The following report was submitted by Consumer Mediation Services on behalf of an account they are assisting the consumer to obtain a refund.
I think you’ll find the part about the Consumer Mediation Services Agent being cornered in the parking lot to be interesting.
This is a copy of communications that was forwarded to the Arizona Attorney General.
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RE: Complaint against Nationwide Card Monitor
Victim: XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX
Age: 57
While understanding the high demand for your attention in other areas, we feel there is an urgent need for your attention on the following company:
Nationwide Card Monitor
500 W. Southern Ave.
Suite 16
Mesa Arizona 85210
nationwidecardmonitor.com
(800) 633-7468
We believe the owner of company to be: James Cox.
Consumer Mediation Services is a consumer-centric consulting firm dedicated to helping those who are unable to fight for themselves based on a lack of knowledge and experience of the industry in which Nationwide Card Monitor operates. At Consumer Mediation Services we have experienced and knowledgable management working full time to assist those who have been scammed by companies who misrepresent their services or products. As you are well aware, the debt, tax and mortgage relief industries are plagued with companies misrepresenting their abilities to deliver financial freedom with ease. As you see below, the following situation demands an immediate regulatory inquiry:
Complaint:
“This is XXXXXXX X. XXXXXXXXXX – I was at home august 5/2011 Nicklas Bowser call me up he’s with Nationwide card monitor I told him my situation and he told me that he can get me a credit card that i could transfer the balance of the two credit card i had which amount to 7800.00 plus the payment of 549.00 on to that card and make one payment a month with 0% int. or no more 7% so that day i enter the program. They sent some paper to fill out so they could get me the credit card, I filled out the paper and sent them back not knowing that it was a contract, two or three days later maybe more they sent me a credit card with a line of credit of 1,700.00 i sent the card back to them and requested a refund and they told me i have to be denied 3 credit cards before they refund my money all i want now is for them to refund my money.”
CMS additional Notes:
XXXXXXX has not so much as raised his voice about Nationwide Card Monitor, let alone become angry. He is very level headed and understands that he got scammed. I mention this to exemplify he is rational and not overly disgruntled.
To familiarize myself with this company, I called NCM as a secret shopper and spoke with Carolina just a couple days ago (after receiving XXXXXXX’s complaint initially.) I wanted to see what they offered. They offered me a bank transfer to a new credit card, multiple cards if needed, to reduce my interest rates.
The problem I feel is that they did not deliver as represented, as XXXXXXX has nearly $8k in debt and they gave him a new credit card for only $1,700; this does nothing for XXXXXXX other than put him in more debt. Calculate the new credit line and consider the fees, NCM charged a 32.2% Origination fee. CMS questions the legality of this extremely high (and potentially usurious) fee.
We have reviewed all provided paperwork communications between XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX and NCM.
While their sales pitch seems organized and the rep I spoke with was friendly, the devil appears to be in the details and I question their true motives to assist people as opposed to getting a quick approval from a partner bank so they can justify a $549 fee; their letter to XXXXXXX states that there are thousands of banks, however just below that it states that there is a money back guarantee if customer is declined by “all 3 banks.” This card was approved with FNB Omaha. CMS will be looking into the relationship between FNB Omaha and NCM to determine compliance standards of advanced fee loan brokering between companies. This appears to be a clear case of misrepresentation. Not to mention, XXXXXXX is 57 years old, and the pace of the conversations I have had with him are at a pace that would likely not be found in a fast talking, scripted environment such as what NCM appears to be thus far. I question the manner which he was “presented” this offer, as well as the adequate training NCM had of XXXXXXX’s financial situation before determining if this was a service he truly needed.
CMS was informed the initial call was made to XXXXXXX as a cold call. I question whether or not this is a phone room utilizing automated dialers.
We feel it is right for Nationwide Card Monitor to refund XXXXXXX the $549 and close the account which they opened.
After further review, we are unable to locate any documents filed with the State of Arizona for the trade name of “Nationwide Card Monitor.” We are also requesting assistance from the appropriate regulating agencies regarding any compliance issues of brokering credit card accounts without verifying identification properly.
We are also requesting assistance from the appropriate regulating agencies regarding any compliance issues of brokering credit card accounts without verifying identification properly.
This service appears to fall under the definition of an “Advanced Fee Loan Broker” therefore CMS will be following up with the State of Arizona Dep’t. Of Financial Institutions as it appears by their contract they are operating as “advanced fee loan brokers” however no license is found with the state.
On all available sources to us, we find NCM lists having only 1 employee with an estimated sales revenue of under $40,000. This information seems highly inaccurate based on the multiple complaints with multiple sales agents names listed on the web, as well as the amount of sales this company claims to be doing by this web statement: “Over the years, National Card Monitor has helped thousands of Consumers to become debt free.” This company was formed in March, 2010. By “thousands” it must be at least two thousand. This would mean they have received at $549 per transaction, $1,098,000 in fees. This should be looked into further by agencies managing payroll taxes and independent contractor guidelines, as the agents at this company would likely not fit the standard requirements of an Independent Contractor.
This web statement would need to be substantiated: “National Card Monitor is a leader in helping consumers to get out from underneath the credit card debts that they have accumulated at a high interest rate.”
Both websites: http://nationalcardmonitor.com/ http://nationwidecardmonitor.com/ have the same phone number. One is private registration and the other is registered to:
National Card Monitor, llc
James Cox
PO BOX 27961
Tempe, Arizona 85285
United States
Phone: 800-633-7468
Spoke with Dennis to get contact email info.
7 Day notice given on 11/2/2011 Agent JH1753 – Response expiration date: 11/9/2011 5:00pm.
Consumer Mediation Services has performed a Complaint Analysis and finds that:
Nationwide Card Monitor has charged XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX the following amounts:
Company Set Up Fee $549.00
** End of Complaint Analysis
UPDATE:
I just went to NCM and delivered the complaint. I walked into suite 16 and there was no one in the waiting room. A sliding window opened: confirmed this was the NCM that XXXXXXX was complaining about by cross referencing website and address, and I dropped of the paperwork. Copy of emailed complaint, POA and a copy of the Georgia Attorney General’s office provided to me by XXXXXXX.
I left and went to lunch. When I was driving back, I wanted to snap a couple pictures of the office to post the complaint on social media sources. I was approached by a couple girls outside smoking; pleasant at first. then a couple guys came out. A small conversation took place and shortly after there was at least 10 people (maybe more) in front and around the front half circle of me. I was getting asked questions that were harmless at first. I told them I understand they were just doing their jobs, but if they wanted to be of help, they could point me in the direction of the owner.
Nobody knows who owns the company, and they laughed that off. One guy approached me and told me he was all I needed to be worried about talking with. Then another told me that he didn’t work there, didn’t care about the law and asked if I would like to join him around the corner to get my butt kicked. At that moment I decided to leave.
Words were being thrown fast at me and I started to bark back a bit to get them out of swinging distance at me. I advised the gentleman who ‘didn’t work there’ and was in breathing distance of my face that he needed to back away. I also put my hand toward my hip to signify that I was ready to defend myself in the event I was attacked. At that moment, they backed up a little bit. They called me some more names as I walked to my car and left.
One person attempted to run to their car while I was pulling out of the parking lot. I believe they were unsuccessful in following me. It is apparent that these people are extreme trouble. I just spoke with John Stevens at the AZ Attorney Generals office. Although CMS provides 7 days for a response to be made, I am sending this based on the following: Regardless of the merits of any future regulatory actions, what I just experienced showed the mentality of the people working for and managing this company, as well as the environment in which they work in. In no way do I expect any consumer who is unhappy with their services to be successful in obtaining a refund. However, my services may have a more profound impact.
Regardless, these people are absolutely bad news and a regulatory investigation is the only thing that could possibly stop these people. They were not intimidated by me one bit. They grew in numbers, quickly, and were all very defensive of each other, and their company in a very aggressive manner; many seemed to be talking and moving as though they were on drugs.
While complaints come in often to various companies and websites, nothing that they have done regarding debt relief is surprising. In fact, XXXXXXX’s complaint is no more compelling than the other thousands of complaints people make each day. However, the aggressive and gang like mob that tried to intimidate me out of the parking lot showed that these people are trouble, and the fact that they are preying on elderly people shows that they rely on intimidation and other bad business practices to make money. No tangible service was done here.
When XXXXXXX complained to them, the company failed to justify the monies that were paid when, in fact, no tangible service was provided. Nationwide Card Monitor has shown a lack of sincerity in making the situation right for XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX and at this point we question how many other consumers are being victimized by the misleading promises and deceptive sales of Nationwide Card Monitor.
XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX has an executed Limited Power of Attorney on file with our company and we would be pleased to assist in delivering justice to XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX. I have attached that document to this message.
As Nationwide Card Monitor has failed to justify their fees, we feel it is imperative to escalate the situation to prevent future harm to additional consumers.
Please contact us should you have any need to discuss the details of our communications with Nationwide Card Monitor; we are here to fight relentlessly for regulation and disciplinary action against companies who fund their operations by scamming consumers in need.
Steve Statement
We sent a letter to the company at the address given by the consumer and asked them to publicly respond to this complaint.
If you feel you’ve been financially hurt by a debt relief company and deserve a refund, read these step-by-step instructions on how to proceed to attempt to get your money back.
If you do get your money back, come back and leave a comment about it. I’d love to praise companies that step-up and do the right thing for people.
Scam reports are submitted by consumers like you. If you would like to file a scam report, please click here.
If you are the company named in this report and you want to respond, please read How to Handle a Consumer Complaint Like a Pro And Come Out Smelling Like a Rose
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I guess I’m just another sucker because I enrolled and sent Nationwide Card Monitor services $549.00 about a year and a half ago. I’m 74 yrs.old… had $8000 in credit card dept but I felt my interest rates were excessive… so I made the plunge. I was told about their refund policy if they couldn’t perform and I fell hook, line, and sinker for it. They won’t even return my calls any more. If a legal action is starte.d please include my name and information as you see fit.
Glen Cashwheeler, #411 Pinehurst Way, Wofford Heights CA 93285. Hm. 760-376-2421, or cell 760-379-6911
Looks like I got scammed by NCM too. How do I obtain your services for my refund?
I couldn’t reach Lindquist
I had a bad experience with Lindquist, another company located in Tempe, AZ.They cold called me out of a call center probably situated abroad, based on the accent of the caller. They promised to get me a CR card with 0% to 6% annual interest. They had all my CR cards info, I don’t know how they did that. After several calls they made to me from different employees, I agreed to pay them a fee of five hundred and somethings but only if they delivered on their promise. And I insisted that they did not process any payment before I got the so called low interest card in my hands. I also had told them that my CR rating was not good at that time. A few weeks earlier I had received a few low interest CR cards offers from local banks as well as from MBNA, but I did not want to send the applications back knowing that my debt service ratio was quite high and that each CR bureau inquiry would further lower my rating by a about 9 points. And I pointed that to Linquist as well. They claimed that I should not worry as there would be “no credit inquiries at the CR bureaus at all”. A straight lie!
Here what happened after:
All they did was send a credit card application to precisely MBNA, which I had on hand already and they called me and told the that my application was accepted. Again I insisted that I did not authorize the payment processing of their fee before I got the card on hands. But they went ahead anyway and processed their fee on one of my old CR cards, which I only found out a month later when I got my statement.
Unfortunately a few days after their last call I had received a MBNA negative answer to the CR card application that Lindquist had sent on my behalf. And I had previously warned Lindquist that I had such offer on hand but did not want to apply considering my credit situation at that time. But they claimed that they had a much stronger bargaining power than me because they were bringing a lot of business to the banks.
I tried to call the people at Lindquist to get a refund, but nobody answered the phone ever although before they processed the fee payment I had spoken with at leats 3 different people.
So I filed a complaint with my bank, the holder of my credit card and I explained the situation in a formal letter including copies of the MBNA offer as well as their declining letter.
I FINALLY GOT A REFUND FROM MY BANK ABOUT A MONTH AND HALF LATER.
Stan
Canada
CMS Is a directly linked to a debt settlement company! The guy above is Jonathan Harstad and has many complaints for charging people over 2,500 for services never delivered. Sounds like a competitor teaming up to extort an honest company….
Nationwide Card Monitor promised me services to help reduce my debt for $599.00 US. I enrolled on May 21,2011. Also, its been 8 months since the beginning. As of today 01/31/2012 this matter is not resolved. Any help is most appreciated. Please contact me at boatgoat.barron33@gmail.com/17084563767. Thank you.
I had a very similar experience with a company called Top Savings with exactly the same situation. They promissed me the same things and did nothing. They sent me outdated info when I called the bank and only 2 out of 20 offers had 7.99% interest and not one was permannent fixed interest for the life of the card or even double the debt line of credit so as not to be maxed out. I called my credit card company and told them services were unsatisfactory and undelivered as promissed!!! They said they would investigate and let me know in 30 days but in the meantime I called the company and informed them that I already reversed the charges and my card company lauched an investigation. They told me okay what do you want us to do? I stated refund from your end to avoid criminal charges and that is all. They said okay we will refund 40% and I said no good. All $599 withing 24 hours or the FBI will get this case and the paperwork scam they sent me. The boss said please don’t do that I will fix this problem right away! They ended up appologizing and refunding it all withing 24 hours!!! The BBB takes payoffs from the companies that scam people, it was proven in the investigation in 2010! State attorney generals offices don’t actually have a lawyer or even anyone with law experience look at incoming cases. Just regular people that don’t really care about the laws and Americans getting screwed!!! I consider myself a private scam investigator with tons of experience with dealing with scumbags. The thing to do is not let up on them. Certified letters are real effective for you write what you want to say and mail it. They get is and they have 30 days as you state by law to respond and if not you have them by the balls. Most of the time they will respond with a bull s*** answer and keep the FTC in the loop the whole time to cover your buns! Even if they respond with an answer you still have leverage. Also be aware of statues of limitations for your state! This world is really messed up and the president won’t do a dame thing to fix it!!!
I had a very similar experience with a company called Top Savings with exactly the same situation. They promissed me the same things and did nothing. They sent me outdated info when I called the bank and only 2 out of 20 offers had 7.99% interest and not one was permannent fixed interest for the life of the card or even double the debt line of credit so as not to be maxed out. I called my credit card company and told them services were unsatisfactory and undelivered as promissed!!! They said they would investigate and let me know in 30 days but in the meantime I called the company and informed them that I already reversed the charges and my card company lauched an investigation. They told me okay what do you want us to do? I stated refund from your end to avoid criminal charges and that is all. They said okay we will refund 40% and I said no good. All $599 withing 24 hours or the FBI will get this case and the paperwork scam they sent me. The boss said please don’t do that I will fix this problem right away! They ended up appologizing and refunding it all withing 24 hours!!! The BBB takes payoffs from the companies that scam people, it was proven in the investigation in 2010! State attorney generals offices don’t actually have a lawyer or even anyone with law experience look at incoming cases. Just regular people that don’t really care about the laws and Americans getting screwed!!! I consider myself a private scam investigator with tons of experience with dealing with scumbags. The thing to do is not let up on them. Certified letters are real effective for you write what you want to say and mail it. They get is and they have 30 days as you state by law to respond and if not you have them by the balls. Most of the time they will respond with a bull s*** answer and keep the FTC in the loop the whole time to cover your buns! Even if they respond with an answer you still have leverage. Also be aware of statues of limitations for your state! This world is really messed up and the president won’t do a dame thing to fix it!!!
where are these complaints? please provide a link or a document or hell, even just one “i heard from somebody that his sister knew this guy who went to school with a family that lived next door to a dog that got walked by a dog walker who had a cousin that once enrolled in fishing lessons that were taught by this old man who had a grandson that went to school with a girl who knew this person who… ”
that is a pretty bold accusation considering that its complete bullshit. back up your statement, SAD. in fact, please supply just one. I will pay you $500 for each complaint filed with my name on it. You are a douche bag. I wish i caught this message earlier to address your ridiculous implications.
CMS Is a directly linked to a debt settlement company! The guy above is Jonathan Harstad and has many complaints for charging people over 2,500 for services never delivered. Sounds like a competitor teaming up to extort an honest company….
Sorry, I guess the photos wont show up in my post. I’m sure you “get the picture” even though you don’t see them 🙂
UPDATE: today I met with a Special Agent Supervisor at the AG office in AZ. We sat down and I explained what we do. When I got back to the office, I sent him this:
Mr. Xxxxxxx, Thank you for your time spent with me earlier today. Hopefully you will see there is
a deeper issue than this one complaint. I have included notes from my software as well as pieces of information provided to me by Mr. Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx, the complaining party, as well as documents that I have sent to Nationwide Card Monitor.
Initial Complaint pasted below:
(posted above)
After trying to get an email address to send this to, I finally was issued a “gmail” email address. NCM.CustomerService@gMail.com as you see reflected in the addressed parties of the above complaint. Red flag #1: they don’t have a professional domain name. However, As I suspected this may be an email address that wouldn’t reach the person in charge of complaints, I decided to drop off a copy to the office being that they were local. After dropping off the letter, I decided to take pictures of their office as they share their windows, doors, etc. with the advertising of a law firm “Innovative Law Offices” which is a complete sham and is nothing more than a network for advanced fees being charged by “attorneys” offering debt relief services when in fact, the service is actually being sold by non-attorney employees of this company who are then appearing to be engaging in the Unlicensed Practice of Law by selling legal services; then, of course, the attorneys would also be in violation of fee splitting by paying non attorneys compensation for selling their services. See what happened below: (notes pasted directly out of my software)
(also posted above – description of what happened in parking lot.)
Now, check this out: Their office has signage reflecting “Computer Service” from afar. See below:
But when you get up close you see this:
Below you see that on suite 17, Innovative Law Offices, it says NCM on the door. (Nationwide Card Monitor) – But even more interesting, on NCM windows, it says “Innovative Law Offices”…
After all of that drama, I went home and ended my day. As of now, I have heard nothing, and neither has Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxx. I advised them when we spoke that James didn’t even need to contact me; he could call Xxxxxxx and just do the right thing directly with him.
As for my involvement, I charge anywhere from (nothing in some cases) 10% to 30% of the refunded amount, if I am successful. However, in this case, the charge will likely be zero because these people didn’t take money directly out of Xxxxxxx’s pocket; they charged their fees to the new credit card they opened for him. This shows it is even more dangerous because they are telling people it costs them nothing out of pocket when in reality, it is not only a charge of $549.00, but there is a finance charge there as well. It is a total scam.
I don’t expect to ever see a penny for helping this person, but after speaking with Xxxxxxx so
much, I cannot just let this go. These people are preying on people like Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxx
and many others, if you read online about them.
Please help prevent more harm to other people in the future by looking into the business practices of these people. They are doing no good, and all bad. From the “Innovative Law Offices” all the
way down to opening credit cards for people just to charge their fee on. To add, look at how the situation was handled when I was at their office. Imagine somebody clear across the country in Georgia, like Xxxxxxx, trying to argue with these people. Consumers stand no chance against these thugs.
We need your help fighting these people. I can only do so much as a “freelance fraud fighter” but your office has the power to do a formal inquiry, and more, to determine what is going on to be illegal or not. As I have said many times before, I am not a lawyer. But you don’t need to be a
lawyer, or a detective, to see what is going on here.. All I ask is that your office does something to look into this further.
Thank you again for your time. I truly hope you feel the need to look into this further. Please contact me for anything you may need regarding this matter.
UPDATE: today I met with a Special Agent Supervisor at the AG office in AZ. We sat down and I explained what we do. When I got back to the office, I sent him this:
Mr. Xxxxxxx, Thank you for your time spent with me earlier today. Hopefully you will see there is
a deeper issue than this one complaint. I have included notes from my software as well as pieces of information provided to me by Mr. Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx, the complaining party, as well as documents that I have sent to Nationwide Card Monitor.
Initial Complaint pasted below:
(posted above)
After trying to get an email address to send this to, I finally was issued a “gmail” email address. NCM.CustomerService@gMail.com as you see reflected in the addressed parties of the above complaint. Red flag #1: they don’t have a professional domain name. However, As I suspected this may be an email address that wouldn’t reach the person in charge of complaints, I decided to drop off a copy to the office being that they were local. After dropping off the letter, I decided to take pictures of their office as they share their windows, doors, etc. with the advertising of a law firm “Innovative Law Offices” which is a complete sham and is nothing more than a network for advanced fees being charged by “attorneys” offering debt relief services when in fact, the service is actually being sold by non-attorney employees of this company who are then appearing to be engaging in the Unlicensed Practice of Law by selling legal services; then, of course, the attorneys would also be in violation of fee splitting by paying non attorneys compensation for selling their services. See what happened below: (notes pasted directly out of my software)
(also posted above – description of what happened in parking lot.)
Now, check this out: Their office has signage reflecting “Computer Service” from afar. See below:
But when you get up close you see this:
Below you see that on suite 17, Innovative Law Offices, it says NCM on the door. (Nationwide Card Monitor) – But even more interesting, on NCM windows, it says “Innovative Law Offices”…
After all of that drama, I went home and ended my day. As of now, I have heard nothing, and neither has Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxx. I advised them when we spoke that James didn’t even need to contact me; he could call Xxxxxxx and just do the right thing directly with him.
As for my involvement, I charge anywhere from (nothing in some cases) 10% to 30% of the refunded amount, if I am successful. However, in this case, the charge will likely be zero because these people didn’t take money directly out of Xxxxxxx’s pocket; they charged their fees to the new credit card they opened for him. This shows it is even more dangerous because they are telling people it costs them nothing out of pocket when in reality, it is not only a charge of $549.00, but there is a finance charge there as well. It is a total scam.
I don’t expect to ever see a penny for helping this person, but after speaking with Xxxxxxx so
much, I cannot just let this go. These people are preying on people like Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxx
and many others, if you read online about them.
Please help prevent more harm to other people in the future by looking into the business practices of these people. They are doing no good, and all bad. From the “Innovative Law Offices” all the
way down to opening credit cards for people just to charge their fee on. To add, look at how the situation was handled when I was at their office. Imagine somebody clear across the country in Georgia, like Xxxxxxx, trying to argue with these people. Consumers stand no chance against these thugs.
We need your help fighting these people. I can only do so much as a “freelance fraud fighter” but your office has the power to do a formal inquiry, and more, to determine what is going on to be illegal or not. As I have said many times before, I am not a lawyer. But you don’t need to be a
lawyer, or a detective, to see what is going on here.. All I ask is that your office does something to look into this further.
Thank you again for your time. I truly hope you feel the need to look into this further. Please contact me for anything you may need regarding this matter.