AG: Scam Artists Posing as Police to Collect Debts
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Scam artists are posing as state law enforcement officials in an attempt to collect debts from local consumers, Attorney General Patrick Lynch warned yesterday.
Lynch said the scammers were calling consumers saying they were from the Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Identification. The callers claim that they are collecting payments on an Internet payday loan and, in some cases, they already have the consumer's Social Security number, home address, e-mail, and names of family members.
“Since the callers are able to provide valid personal information, consumers may become confused and believe that they are being contacted in regard to a legitimate debt,” Lynch said. “Don’t buy it! Law enforcement is not in the business of debt collection. Calls such as these are scams.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“It’s important for consumers to know their rights under the law,” Lynch added. “If consumers receive calls from a ‘debt collection agency’ and believe it is a scam, I encourage them to contact our Consumer Protection Unit immediately.”
The Consumer Protection Unit can be reached at 274-4400. At the first prompt, press “1” for English or “3” for Spanish. At the second prompt, press “1” at the second prompt to be connected to the Unit.
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