Arizona consumers are receiving collection calls from fake law firms or fake government agencies telling them they owe money to a payday loan company and threatening them with legal action, Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne said Friday.
Consumers are also being asked to provide bank account information to pay off the outstanding debt.
Horne’s office reports the collection call sounds legitimate because the company has personal identifying information including the consumer’s bank account information, full or partial Social Security number and/or driver’s license number. The company may also have information about the consumer’s employer and personal friends and relatives.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office reminded consumers payday loans are illegal in Arizona as of June 30, 2010. If a payday loan was taken out prior to that date and a balance is still due, the consumer is still obligated to pay back the debt.
If you feel you’ve been a victim of consumer fraud, contact the Arizona Attorney General’s Office Consumer Information & Complaints Unit at (602) 542-5763 or file a consumer complaint online at: http://www.azag.gov/consumer/complaintform.html.
Kate Smith posted at 12:36 am on Wed, Jan 16, 2013.
Unfortunately, these days there are lots of scammers who just want to trick someone and make money unfairly. It’s worth to be extremely attentive when you provide your information to someone and be careful with filling any documents. Lots of people today use online payday loans to cover different unexpected expenses and these scammers know that probably there will be those who will provide them bank account information. I think that these debt collectors are crazy, I have heard that sometimes they say awful things and try to scare you. Any case, it’s worth to be extremely careful and do not to provide personal information to any one.