same. The caller tells the consumer
they owe a debt on a payday loan and due to their nonpayment, they are going to
be arrested unless they pay it over the phone immediately.
“We
have heard of these scare tactics being used in such scams before,” said Dale
Mingilton, president and CEO of the BBB Serving Denver/Boulder. “But we urge
consumers not to panic and to verify debts and know their rights before making
any payment to anyone.”
One
consumer who contacted the BBB said the number she received the fraudulent
collection call from was (408) 905-2092 and the caller said he was a police
offer. He claimed she had a loan with Cash Advance America and needed to give
him her credit card number in order to avoid being arrested for fraud. A Google
search of this phone number show several posts from people who have been
threatened in the same manner.
Another
consumer said she has received calls from (756) 852-1452 and the caller said he
was an attorney for U.S. Payday Loans and they will have her arrested if she
does not pay $5,000 immediately.
The Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act provides
many protections for consumers including the prohibition of threatening and
harassing communications, false claims of government affiliations and
misrepresentation.
Consumers who receive threatening collection calls or
letters are encouraged to file a complaint with the Colorado Collection Agency
Board at www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov/complaint,
over the phone via 1-800-222-4444 or by e-mail to cab@state.co.us.
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