Back in 2005 I had a credit card with First National Bank, long story short I just stopped paying on that credit card so it ended up going to collections with a company called Plaza Associate, 2009 I got an inheritance and we decided to pay off all our debt because we were trying to buy a house, well it turned out that paying off all our debt made our credit look worse because by paying off all our debt now our credit was getting hit and lenders want to see you with debt, which they look at how you handle your debt, anyways I am going off track here. We paid off Plaza Associates which was representing their client First National Bank so they could get their money. We received a receipt on their letterhead stating that the debt was paid and settled. Here we are 4 years later I received a phone call from a unknown number on my cell phone that I DO NOT GIVE OUT so beings I had no clue who was calling me I didnt answer it, they left a message stating that they were a company called Division 1 and her name was Mya Green and that if she dont hear from me they will be starting a legal matter for me to pay off my First National Bank account, whoa whoa whoa wait a minute this was PAID in 2009, so I continued to listen to the voice message and they said I need to call 1-866-229-7126 extension 116, so I called the number and the same Mya Green chick who left the message on my phone answered when I called, and I said... I received a voice mail stating I need to call this number and get transferred to extension 116, so I was placed on hold for like 5 minutes, a lady answered the phone stating her name is Leslie Anderson with The Winchester Group, it was the SAME LADY with the so called name Mya Green, okay so now this is a little weird, so I let her do her talking.. She mumbles and I didnt hear what she was mumbling and then she goes OHHH RED FLAG!!! Lets look here.... and she started saying "You owe a debt to First National Bank in the sum of one thousand something something dollars", im like hmm okay, but im pretty sure this was paid. Then she said "Well if you look at your credit report, line five, yada yada yada you will see you owe this debt" Then once again I said im pretty sure this is paid and you are incorrect, then she said that I still owe this, this is now a criminal matter.... wait wait im sorry civil matter and that I have to pay this by Friday and if its not paid by friday shes going to have papers served to me and an automatic flat rate legal fee of $4000 dollars will be tacked on to this account. im like WHAT!!! So she went on that she is prepared to collect that $1000 dollars over the phone to clear up this legal matter, once again its no legal matter this is PAID, so I told the lady, I need to look into some stuff, talk to my wife but this is PAID, "well Sir we have no choice but go off of the word of First National Bank and I have it in my power to seize your two vehicles and assets" At this point its getting REALLY fishy.... So I told the lady I gotta go, and she said... "Be sure to call me back by Friday, I dont have time to make phone calls, but I do have time to take your call when you call me on Friday to get this legal matter paid"
I get off the phone and I am texting my wife Jeniece letting her know what took place, she started getting lived.... I got into my binder of all our debt we paid off and I had the proof in my hands that the account was PAID!!! I called this so called Division 1 or Winchester company back, but this time when I called this so called Leslie Anderson answered "Winchester this is Leslie Anderson" wait a minute, the first time I called The lady said her name was Mya Green with Division 1 and she knew who it was, I pretty much told them they can suck it and that this account is PAID and that I have the proof that its paid, well Sir that will do no justice.... Whatever its PAID I hung up... Jeniece came home on her lunch and called this so called company back, she was hung up on several times, was told she needs to grow up and learn how to pay her debt, in the mean time... the SAME Lady claimed to be Mya Green, Leslie Anderson and Tina Cockran. Jeniece DEMANDED to speak to her manager, she claimed she didnt have a manager, so she asked for the person above her.... Some Micheal Benjamin who stated he was a lawyer got on the phone, Jeniece demanded their address.... Turns out the address they gave was of a UPS store in Riverside California
We looked into the company and the company doesn't exist, we looked up all 3 business names they were using and also googled 'who called me from 8662297126' and turns out we are not the only ones that have dealt with this, there are similar complaints from this same so called company and that its a SCAM, we went ahead and called our local police department and got some information from a police officer. The police officer had us look into the 'Fair Debt Collection Act' everything they were saying and doing is completely against the law, and any debt collection company collecting a debt MUST use the words "This is an attempt to collect a debt" at the beginning of all communication collecting that debt and also have zero power on seizing anything from anyone.
For shits and giggles I called them back later in the day asked to speak to Leslie at extention 116 and she just so happen to be out of the office and she would transfer me to someone that could help me, after a brief hold, a lady by the name of Wendy Richardson got on the phone. However it was the same lady as Mya Green, Leslie Anderson, Tina Cockran and now Wendy Richardson
Today May 16th, just made a phone call using Skype to be able to not let them know I was calling, a lady answered..... "Winchester Investments Group, how can I direct your call"
Can we say SCAM!!!!
