Scam targets W.Va. residents with threats of loan repayment
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A scammer is calling state residents threatening to arrest them if they don't repay a so-called loan, officials said.
Multiple consumers have reported "American Document Services" as the source of the scam, said Judy Strawderman, state administrator for the Better Business Bureau.
The scammer uses Internet software to call people using a 304 area code claiming the company must collect a loan repayment within 24 hours or police would get involved. The company also uses a postal box address in Charleston to collect payment, Strawderman said.
She said the scammer is using very strong and persistent scare tactics to collect payment.
"Receiving these types of phone calls can be very frightening to consumers," Better Business Bureau CEO Frank Cilona said in a news release. "The caller will often have the consumer's personal information, including banking or personal identification, so consumers often think it's a legitimate collection call."
Cilona said legitimate debt collectors must follow the Federal Fair Debt Collection Act and can never harass or threaten to arrest someone.
Anyone who has fallen victim to this scam is urged to contact the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at www.wvago.gov or the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A scammer is calling state residents threatening to arrest them if they don't repay a so-called loan, officials said.
Multiple consumers have reported "American Document Services" as the source of the scam, said Judy Strawderman, state administrator for the Better Business Bureau.
The scammer uses Internet software to call people using a 304 area code claiming the company must collect a loan repayment within 24 hours or police would get involved. The company also uses a postal box address in Charleston to collect payment, Strawderman said.
She said the scammer is using very strong and persistent scare tactics to collect payment.
"Receiving these types of phone calls can be very frightening to consumers," Better Business Bureau CEO Frank Cilona said in a news release. "The caller will often have the consumer's personal information, including banking or personal identification, so consumers often think it's a legitimate collection call."
Cilona said legitimate debt collectors must follow the Federal Fair Debt Collection Act and can never harass or threaten to arrest someone.
Anyone who has fallen victim to this scam is urged to contact the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at www.wvago.gov or the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov.
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