Previously I wrote about an outfit called County Filing Services that was calling people and making what appear to be false claims about court cases for alleged collection accounts.
See this article, County Filing Services Says They Have a Summons for Me. – Jo.
Someone just commented on that article there were other sites out there on the web that appeared similar to the County Filing Services website, and they are right.
A search found that the following companies host the same website under different names:
So I thought that maybe the companies were branches that were located in different parts of the country. I took a look at the addresses they listed on their sites.
- Superior Filing Service
866-731-7040
1240 E. Ontario Ave
Suite 102-128
Corona, CA 92881 - Nationwide Filing Service
877-279-4803
1240 E. Ontario Ave
Suite 102-190
Corona, CA 92881 - Capital Filing Service
888-430-1651
1240 E. Ontario Ave
Suite 102-266
Corona, CA 92881 - Southcoast Financial Services
877-301-4517
1240 E. Ontario Ave
Suite 102-208
Corona, CA 92881 - Eagle Filing Service
877-826-1427
1240 E. Ontario Ave
Suite 102-164
Corona, CA 92881 - Asset Filing Service
877-329-3448
1240 E. Ontario Ave
Suite 102-267
Corona, CA 92881 - Raincross Filing Service
877-287-4435
1240 E. Ontario Ave
Suite 102-198
Corona, CA 92881 - Westcoast Filing Service
866-727-3113
1240 E. Ontario Ave
Suite 102-109
Corona, CA 92881 - Worldwide Filing Service
877-279-4792
1240 E. Ontario Ave
Suite 102-175
Corona, CA 92881 - Universal Filing Service
877-320-6375
1240 E. Ontario Ave
Suite 102-210
Corona, CA 92881 - County Filing Service
888-416-8110
1240 E. Ontario Ave
Suite 102-271
Corona, CA 92881
In my previous article I had already determined that the street address was for a mail drop so it appears all of these operations are using the same mail drop facility but different telephone numbers.
I then took a look at the State of California official records to see if any of the businesses are registered to legal operate in California. Here is what I found.
- Superior Filing Service – Not Registered to Operate
- Nationwide Filing Service – Not Registered to Operate
- Capital Filing Service – Not Registered to Operate
- Southcoast Financial Services
Incorporated: May 12, 2011
Agent for Service: INCORPORATING SOLUTIONS GROUP, INC.
Agent Address: 333 CITY BLVD STE 1700
Agent City, State, Zip: ORANGE CA 92868 - Eagle Filing Service – Not Registered to Operate
- Asset Filing Service – Not Registered to Operate
- Raincross Filing Service – Not Registered to Operate
- Westcoast Filing Service – Not Registered to Operate
- Worldwide Filing Service – Not Registered to Operate
- Universal Filing Service – Not Registered to Operate
- County Filing Service
Incorporated: April 8, 2011
Entity Address: 1325 SPRUCE ST #300
Entity City, State, Zip: RIVERSIDE CA 92507Agent for Service of Process: SAMUEL G LOCKHART
Agent Address: 1325 SPRUCE ST STE 300
Agent City, State, Zip: RIVERSIDE CA 92507
Steve’s Warning
At this point this appears to be anything but a legitimate operation. The need for multiple mail drops, deceptive similar websites, and the fact that a number of these entities are not registered to do business in California raises a number of red flags for me.
If you receive a call from any of these entities, don’t feel pressured to make a payment or give them any of your personal information. Instead I would suggest you do the following:
- Contact a local attorney for help to understand the accusations these companies appear to make that court cases have been filed.
- Contact your local county court clerks office to see if any such case has been filed.
- File complaints. Type up the complaint in a text file so you can copy and paste it to all the sites below. This will save you from typing it over and over.
- File a BBB report against the company making false claims. You can file a BBB complaint here.
- File a complaint with the California Attorney General’s office. You can file a California complaint here.
- File a complaint with the Attorney General office located in your state.
- Post a comment below to detail your experience with any of the companies listed above.
- Complete a scam report.
Update August 12, 2011
Last night a commenter made a number of statements about this article that I’d like to address.
They said I missed the corporate registrations of some of the companies because I searched for the wrong names and did not put an S on the end of the name which is the official name. Well that is true. But for the record I got the name of the companies off their own websites, where they appear to get it wrong themselves.
As you can see on each site they used their own name incorrectly three out of four times. I used the most commonly used name to search for. The one site that used the correct name, I did discover in my original article and did report it was listed with the State of California.
Here are the results again with the S added:
- Superior Filing Services
Date Filed: 05/12/2011
Status: ACTIVE
Jurisdiction: CALIFORNIA
Entity Address: 1240 E. ONTARIO AVE STE 102-164
Entity City, State, Zip: CORONA CA 92881
Agent for Service of Process: INCORPORATING SOLUTIONS GROUP, INC. A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION
Agent Address: 333 CITY BLVD STE 1700
Agent City, State, Zip: ORANGE CA 92868 - Nationwide Filing Services
Date Filed: 05/12/2011
Status: ACTIVE
Jurisdiction: CALIFORNIA
Entity Address: 1240 E. ONTARIO AVE STE 102-190
Entity City, State, Zip: CORONA CA 92881
Agent for Service of Process: INCORPORATING SOLUTIONS GROUP, INC. A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION
Agent Address: 333 CITY BLVD STE 1700
Agent City, State, Zip: ORANGE CA 92868 - Capital Filing Services
Date Filed: 04/08/2011
Status: ACTIVE
Jurisdiction: CALIFORNIA
Entity Address: 1325 SPRUCE ST #300\r\nEntity City, State, Zip: RIVERSIDE CA 92507
Agent for Service of Process: SAMUEL G LOCKHART\r\nAgent Address: 1325 SPRUCE ST STE 300
Agent City, State, Zip: RIVERSIDE CA 92507 - Southcoast Financial Services
Date Filed: 05/12/2011
Status: ACTIVE
Jurisdiction: CALIFORNIA
Entity Address: 1240 E. ONTARIO AVE STE 102-208
Entity City, State, Zip: CORONA CA 92881
Agent for Service of Process: INCORPORATING SOLUTIONS GROUP, INC. A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION
Agent Address: 333 CITY BLVD STE 1700
Agent City, State, Zip: ORANGE CA 92868 - Eagle Filing Services
Date Filed: 05/12/2011
Status: ACTIVE
Jurisdiction: CALIFORNIA
Entity Address: 1240 E. ONTARIO AVE STE 102-164
Entity City, State, Zip: CORONA CA 92881
Agent for Service of Process: INCORPORATING SOLUTIONS GROUP, INC. A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION
Agent Address: 333 CITY BLVD STE 1700
Agent City, State, Zip: ORANGE CA 92868 - Asset Filing Services
Date Filed: 04/08/2011
Status: ACTIVE
Jurisdiction: CALIFORNIA
Entity Address: 1325 SPRUCE ST #300
Entity City, State, Zip: RIVERSIDE CA 92507
Agent for Service of Process: SAMUEL G LOCKHART
Agent Address: 1325 SPRUCE ST STE 300
Agent City, State, Zip: RIVERSIDE CA 92507 - Raincross Filing Services
Date Filed: 05/12/2011
Status: ACTIVE
Jurisdiction: CALIFORNIA
Entity Address: 1240 E. ONTARIO AVE STE 102-198
Entity City, State, Zip: CORONA CA 92881
Agent for Service of Process: INCORPORATING SOLUTIONS GROUP, INC. A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION
Agent Address: 333 CITY BLVD STE 1700
Agent City, State, Zip: ORANGE CA 92868 - Westcoast Filing Services – Not Registered to Operate
- Worldwide Filing Services\r\nDate Filed: 05/12/2011
Status: ACTIVE
Jurisdiction: CALIFORNIA
Entity Address: 1240 E. ONTARIO AVE STE 102-175
Entity City, State, Zip: CORONA CA 92881
Agent for Service of Process: INCORPORATING SOLUTIONS GROUP, INC. A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION
Agent Address: 333 CITY BLVD STE 1700
Agent City, State, Zip: ORANGE CA 92868 - Universal Filing Services
Date Filed: 04/08/2011
Status: ACTIVE
Jurisdiction: CALIFORNIA
Entity Address: 1325 SPRUCE ST #300
Entity City, State, Zip: RIVERSIDE CA 92507
Agent for Service of Process: SAMUEL G LOCKHART
Agent Address: 1325 SPRUCE ST STE 300
Agent City, State, Zip: RIVERSIDE CA 92507 - County Filing Services
Date Filed: 04/08/2011
Status: ACTIVE
Jurisdiction: CALIFORNIA
Entity Address: 1325 SPRUCE ST #300
Entity City, State, Zip: RIVERSIDE CA 92507
Agent for Service of Process: SAMUEL G LOCKHART
Agent Address: 1325 SPRUCE ST STE 300
Agent City, State, Zip: RIVERSIDE CA 92507
So there you have it. Once clued in that the name they use on their own website is not their correct name I was able to locate all of the filings, except for one.
I stand by my warning that something doesn’t smell right here. I’ve read a number of similar complaints against some of the entities above and they all have the same thread, they were called and heard claims about court cases that did not exist.
I’ve yet to run into one consumer that received a call from one of these companies that was able to verify that a case had been filled against them that would have generated a summons. If these companies are process servers, then there should be some record of a case being filed for them to then generate a summons to serve.
Maybe the companies are using the threat of filing cases as a collection tactic? I don’t know.
In reading my original warning again the only bit I would change is the statement that “a number of these entities are not registered to do business in California.” Using the modified name I was able to locate most of them.
But I stand by the rest of my original warning.
It still does not add up and my radar is up.
Update August 12, 2011 PM – Worldwide Filing Services
A kind reader has just forwarded me a letter they received from one of these “Filing Services.”
I think this makes it very clear the company is a debt collector.
In fact the correspondence below shows the “Filing Service” sent an attempt to collect a debt and made a settlement offer. This is not what process servers do.
Pay close attention to the message at the bottom of this letter that says, “Federal law requires we notify you that this communication is from a debt collector in an attempt to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.”
I smell a rat.
Update August 31, 2011 – Eagle Filing Services
A reader just sent me another letter they received from these outfits. This one comes from Eagle Filing Services.
Update September 4, 2011 – Savannah Processing Service
I received a tip via @Peachy92 that there is a new name operating. It is reported that Savannah Processing Service or Savannah Processing Services is operating using the same telephone number as Raincross Filing Services.
Update September 7, 2011 – Site in the News
A reader just alerted me that this site was shown in news report on Westcoast Filing Services.
Update September 16, 2011 – Westcoast Filing Services
a reader sent me in a copy of a notice they received from Westcoast Filing Services. It is clearly a collection notice and an offer for settlement.
Anyone receiving such a notice needs to be aware of two important issues.
- While they say the account will be reported as paid in full on the credit report, that does not mean that the negative history on the account will be changed or removed. It won’t.
- In addition, what the offer does not tell the consumer is that forgiven debt of more than $600 must be reported to the IRS on a 1099-C and the consumer may have to pay tax on the forgiven debt if they are solvent after the settlement.
The other thing this letter does is further solidify the creditor they are acting for is Portfolio Investment Financial. And the letter is a bit ambiguous of who is actually authorized to make the offer. The offer appears to come from the fake process server office of Westcoast Filing Services but they are the collector and not the debt owner. They say they will accept partial payment but will Portfolio Investment Financial? At least one previous example shown above used the language “our client is willing to settle…” and this one does not. So is that an indication the owner is not willing to now settle and this is just a collection trick to get a consumer to pay a partial balance? I’ve seen it happen before.
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Thank you for taking the time to post this information for the many people that are the target of these despicable practices. You’re a blessing ?
unknown number calls out of the blue claiming to be a independant process server and if you do not want to be served then call 713-568-4087. They claim to be law offices that are filling a case against you for unpaid debt. Tells you if you dont want to go to court then you should give a credit card or bank info to stop the process server. Even if it is a expired bank card. They will then ask for your email and send you a suspicious letter saying you have set up payment arrangements. A letter with no header, no address, no signature from a company called GHS and does not say what GHS stands for. Everytime they call you they leave a different phone number, and sometimes they say they are from ADR. Mainly the same two guys the process server Ryan Johnson and the lawyer with the last name of George Marin. Scam Scam Scam. Please dont speak to these people and waste your time. I ask for their physical address and they say they are from Houston TX. 3730 Kirby Dr. No suite #.
i am in texas i received a phone call from someone stating he has documents that he has serve at my job. he asked me if i was aware of these documents i stated no. he gave a number to global corporation and gave me a claim number. he gave me his name . he called friday at 10 a m and stated he called my work place and got my work schelude and he was right. i work late night 10pm 6am. he stated he will be at my work place monday at 6am. i don;t know what to do should i avoid him and not go to work. please help
Go to work, and while you are there ask your employer why they are giving out your work schedule to strangers.
I have had a couple of collection agents posing as process servers. After talking with the Texas court system and process server division after 2005 anyone serving legal documents to any Texas resident must be registered in Texas and the list of servers is online. They advised me that they are getting more and more complaints of these agencies impersonating government officials. The state advised me to file FBI complaints against these companies everytime since this is criminal behavior. FTC complaints are filed too but not much happens there. When they call again and I notify these collection people that I have filed FBI complaints they get very nervous and agitated, talking loud and fast and hanging up.
I have been out of work for two years and have had to move back in with my parents. My mother has dementia and a collection company has begun calling her home phone. They have threaten me with service and I have waited for their arrival to no avail. But now they are representing themselves to her as law enforcement. Calling saying they are the Riverside Co. Sheriffs and want me to be home for service at a particular date and time. Yet they never show up. They give her a Case number that the county court house says is not their number. When I called the phone and spoke to them, they were a collection agency. I asked them not to call my mother’s phone but they continue and upset her by telling her they are the sheriffs and are coming out to talk to me.
From what I have read this is illegal. I but I am not sure what to do about it. I lost my business and have a huge amount of debt and zero income. Can I stop them from calling. I have asked them to contact me only through the mail to no effect….
Hi Responder,
Please consider doing the following:
Contact an attorney in California experienced with federal and California state debt collection violations. I can recommend:
Gregory
Fitzgerald, Esq.
(909)581-7354
– direct line
Next:
File complaints with state regulators:
California Department of Consumer
Affairs
Consumer Information Division 1625 North Market Blvd.
Suite N 112 Sacramento, CA 95834
916- 445-1254
1-800-952-5210 916-322-1700; Toll Free: 1-800-326-2297
E-mail: dca@dca.ca.gov
http://www.dca.ca.gov
Office of the Attorney General
Public Inquiry Unit
PO Box 944255 Sacramento, CA 94244-2550
916-322-3360 1-800-952-5225 (CA)
1-800-735-2929
Fax: 916-323-5341 E-mail: piu@doj.ca.gov
http://www.caag.state.ca.us
Next:
File a complaint with the FTC:
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
An FYI to everyone:
West Coast Filing Service is now doing business as Freedom Point Debt Relief. They are using the same phone #. They are all frauds. Definitely file complaints to the above addresses. The more complaints the more the attorney general’s office will take notice..
They are LIARS and not good at it either. They physically went to a relative’s home yesterday saying I was going to be arrested, being served with a lawsuit, and that they had a search warrant for my home. They gave a docket number that was fake and were holding prop paperwork. All lies.
I called them today. They claimed to be a “litigation company”, act like a debt collector, but they really aren’t even real debt collectors. They pull up your credit report and try to get you to believe they have purchased your debt but haven’t. This debt in question was over 5 years old. The main guy I spoke to was dumb as rocks and claiming to be a paralegal. Thank you Steve for organizing this heap of information. They have blocked my number but I will be doing everything I can to assist in whatever way to the demise of this disgusting “company”.
I would also like to add that the first time they called me they called themselves County Filing Services and the second time they said the were BMG. People claiming their paralegals, from a litigation company, denying previous threats (arrest, lawsuit, search warrant, fake docket number), and all-around SCAMMING.
Also would not give a physical address, any real company or individual names, no information except a “case number”. When I asked what their location was they said “Ontario”, which happens to be the name of the street the mailbox drop is at. I said, “Not Riverside?”. Refused to give name while claiming he already gave to me. I am already aware of their scam, but who is Samuel G. Lockhart and why is this still happening?
Showing up at the door is a new twist.
Received 6 different calls from 6 different numbers declaring themselves process servers – all came in 3 days time. Same script, same threats, same outcome – Nothing !!!! no one showed up at my door – i Checked local legal depts at courthouse – no info there – hummmm must be a tough way to make a living if everyone knows what you are trying to do – SCAM SCAM SCAM … Have a great day everyone !!! sleep well, these bottom feeders cannot hurt you
Same situation here. For me I was contacted by West Coast Filing Services. I’ve sent a complaint to the Attorney General’s Office of California. I advise as many people to do the same so the situation gets on their radar:
Send to:
S. Fernandez
Public Inquiry Unit
Attorney Generals’ Office
State Of California
P.O. Box 944255
Sacramento, CA 94244
1-800-952-5225
I was being harassed by these “companies”, as were my parents, because I lived there 15 or so years ago. I had enough so I sent a complaint to the Ohio Attorney General’s office and they contacted the company and told them to cease and desist contacting me. I was sent a reply letter from the Attorney General’s office stating that this company shall no longer contact me. I haven’t heard from them since and it’s been about 5 months now. If everyone of us bands together to fight them then we can put them in their place and make them stop this harassment. It’s not fair for them to get innocent people upset and get away with it. My mom was very scared and upset for me, even though I told her that I know my laws and not to worry about it, that I would handle it. These people always tell her that I have to show up in court or I will be arrested and that gets her all worried. It’s just not right!
We have to stand together and fight for our rights as Americans! I hate scammers! I work hard for every dollar that I have, why can’t everyone else do the same? I guess in this day and age it’s just easier to scare the crap out of people until they give you their hard earned money just so you will leave them alone. I’m sick of it and I’m not going to take it anymore!
Use your resources people. Court filings are public information. Check around, if you don’t have anything pending with the court systems then you are most likely being scammed. Tell these lowlifes to where to go!
Same situation here. For me I was contacted by West Coast Filing Services. I’ve sent a complaint to the Attorney General’s Office of California. I advise as many people to do the same so the situation gets on their radar:
Send to:
S. Fernandez
Public Inquiry Unit
Attorney Generals’ Office
State Of California
P.O. Box 944255
Sacramento, CA 94244
1-800-952-5225
i got a call from 626-384-3265 saying they was a leagal department for a cash advance company and i owe 4100.00 dollars to them they said an officer will be at my house monday morning to serve me a warrent for my arrest and when i loose ill be jaied for 2 yearsa and my ssi/ssd will be turned off
FTC goes after fake process server enterprise. Read this update article.
ok….DON”T ATTACK ME PLEASE:/ so i recently started at this “legit” debt collections office and come to find out, its not so legit. I personally have not made any threats to any of the people i have called. i have always been polite and when someone told me they didnt know a person i would appologize and remove that number from the “case file”. It is making me sick to my stomach reading all these comments. I am happy to report to you that the company was audited today.
What do you mean audited? By who?
I have been receiving calls from the ambiguous number 8220 for months. Today, on a whim I answered it out of morbid curiosity. Some winded man (who was obviously walking outside on a cell phone or bluetooth headset) muttered something about me being served papers on some court case. He didn’t even mention a debt and when I asked what it was about, all he said was, “I can’t tell you anything about it, I am just here to verify that you are able to receive a subpoena.”
He then asked me to call a number and give them a case number when I call. Turns out they think I have had some debt with HSBC, which is odd because I have never had an account of any kind with HSBC. To add to the intrigue of this mystery, about a year ago, some other abusive company incessantly called threatening similar things about an account with HSBC.
The plots thickens when I called my deceased father’s widow and asked her if my dad ever had any outstanding debt with HSBC, she said yes, that he did. So my opinion is that my dad had some kind of debt with HSBC, possibly even forged me as a co-signer, seeing as he knew my SS# and other pertinent info. My dad was not the most honorable sort of man in the world, but the forgery is purely speculation.
Anyhow, I asked them to provide me with info on the account, such as balances, account numbers, charges, etc. and they said that the debt had been charged off to collections by HSBC so they had no access to that info.
I wound up checking with my county clerk’s office and there are no law suits filed with me involved, so I now know that their threats are purely that, threats. My next step is to contact HSBC and see what they say about this supposed debt, and if they cannot provide me with documentation with my name, SS#, balances, account number, etc. then I know that these people are just scam artists, pure and simple.
Thank you so much for this web page as it only re-inforces all of my suspicions that these “people” are just scavengers looking to take advantage of people who give in to their threats.
Exact thing here. HSBC is really giving themselves a bad name selling these supposed debts to these people. They will call friends and family and try to pin the debt on someone else. Good luck!
I received a call from County Filing Services last night. The caller said that I and my deceased mother had been given as contact information by someone I’d never heard of. The call was suspecious for several reasons. 1) process servers don’t call to ask if you’re “available” to be served, 2) they said federal privacy laws prohibit them telling me where the law suit was filed, 3) the “case number” they gave isn’t one for the California county I’ve lived in for the past 31 years nor any of the surrounging counties. AND 4) the law firm that filed the suit takes calls on Saturdays.
I had to look in a reverse phone number site to get the name of this company and from there I found this site. I don’t have any idea of what these people want but thanks to this web site I know how to handle them. Thank you for the public service you’re providing.
Nationwide has broken many FDCPA rules and regulations. They called friends and family and discussed the debt. They would only send written verification IF I agreed to pay them. They debt was not mine, but a deceased family member and it was cleared in a bankruptcy before the person passed away.They said they filed with the DA’s office against me which they did not.They told my spouse it was an arrestable offense, which according to the DA’s office, it is not. These are all violations.
Interesting, when I went to maps.google.com and typed in: 1240 E. Ontario Avenue Suite 102-190 Corona, CA 92881
I got this: Porky’s Pizza. This was supposed to be the address for Nationwide Filing Service(s)
good luck people on here. i am filing a complaint on these people for harassing me all the time… the debt they say i owe is over 10 years old and i dont even remember it. its not on my credit report anywhere if it was at one time it has been removed…i even called the cb and they confirmed this…
As horrible as this has all been and just as a point of information, there is nothing that prevents a collector chasing you for any old debt until you die. The statute of limitations only controls how long they can sue for, not attempt collection. If you don’t recognize the debt, before admitting anything, ask for them to show you proof you actually incurred the debt by showing you a copy of the contract and charges. A printout with your name and balance is not good enough.
they keep calling me and calling me i had enough…. so i tricked them by calling them back until they finally called me back from a landline.for awhile i had them talking to each other…
951-818-2797 here is a direct number for corporate
This is a scam, plain and simple. After 4 calls and waiting for “service” They have never been by my house. I do hope they come by. I checked with the local District Court as well as the Small Claims court. No actions have been filed against me. I also checked with the State Attorney Generals Office, they find that Nationwide has no license to operate in My state as well as the collection company they operate for. The local PD wants me to call them as soon as they show up at my door. They will be arrested for trespassing as well as operating without a license. And yes, they will wait for the PD. As I am Marine, they will wait, maybe in a great deal of pain, but they will wait.
the ‘old’ devildog
LMAO. That was both informative and ended with making me laugh in a good way. Semper Fi
Steve,
Thanks for alerting readers to this. I am with you. Something doesn’t feel right here. I wonder if any attorneys are looking into the notion that using the names that they do could be considered a deceptive debt collection tactic?
I know a couple of states have contacted me for additional information on this. They are looking at it.
I received a phone call a couple of days ago the same conversation as some of the previous comments below. Let me first say, I do have a debt with HSBC they gave me the right amount that I owe HSBC but I do believe that they are a collection agency using a scare tactic to get money. My question is this, if I totally disregard the BOGUS treats of lawsuits and being sued and they are a true collection agency and I send them money to pay off my debt won’t that just solve everything? My debt will be paid, I won’t get anymore calls, I receive a letter of paid in full, contact the credit bureaus and then all is well? Is that how it works? I just wanted to know because I do want to pay the debt and get it done and over with. Any advice? Is this a legitimate collection company that you can send money to?
To verify you are paying the right party, just call HSBC and ask them who is handling your account now. Contact that party. It’s just hard to trust those fake process server folks when they lie about being process servers, what else are they not telling the truth about.
Bt all means, satisfy your debt but one thing you said was incorrect, sending statement to the credit bureaus will do nothing. To verify the information or update your credit account it has to come from the entity that is reporting this account on your credit report. They are the only ones that have the power to update it.
So what company exactly is listing the debt on your three credit reports?
Today I was contacted by a person claiming to be a case worker with a Court House in South Carolina. The man on the phone threatened a friend of mine with liability for failure to appear and told my friend that there was a judgement against her and that they would make two attempts to serve her and that it would get ugly if she didn’t appear. The man also gave my friend a case number and when we researched the information directly with the court, no such case number or legal action has been filed. I have no dog in this fight other than my concern for the misrepresentation of our legal system and concern that people like my friend are being harrassed and threatened annonymously. The company withheld their number, and only after a couple of minutes the caller stated that ‘this call may be recorded’. When they called back a third time, I asked to speak with a supervisor and have my number removed from their calling list. I read the article about fake process servers and when I asked the person on the phone what company he was with, I could not get more than a three letter response of ‘MSM’. I asked what the letters stood for and did not get a reply. He only asked more questions about why I wanted to speak with his supervisor and whether I knew my friend and how I was related. I don’t think it is legal for collection agencies to call and solicit or discuss legal or financial matters with the friends, family or employers of an individual. I know it is wrong to lie to people and misrepresent your business to the public. The phone number the company gave her to call was 1(877) 279-4803 which could not be reached from my calling area. It is only by researching the number online that I found this site.If this is a legitimate business and debt settlement company then shouldn’t they be honest about what they do, who they are, and how to contact them. If there are people out there with few options, no resources, and little hope, it would be in the company’s best interest to be honest and build some trust with the public rather than running themselves down as the snakes they appear to be. My appologies to snakes who don’t deserve to be put in the same class as these companies.
OK. So. It feels like the curtain is fairly well pulled-back at this point. Now, why don’t we all (those of us who have been contacted by them) send a C&D letter to all their addresses, and wait for them to violate? Can’t we follow some due process here and get satisfaction? Or am I missing something? Seems to me that the problem would be solved within 30 days or they owe us money.
You could send a C&D letter but they are not planning by any set of rules at this point. As a group, you are probably better filing complaints with the California Attorney General. You can do it online here.
Done. I still think it would be productive to allow them to entrap themselves in enough violations that the AG can actually do something about it. Consider this my rallying cry for everyone affected to do the right thing.
Yesterday I received a call from these people. The #866-727-3113. I really didn’t know what they were talking about. They also told me I have a case number and will receive a summons in 2 days and wanted to make sure that someone would be home between 9am and 5pm to sign for it. Something did not seem right. So I did research on the internet. They are West Coast Filing Services. But they told me they were Portfolio Investment. But when I did call them back they answered, “Corporate”. Then I talked to Annette Stevens, and asked her to email me this information. Which she did, and it looks like the forms posted here from other people. She also told me to call her back in 24hrs, and changed her name to Nicole Stevens. I don’t plan to call them back. Almost being scammed before from another company in California a couple months ago I knew to go to the internet. Thank you for this site and it was very resourceful.
Can you please forward the email they sent you to me at tips@getoutofdebt.org?
I need some help. I was also contacted by someone named David White this morning who claimed to work for the courts and that he was trying to serve me. I am at a loss. I don’t know what to do at this point. I called the 888-416-8110 number that was provided and they are definitely suspicious. They would not answer my questions. After being placed on hold for a few minutes, the line went dead. I called back two more times and a man answered the phone, identifying himself as Kirk Branch. He told me that I was being served and I should make myself available to Mr. White to serve me papers. I asked him what this related to and he told me it was in connection with an old credit card debt (mind you it was from 2004). He threatened that if I did not settle, I would be taken to court and required to pay not only the debt and interest that has accrued (he tagged on fees) but that I also would have to pay for court/attorney fees – up to $5000+. I know these are scare tactics, but I am concerned. I obviously don’t want to go to court.
Sounds very suspicious.
Next time someone calls you get the company name and street address. If they are willing to give it to you then that’s a red flag.
To ease your mind, just call your local county court and ask them to check if you’ve been sued because you are getting suspicious calls you believe are a scam.
Similar to DerbyGirl, they answer their phone as “Corporate Office”. When I asked them to provide me with their company name, they gave me County Filing Services. I’ve done a lot of research online and I found all of the websites that you identified earlier in this stream. I did not ask for a street address though. Can you please explain why it is a red flag if they provide their company name and address? I know they are based in Corona and I have found numerous complaints about them online.
If they identified themselves and you know who you are. Just call your local courthouse to confirm there is no suit.
Steve, I just read your bio and I wanted to say thank you for what you do. Very inspiring and commendable. I’m grateful that I found this discussion…it has brought me a little peace of mind and your suggestion has at least guided me in the right direction. I’m having a little trouble getting information from the courts (all automated), but I’m going to keep at it. I’m sure this will get resolved….eventually. Just wanted to say thank you.
You are very welcome.
Okay, so now this company contacted me again yesterday around 1pm. This time they called my cell phone. Don’t know how they got my number. The person’s name was “Nicole Stevens”. I didn’t answer because the caller ID showed the number 8220. But they left a voicemail, stating something about a summons. I spoke to this company on Tuesday. Once a collector contacts you, I thought they have 7 days or maybe longer to contact you again. Would this be harrasment?
See How Do Bill Collectors Get Cell Phone Numbers?
Going to check that out. Thanks
Hello,
Eagle Filling Services is also working under several other names – Eagle Investment Financial , Eagle Financial Services, Eagle Financial Process Services, and Eagle Processing and Financial Services. I got all these names from various individuals after calling the same number a number of times over the course of 2 hours today. They have been harrasing and threatening me for several weeks including two very threatening calls to my 80 year old mother that scared her horribly. She was in hystarics when she called me, worried that the police where going to come and arrest me because she wouldn’t give them any information about me. That is just pure evil. They also claim to be working for a company called Portfolio Investment Financial in Corona CA. At one point one of them slip and said that Portfolio Investment and Eagle were the same company. Then he tried to cover himself by saying that Portfolio had hired them. I gave them no information, but managed to get lots of threats of legal and police action against me if I did not stop calling them and asking who owned them, what state they are located in and their internet website address. I have spoken to Oregon’s Attorney Generals office who is sending me the paperwork to get a formal complaint going against them. I also contacted local law inforcement who ask me to let them know if the harrasement ( threats, hang ups, non- messages / blank messages cluttering my answering machine, heavy breathing etc.) continued. For the last couple weeks I thought it all sounded pretty rotten. I kept two of the more threatening messages they left on my machine.
Thanks for posting this information! It helps me know I was not wrong about these slimmy creeps!
Great information. Keep posting updates as you uncover them.
I too have had my family and friends contacted by this company. Repeatedly. And I just as repeatedly call them and tell that they have inaccurate information and to remove the phone numbers they called from their records. They always promise me they will but within 1-2 months they are at it again.
So my advice to everyone is, to check with your county clerk of courts office to find out if there are any filings against you. Most counties have these records accessible online these days. It saves a phone call down to their office. Everytime I get a mysterious call like the ones from them, I always check online. Most offices are pretty up to date with their records that I’ve found. It just helps ease my mind and the mind of my family and friends when they’ve been contacted. My assumption on these so-called companies is that they are just fishing for personal information based on the questions that they’ve asked me or they are just hoping for some easy money from unsuspecting people who aren’t familiar with their laws and rights.
Another very useful resource that I use often when I get a strange phone # on my caller ID is whocallsme.com or whocalled.us. You can find out alot about a phone # from others by using these sites. Based on what I read at these sites, I can tell whether or not I should bother calling the # back or what kind of response or attitude I should give these people when I call. Check them out. You may also find them useful to you.
I am not willing to be taken by any scammers just like none of you are. I applaud these forum type websites. If we all stick together and fight back, an end has to come to these schemes sometime.
I just found this site today and I joined the community immediately and I will be back often.
Thanks and keep up the good work!
Just updated article with fax from Eagle Filing Services.
Well if I would of seen this 2 days ago I would of not paid them, They hounded me at work and even called my mom. Talked to my boss and told him I was getting sued and my mom too. They claimed to be a process server and refused to give my mom their process server number or state he was in. They even threaten to call my commander (I am in the Army) Once I called and chew out Anthony Cruz at 877-279-4792 ext 237 (worldwide Filing systems). Mr Cruz threaten to violate me on Army Reg. 134 of the UCMJ for failure to pay a debt. Once I explained to him he was wrong and they stopped kicking people out over that 16 yrs ago and I calmed down. We had a polite phone call.
Let me back up the first time they called they emailed me proof on the spot of what they were calling about no issues. I even talked to his supervisor and she told me off the bat they were attempting to collect for HSBC. I called HSBC and they told me they sold my debt to a another company. That company told me they sold it to portfolio. ok caught up. I don’t remember that companies name.
the first email I got the paperwork said Global Filing System and the amount was for 1943 and they need 400 now, then a payment plan. Weeks later when They threaten to kick me out we talked about my finance’s and he said they would see about settling for 500. but it would be due on Aug 31. SO I paid them. WHY you ask because the account number on the sheet they sent was from portfolio. and had the proper HSBC account number on it. (ends up being a CC my ex took out in my name. They said they would send me a notice via email for a paid in full that I could turn in to the 3 Credit Companies. I still have not recieved that but the money is still pending in my bank account.
how do I stop my bank from releasing the money
The paid in full notice is worthless. They have to report it. Additionally, the way this typically works is collectors say they will report it as paid in full but the amount of debt written off can be reported as a negative entry.
Settlement can be a valid way to resolve debt but with all they lying and posing they’ve done I’m not sure I trust anything you are being told.
If you want to stop the payment, call your bank first thing in the morning.
Before you send them any future payment, make sure you get the full deal in writing first. It’s a common trick to promise a settlement and then not to follow through.
After being coerced into a settlement a second company withdrew from my account using the merchant name “Portfolio Investment Financial” of Corona, CA whose website has been deleted and their listed phone number (888) 475-0894, is disconnected. They have no listed street address that I can find. Actually, The only evidence of this company is this blog site http://www.portfolioinvestmentblog.com which list a second phone number (951) 371-6311, on many of their post. This second number is currently connected to a fax machine, and per an email I received from “Eagle Filing Service” this number is listed as their fax number.
I’ve filed a Incident/Investigation Report with my local Sheriff’s office. After brief investigation the Deputy called me with the information that he had made contact with HSBC and that they stated never hearing of the company Eagle Filing Services and moreover they did all of their collections “in house.”
I’ve filed a dispute with my bank and Visa; they feel confident that my money will be recovered. That is comforting, but I will not be satisfied until a full investigation is conducted, and these people stop hurting the hundreds out there who have been and will be affected. There are many watch dogs who have already flagged this operation as being questionable at best.
I feel so relieved to find this information. My husband and I have started to receive calls from a Nationwide filing service. We explained to them that I am currently unemployed and could not agree to the settlement offer they were making. We are willing to work with them but can not afford the $300 a month, for 6 mos, that they are demanding. Now they are saying that we will be summoned to court. I am 5 mos pregnant and have been worried sick about this. My husband and I have been considering everything from loans to banktruptcy. I read somewhere that, based on the fair credit act, we have the right to request documented validation of the debt. When I called them today to request something in writing, they refused and said they would not do anything that would “compromise” their case. I did not understand this becuase I don;t see how a document stating the details of the debt could “compromise” anything. I really don’t know what to do. If anyone can offer any advise on the steps I should take with this, i would greatly appreciate it. So far, we have note received anything in the mail from them. Please help if you can. Thanks
I would suggest you call your local court house to find out if you were actually sued, which i doubt you were.
Then, keep a detailed written record of the calls you get from these debt collectors. Write down the date, time, the name of the person calling you and what the caller stated.
These records will come in very handy if they persist in contacting you and you decide to contact a FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practice Act) attorney to potentially sue them under the act for violations of collection law.
I’d let the caller know you are writing down all of this information. It may stop the calls quickly.
I’m so glad I’ve found this article. I have been contacted by Worldwide and Nationwide. They have contacted my job and family members out of state on an old debt. They have yelled at people at my job and at me. They are very rude and they have been calling for months. I’ve gotten advice to report them. They told me if I didn’t call back within 3 hours they were serving me papers at my job and were going to embarras me. They have broken so many laws telling me they would go into my checking account and make my life bad. They have scared some of my family.
I get called form this company I told them to send anything in writing to my po box, I still have not recieved it. They started calling my Grandmother and threatening her I called and removed her number since they told her only i could do that. They did not remove it they hang up or threaten you, finally called and told them they are breaking the law by calling her when I told them to remove her number. I could go on and on but My Uncle is now going to answer the phone and tell them they need to remove it and threaten them back so well see. the guy told me the Other day I better watch myself I talked to an Anthony Cruz but have gotten messages to call victoria or a donna when they tell my Grandma that if i don’t call them they are going to serve her in 2 hours. To Bad we live in different cities so if they sue me in hers its not valid. Dumb ass people that is all I have to say.
I checked the domain registration of all the companies you listed. They are all registered on Mary 23, 2011 with godaddy.com. They are connected to Micheal Huck of Debt Tech Solutions and Jason Begley Heavy Hitters Investments, both from Corono, CA.
They have also registered three more companies this month, americanfinancialfirm.com, Irvinegroup.net and statewideassociates.org
Tried to share the info here, but the post is not sticking. May be its too long.
Do you want me to post the info?
Aha!!
All the dots connected.
Jason Begley is the owner of Pacific Management and Recovery, LLC and Executivefilingservice.biz.
He is the man behind all these sleezy companies.
Domain Name: EXECUTIVEFILINGSERVICE.BIZ
Registrant Name: Jason Begley
Registrant Organization: Heavy Hitters Investments
Registrant Address1: 980 Montecito Dr
Registrant Address2: Suite #205
Registrant City: Corona
Registrant State/Province: California
Registrant Postal Code: 92879
Registrant Country: United States
Registrant Country Code: US
Registrant Phone Number: +1.9515472043
Name Server: NS1.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM
Name Server: NS2.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM
Good detective work. I totally missed the NS connection.
Interesting.
DebtTechSolutions.com gives it’s location as:
980 Montecito Drive Suite 205
Corona, California 92879
This domain was registered on Jan 11, 2011 and only for one year.
The name associated with the domain is Michael Huck. He lists his email as mike.huck@evarus.com.
Evarus – Evarus.com says it is owned by:
Idea Source
1701 Rimpau Ave #103
Corona, California 92881
mikehuck@ideasource.net
Both Evarus and Idea Source are owned by Michael Alexander Hulk. I believe Huck may just be involved with the backend IT but I’m not sure. I’ve come across Evarus before in the research of a past story. I just don’t remember which one.
Right, Hulk is the back end guy and Begley is the main honcho. Hulk claims he is just providing services to his clients. Providing services to sleazy collection agencies and that too all registered on the same day and one by same person? Too much of a coincidence to believe his claims. I bet he and Begley have some kind of partnership.
Checked the WHOIS database.
Domains for all 12 companies you listed were registered on May 23, 2011 and updated on June 2, 2011.
Here are the details:
Domain Name: SUPERIORFILING.NET Created on: 23-May-11 Expires on: 23-May-12 Last Updated on: 02-Jun-11 Domain servers in listed order: NS1.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM
NS2.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM Domain Name: NATIONWIDEFILING.NET Created on: 23-May-11 Expires on: 23-May-13 Last Updated on: 02-Jun-11 Domain servers in listed order: NS1.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM NS2.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM Domain Name: CAPITALFILING.NET Created on: 23-May-11 Expires on: 23-May-13 Last Updated on: 02-Jun-11 Domain servers in listed order: NS1.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM NS2.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM Domain Name: EAGLEFILING.NET Created on: 23-May-11 Expires on: 23-May-13 Domain servers in listed order: NS1.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM NS2.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM
Domain Name: ASSETFILING.NET Created on: 23-May-11
Expires on: 23-May-13 Last Updated on: 02-Jun-11 Domain servers in listed order: NS1.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM NS2.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM
Domain Name: RAINCROSSFILING.NET Created on: 23-May-11 Expires on: 23-May-13 Last Updated on: 02-Jun-11
Domain servers in listed order: NS1.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM NS2.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM Domain Name: WESTCOASTFILING.NET Created on: 23-May-11 Expires on: 23-May-13 Last Updated on: 02-Jun-11 Domain servers in listed order: NS1.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM NS2.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM
Domain Name: WORLDWIDEFILING.NET Created on: 23-May-11 Expires on: 23-May-13 Last Updated on: 02-Jun-11 Domain servers in listed order: NS1.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM NS2.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM Domain Name: UNIVERSALFILING.NET Created on: 23-May-11 Expires on: 23-May-13 Last Updated on: 02-Jun-11 Domain servers in listed order: NS1.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM NS2.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM Domain Name: COUNTYFILING.NET Created on: 23-May-11 Expires on: 23-May-13 Last Updated on: 02-Jun-11 Domain servers in listed order: NS1.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM NS2.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM
Domain Name: SOUTHCOASTFINANCIAL.BIZDomain ID: D45192230-BIZDomain Registration Date: Mon May 23 19:57:09 GMT 2011 Domain Expiration Date: Wed May 22 23:59:59 GMT 2013 Domain Last Updated Date: Thu Jun 02 19:58:34 GMT 2011Name Server: NS1.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM Name Server: NS2.DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COMAll these companies have debttechsolutions.com as their DNS server.Debttechsolutions.com is itself registered on Jan 11, 2011 Domain Name: DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM Created on: 11-Jan-11 Expires on: 11-Jan-12 Last Updated on: 11-Jan-11
The data contained in GoDaddy.com, Inc.’s WhoIs database,
while believed by the company to be reliable, is provided “as is”
with no guarantee or warranties regarding its accuracy. This
information is provided for the sole purpose of assisting you
in obtaining information about domain name registration records.
Any use of this data for any other purpose is expressly forbidden without the prior written
permission of GoDaddy.com, Inc. By submitting an inquiry,
you agree to these terms of usage and limitations of warranty. In particular,
you agree not to use this data to allow, enable, or otherwise make possible,
dissemination or collection of this data, in part or in its entirety, for any
purpose, such as the transmission of unsolicited advertising and
and solicitations of any kind, including spam. You further agree
not to use this data to enable high volume, automated or robotic electronic
processes designed to collect or compile this data for any purpose,
including mining this data for your own personal or commercial purposes.
Please note: the registrant of the domain name is specified
in the “registrant” field. In most cases, GoDaddy.com, Inc.
is not the registrant of domain names listed in this database.
Registrant:
Debt Tech Solutions
980 Montecito Drive Suite 205
Corona, California 92879
United States
Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: DEBTTECHSOLUTIONS.COM
Created on: 11-Jan-11
Expires on: 11-Jan-12
Last Updated on: 11-Jan-11
Administrative Contact:
Huck, Michael mike.huck@evarus.com
Debt Tech Solutions
980 Montecito Drive Suite 205
Corona, California 92879
United States
951-847-5989 Fax —
Technical Contact: Huck, Michael mike.huck@evarus.com Debt Tech Solutions 980 Montecito Drive Suite 205 Corona, California 92879 United States 951-847-5989 Fax — Rest in next post
Please delete above post due to formatting issues. I am going to try posting again.
Glad I read this! I’ve been getting hounded by this company for months about a credit card debt that I don’t remember or have records of. One guy hung up on me when I asked if I could tape record the call. I was convinced it was just a scam so I stopped answering the calls. Then, last Friday, “County Filing Services” called to tell me of my impending summons. The gave me a case number and refered me to the “Superior Filing Services” number. They told me I was being sued for $1,948 as well as around $1,200 in court fees. They offered a settlement of $974 which I agreed to. I gave them a check by phone dated for next week. They sounded real. Then I read this. I’m a school teacher and don’t have money to waste. Advice?
Contact your bank on Monday and see what you can do to block the electronic debit. You may have to change your account number to prevent the money from being taken from your bank account. You will have to act fast.
Thanks for the prompt reply!
My biggest question is- if I call their bluff, can they really serve this summons? Has anyone actually been served by them?
I doubt it,but they do, take the summons and then pay what you agreed.
I am glad I found this info, My landlord and mother had been getting calls from an unknown entity stating that I had a suit against me. They went as far as stating to my landlord that they were an attorney and gave them a supposed file number. I checked the 1-877 number given to my landlord and It came up with Universal Filing Services. We still haven’t figured out how they got my Landlords Office number. They have been harassing my parents and telling them that they would be responsible and named on the suit and would be over to their house in 2 hours to serve them. They never stated they were collecting on a debt(I don’t have any) and they got really rude and threatening. My parents finally asked them for a number to give to their attorney and the person hung up. I filed a complaint with the FTC today after reading this article. So thanks for the info.
southwest fillings had called my father and said that if i dont call him back that there will be a warrent out for my arrest….i called this is how they answer the phone “corp. office” u give them a “case number” they go round and round with u that they will garn u blahhh blahhhh im a bill collector they broke so many laws its ridicilous… they called me from 877-301-4517
I received a call at my mother’s business (where I do work at) today from some doofus who would not give me his name but claimed to be from “Process Services”. He wanted me to verify my personal information, to which obviously I laughed at and politely replied NO thank you. When I pressed HIM for information he was somewhat reluctant to give me anything – imagine that – but kept insisting that I was going to be served with a “summons of complaint” (because that’s a legal term in the real world, right? Jack-hole.) and that they would attempt to serve me 2 times before asking for a default judgement. Now, mind you, the entire time he’s babbling off his little script, I keep asking nicely if I can please have the account information that he’s referring to and to my great surprise (gasp) he could not give that to me but instead supplied me with an 800 number: (877) 279-4792 – which is one I have yet to see here, by the way, so add it to your list along with the one on my caller ID which was 213-928-3505.) and of course, being the genius he obviously was, stated it to be his “legal department” and they would tell me what I owed money for. MMMHHHMMM, say I, I will be sure to do that….when I am 100 years old with one foot in the grave. He says that he will kindly put my account on “hold” for 3 hours to allow me the grace period (gee, thanks) to make the call but if they dont hear from me..(cue scary music – DNNND DNNN DNNNNNNNN)…then the big bad wolf will be at my door to serve me with papers. In WA state. Where I live. RIIIIIGGGGGHT. Cuz we do that here – telling people when they’re to be served. Sure.
Why the extreme sarcasm, you may ask? This is about the 3rd attempt this company (and I use that term LOOSELY) has made to garner personal information on me and for some reason they ONLY ever call my mother’s line and that pisses me OFF. I have had the same home address and phone number for over 3 years and yet they cannot seem to locate me – its even on my credit report. The last time they called her about 2 months ago, after she repeatedly told them I didnt live with her, and hung up on them several times, they then called and told her that she raised a thief and that she should be ashamed of herself. My 61 year old mother who is running a successful brokering business with me told them to go you-know-what themselves. *SIGH* Well, thats my story folks…beware of these nasty folks.
PS – I have not had any bad debt since filing for BK in 2005. I DID file a complaint with the CA Atty gen’s office today per your advice, Steve, and wanted to tell you that you’re doing a great thing here and I will definitely repost your site and links wherever I can.
Great comment. Keep us all posted and warn everyone you can. This mess is going to get worse before it gets better.
Your last post was 2011 and it is now April 2012 and its still happening. I live in Michigan and a company working under a DBA of ARPA with an address of 1251 Pomona Rd. Ste 105, Corona CA did a hard pull on my credit record. Soon after the hard pull on my credit calls began to come in. They called my ex mother in law of 15 years with a lame story of I was to appear in court the next day and they had to get a subpeona to be. They later called my job in which unknown to them I am the operater. I listened as they told me all kinds of confidential info regarding the matter such as I was to appear in court and I was to be served at my work place in the next two hours. Our business does not support dept colletion and we have had staff win the right to walk a way with out paying their dept because of illegal practices. Know your rights and document everything these people say and do. Have others document activity that can assist in proving harrasing tactics. I wrote a letter stating the boldness of one particular company who came on site to get a staff member and would not leave when asked. My support documentation, her record keeping and reciepts of payments made allowed the young lady to walk without paying the agency another dime as well as keep her merchandise.
Capital Filing services phone no. 888-430-1651 call my mother in law in san diego and said that my husband has a summon and a case number and he has to call them within 3 hours she was really worried and left messages on our phone, we are always current on our debt and has corrected his credit report last year for the entries that are inaccurate and ask for a credit freeze so no one can just look into his report . They are harassing innocent people if they really has something on my husband how come they don’t know his present address and phone number? Last year another company was calling his place of work it happens every year around this time, maybe they sold the list to another company? I hope they stop already!!!
Don’t just “hope” they go away. File a complaint with the FTC.They will and do investigate nearly all well worded complaints about practices such as this. I’ve already completed and signed my affidavit. They are in breach of numerous regulations in force under the Fair Credit Act. Obviously the foremost one is the fact they consistently fail to advise you that their call is an attempt to collect on a debt. The second breech is they always fail to advise you of the original debtor which they are also required to do. Thirdly, threatening arrest is not permitted. They are preying on people being ill-informed and paying up on debts they possibly do not even owe. Fight back. The tools are there.
It is very unfortunate to read about the dealings with this company. My aunt and father received calls last night and this morning regarding a debt that I had from a divorce. I’ve been working to pay everything off and it gives them no right to do this. They went as far as threatening my aunt that they were going to come into her home and search the premisis! What??? She’s an 80 year old woman who lives over a thousand miles away. She did have the forsight to *69 them and get a phone number, (206) 701-0285. I tried this number and not to my surprise, it had been disconnected or was no longer in service. I spoke with Larry Johnson at County Filing Services, with reference to an alleged “Docket Number”, and he said that I would be required to pay 25% of their projected legal expenses to resolve the matter.. Again, What??? I told him that I had spoken with my attorney and asked Mr. Johnson what county a suit was filed in. He said that it isn’t really a docket number, but instead an “internal reference number”. In response to the phone calls to family members, he said “the people who actually make the calls are external and that he would obtain the recordings of the phone calls. Yeah, Ok! ” I asked him if I could obtain the recordings and he said no, (obviously).. I replied “I guess I can with a court order?”
In response to this, I have filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission, Office of Financial Regulation along with the States Attorney Generals office in New York, Florida, and California. I am going to pursue litigation against this company in reference to the above harassment, so hopefully I’ll update something soon.
Good for you. Keep me posted. You can always send the URL to this story when you file complaints to give regulators a heads up on what is going on.
Steve
Steve,
Thank you. I will definately provide them with the link to this thread and hopefully something positive comes out of this whole thing.
It is very unfortunate to read about the dealings with this company. My aunt and father received calls last night and this morning regarding a debt that I had from a divorce. I’ve been working to pay everything off and it gives them no right to do this. They went as far as threatening my aunt that they were going to come into her home and search the premisis! What??? She’s an 80 year old woman who lives over a thousand miles away. She did have the forsight to *69 them and get a phone number, (206) 701-0285. I tried this number and not to my surprise, it had been disconnected or was no longer in service. I spoke with Larry Johnson at County Filing Services, with reference to an alleged “Docket Number”, and he said that I would be required to pay 25% of their projected legal expenses to resolve the matter.. Again, What??? I told him that I had spoken with my attorney and asked Mr. Johnson what county a suit was filed in. He said that it isn’t really a docket number, but instead an “internal reference number”. In response to the phone calls to family members, he said “the people who actually make the calls are external and that he would obtain the recordings of the phone calls. Yeah, Ok! ” I asked him if I could obtain the recordings and he said no, (obviously).. I replied “I guess I can with a court order?”
In response to this, I have filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission, Office of Financial Regulation along with the States Attorney Generals office in New York, Florida, and California. I am going to pursue litigation against this company in reference to the above harassment, so hopefully I’ll update something soon.
Good for you. Keep me posted. You can always send the URL to this story when you file complaints to give regulators a heads up on what is going on.
Steve
Steve,
Thank you. I will definately provide them with the link to this thread and hopefully something positive comes out of this whole thing.
To Noneofyourbusiness, interesting comment but I wonder how aware your operation is of the various different statutes of limitations in various states concerning the collection of revolving credit debts These are easily researched. They are also blatantly ignored by your employer. So Dude (to use your apparent favorite word) do your homework before you keep calling people and try to use a ruse of legal hassles. And Dude, did you know that under the FCA it is illegal to threaten. And while we’re at it Dude, do you really think that people who are behind on bills could give a hoot about you coming to serve legal papers? So Dude, keep calling because Dude we’ll keep ignoring you while filing reports with the FTC who is already investigating at least 5 of the companies on that list for unfair trade practices. Have a nice day Dude.
Greetings from Indiana,
My sister has been contacted by Worldwide Filing Service(s) this week. On their “offer of settlement” email to us, it states “Federal law requires we notify you that this communication is from a debt collector in an attempt to collect a debt any information obtained will be used for that purpose”. However, on the phone their rep said that “we are not a debt collector, but a ‘filing service'”. I then asked again if the creditor was correct: “Portfolio Investment Financial”. I was told yes. I checked out the website of Portfolio Investment Financial and it has the same websiteblog format as Worldwide Filing. However, the main website has been taken down and their is no street address: only “Corona, CA”. I asked the Worldwide Filing Service rep what address I should use to send a verification letter. Should I send it to Portfolio or Worldwide? He said send it to the address at the top of the email : ie Worldwide Filing Services at 1240 Ontario Ave, Ste 102-175, Corona, CA 92881. I did post a certified letter of verification today and I am curious to see if anyone will sign for the letter. So, I too, would like to know a physical street address. Also, Steve, check out this “Portfolio Investment Financial” http://www.portfolioinvestmentblog.com/ ….You see they also use the same company description as Worldwide”……and we are to trust that these companies are legitimate???? Keep up the good work and keep us posted!
This is just a guess on my part but I think what they might be doing is claiming to be process servers in an attempt to get someone to pay because they are really debt collectors.
Taking your tip I went out and found a number of sites that make similar claims. It looks like they’ve created companion blogs for each of their misnamed sites. See attached images.
What other information would you like to know about them?
I’d be interested in whatever you can share. If you want, send it to me at tips@getoutofdebt.org
OK, excuse me, but you’r wrong. I’m a new hire at one of the companies mentioned. Its a brand new office. They are legitimate and the industry is growing quickly, hence all the new subsidiaries. I am sure that its registered with the state of California because I just checked the California Secretary of State website http://kepler.sos.ca.gov/cbs.aspx and they are registered and have been for some months now. Go ahead and check for your selves readers, these companies were registered months before this guys article was written! JUST MAKE SURE TO AD THE ‘S’ ONTO THE WORD SERVICE or the website will not find it (because you are misspelling the name of the company!), but if for example you do a search for ASSET FILING SERVICES, lo and behold there it is and it was registered in April. and dude, I do suggest you watch what you say because these legal people know there shit and if your badmouthing them like this they might come after you for slander or something. Next time get your shit right before spewing it out as bad advice to people in trouble. I suggest you recheck with the proper S in the spelling of the names “serviceS” and you will find they were registered months before you wrote the article.
As per the confusion on what having a case filed means, it means they have received it at the filing agency and are going to do the legwork for their clients to register the lawsuits with the courts. If people are contacting you or people who know you, is because they are preparing to serve you and to do so they must know where you stay and how to reach you in person. If they are unable to find a way to serve you, then eventually the courts will hear your case without you which usually results in a judgement for the the parties who show up (I believe that would be these companies or their clients).
The fact that a process server or whom ever contacted your people trying to make sure they would actually reach you is a rare blessing, god forbid you avoid it only to be slapped with a judgement by default because you chose not to be present in court. I strongly suggest that if they are looking you, you find a way to be served so you can represent yourself in court. They are coming for you, I know because I’m one of “them”, if you don’t find a way to make it to court to defend yourself, then when we do register your case with the courts and the process server tell them they couldn’t find you… your probably fucked. I mean when the judge holds your hearing and the only evidence being presented is the evidence against you, and then he looks over and sees you didn’t even bother to come in with counter evidence to defend yourself, hes going to rule against you 98-99% of the time.
As for the multiple mailing addresses, dude, each one of these is a company in and of itself (corporate-subsidiary or not), receiving mail for itself, they are supposed to have different mailing addresses. Imagine if the manager of company A had to sort through 7 other companies mail each time they were looking for their own. Imagine if you had to sort through all your distant relatives mail (uncles, cousins, grandparents, everyone in your bloodline over the age of 18), [expletive regarding stupidity here]. It just doesn’t make sense to have agents for one company sorting through he mail of other companies just to find their stuff. And with that, [Tip of the hat] -Good day.
Thank you for your comment. I’ve updated the article above.
As you can see from the update, the incorrect spelling of the names was what the companies are using on their own websites.
I could go on at length in response to you but I have just one question that is most important that I’d like for you to answer.
What is the physical street address you work out of for these companies?
You wrote a fantastic article.
You saved me, just by a random Yahoo link to here, a ton of sleep. I learned a few things. Great, informative, quick read and yet the facts are totally taught well.
Thank You.
Dear Nonofyourbusiness: Thank you for providing the evidence needed to pursue both you and your employer. We are coming for YOU.
Any consumer who has received a call from these guys:
1) if told a case was filed and there is no actual court filing: please contact me about your FDCPA claim.
2) if in fact a case was filed: please contact me about defending the case.
Greg Fitzgerald, Esq. fitz-fitzlaw@cox.net C-ya soon Nonofyourbusiness
You still have not responded with your street address. Any problem with that request?
By the way, I just posted a collection letter your “filing service” is sending out saying you are a debt collector. See the original story.
For a company that claims to be a court filing service they have no idea how many laws they have broken. They have contacted my wife about an “Open-ended Account” debt that originally went into default in 2006, now mind you, I have only known my wife for 3 years and are only recently married but that did not stop them from contacting my parents (not hers) and leaving threatening messages on my parents voice mail. The debt went into default before we had even met… Then in an attempt to figure out who these people were I contacted them in regard to what kind of company there were and asked them to speak to a manager. Now my wife and I are Arizona residents which gives me the right, this being a first-party state, to record the conversation without the other parties consent. Now I have a phone conversation recorded of a “Dept Collection company” threatening my wife, telling her to “When you get your head out of your $#@, we can take care of this” and that they will “garnish your husbands wage if you do not take care of this”. Best thing is, statute of limitations in Arizona on an “Open-ended Account” is only 3 years since the day of the initial delinquency. Now I tried explaining this to them, and to no avail, they refused to listen and continued to be rude to me and tell me that they would “get the money one way or another, and that they “have my wife’s SSN and they can find her wherever she goes”. Can anyone direct me to the nearest ATM, I’m about to get paid…
Stevie,
Please forward me the recording to tips@getoutofdebt.org. I will of course bleep out any identifying information before I publish it.
I know a FDCPA attorney in AZ if you need one.
Your parents must be very proud you illiterate douche.
Unfortunately, I hate to tell you this. But I have contacted an Attorney regarding a phone call that the CORPORATE INVESTIGATIONS DEPT at my office received regarding a debt of mine. The person from the firm specifically told them that they were looking for me to serve papers to me regarding a debt and gave them information that is ILLEGAL to disclose to anyone but myself. Before you tell others that they can be taken to court for slander, you should educate your fellow colleagues on the laws in EVERY state. The tactics your company uses is illegal and further more…it surprises me that there are people in this world that sleep well at night knowing that you scared someone almost to a point of suicide. Just so you could collect your paycheck. Unfortunately most of America is in debt because of unforseen circumstances and one should remember that it could easily happen to anyone…including you.
I personally believe you work at a collections company! You sound totally legit! Due to the fact that your language and attitude reflect your lack of any education whatsoever! A perfect recruit for a collection company! LMAO!
GET A NEW JOB LOW LIFE!
Since you are at the very least, on the low rung of a business that I’m sure requires at LEAST a community college education, when writing your work , did you do a quick Grammer. Spelling, etc. check??
I don’t want to be THAT GUY, but at least I’m aware of my run-ons, etc.
Also using ‘Dude’ that much??
Ihank you so much for your excellent iformation in this article. It’s a big help for me in order to figth such abusive and ilegal practice from an agency called: “filling services.
thanks for the great info, I just got a call from “process services” looking for someone else and trying to contact me “in lieu of” the other person. the number they called from was a 713 area code and they left the 866-731-7040 number to call back on.
they contacted my mother as well and according to her the conversation went like this:
“it will save her from having to go to court if you have her contact us.” When
my mom said “i don’t have any way of contacting her” (a true statement) they said “well we will
leave papers at (address my mom is staying at)” and my mom said “feel free to waste your
time” and they hung up on her.