Description

In October 2025, my elderly uncle in PA called me and told me he had received multiple voicemails from someone identifying herself as “Laura Miller” from a company called “National Process Service.” According to the voicemails, this company claimed it had already sent him four notices about legal papers that were supposed to be served on him. My uncle said he had never received any legal notices or papers of any kind. Because I am an attorney, he asked me to follow up on his behalf using the callback number and case number the caller had left. Before calling, I searched the callback number, 866-603-5447, on Google. No legitimate results came back for that number. I then called the number. I explained that I was calling, as an attorney on my uncle’s behalf, to find out who the company was, why they were trying to serve legal papers on my uncle, and what the supposed legal documents were. The woman who answered refused to provide any information. She said she could not speak with me without my uncle’s permission. She told me that I would need to fax them an authorization containing his signature to allow me to speak on his behalf. I told her that my fax machine was not working, but I could scan and email an authorization or mail one. She said that was not possible. She claimed the company had no mailing address, did not accept email, and would only accept authorization by fax. I told her that sounded odd. The conversation then became heated. She eventually said that she would inform the company that was trying to sue my uncle to go forward with the lawsuit since he could not be served, and then hung up. I called back. This time, a male voice answered, and I asked to speak with a supervisor. A woman came on the line and gave a different name from the first caller. At the start of the call, she had a slight accent, but as the conversation went on, the accent faded. By the end of the call, her voice sounded very similar to the first woman I had spoken with. She claimed my uncle had taken out a loan and had ignored mailed paperwork. She also said that a lien could be placed on his house and car. When I asked what the alleged loan was for, she could not tell me. After more probing, she said the loan company was “AVCO Financial.” I again asked for a mailing address for the service process company. Like the first person I spoke with, she told me the company did not have a mailing address. I asked what address they have for my uncle. At first, she gave a California address (my uncle lives in PA), but then gave a PA address. I again asked her for her company’s address. She again declined. When I asked why a public company could not give an address or any way to verify if the company was legitimate, she said the process company was a “private company.” Later in the call, she relented and gave me an office address at “5708 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX,” and said they had offices in Texas, California, and mentioned two or three other states. Throughout the call, she used pressure tactics and threats. She implied there would be immediate legal action if my uncle did not cooperate. She constantly told me I was interrupting her when I could barely get a word in. She said they had already tried to serve my uncle four times and that he was “avoiding service,” and that he definitely knew what loan was outstanding. She said that only a “process service attorney” would understand. She also said that because I was an attorney, I was “required by law” to give her my attorney ID number, which I refused to provide. When I asked to speak with her supervisor, she said she was the supervisor. I asked if she had a boss; she said no. I then asked if she was the owner; she also said no. At the end of the call, I told her I did not like the way my uncle or I was being treated, that she was not getting any information about me or my uncle, and I ended the call. After the call, I researched “AVCO Financial.” It has not existed as an independent company since 1999 and is now part of Citigroup. Red flags that this is likely a scam: 1. Refusal to provide basic contact information for the process company (mailing address, email). 2. Demand for authorization only by fax, and refusal of standard alternatives (scan/email). 3. Hostile tone and threats of liens and lawsuits. 4. Could not provide a case caption, docket number, or court venue (which are public information). 5. Inability to describe the loan. 6. Changing voice/identity of the supposed “supervisor.” 7. Pressure to get attorney ID information. 8. Phone number (866-603-5447) and address (5708 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX) have no public record. 9. “AVCO Financial” has not operated as a business in decades. 10. Claim that they “cannot serve” my uncle, then using that as a reason to “go forward with the lawsuit,” which is not how lawful service works.