I keep getting phone calls from 1-800-674-9171 and 1-866-372-4896 and 1-888-929-6307. They all say they are calling in attempt to collect a debt. When I picked up 1-800-674-9171 to ask them to stop calling me I got an automated message about an attempt to collect a debt and to hold. No one picked up and I hung up. Then 1-866-372-4896 called me back. This woman had my name, address, and said she had my SS and last of my drivers license and said she had a copy of my ID. She said they had sent me letters within the past 45 days (non of which I have recieved). She claimed to be from AR Services or something beginning with AR. She said I owed a debt for a pay day loan taken out in 2017. I asked her if she could send me documentation, which she used as it "was there last attempt to settle the debt" and that I owed around $4000, original amount taken out was around $600 in December of 2017. I asked for the address of the business, which she refused to provide, as well as to email the documentation which she also refused. She got frustrated with me and hung up the phone. She then called me back and said sorry for hanging up and said that if I don't pay them that they will send the debt to EqiFax and I can fight it there. She would not give me any valid information, and was very rushed and becoming annoyed with me for asking for information, especially when I said I don't know anything about the debt. Pretty sure this is a scam.

December 2, 2024

Complete scam. They read disclaimers about the call being recorded to make you believe they are legit. They were trying to say my husband owed this debt. My husband is deceased. Then they called back and said it was my debt. It is completely bogus and I find it so emotionally distressful that they should be fined and have to pay the amount they are trying to collect to every victim of their harrassment. For me they said AR Collections and the phone numbers were 866 372-4896, 855-216 6316 and 888 675 8911. These telephone numbers have been used for a wide variety of scams based on a Google search.

October 29, 2024

I received a message on my cell phone from a person stating they were attempting to collect a debt that my husband had incurred in 2017. The caller reported that my husband defaulted on that debt in January 2019, that they were going to report the default judgement of $4,429.76 to the credit bureaus if I did not make a $550 payment before 4:00 EST on the day of the call (8/21/24). The caller reported that my husband had taken out a payday loan in the amount of $700 in December of 2017, had made one payment in the amount of $150, in February 2018 but no additional payments were made. I asked the caller how this loan was taken, she reported that it was done online and that they had verified that it was indeed my husband by his SS#, Address and photo ID. I asked that she share a copy of that photo ID with me and she stuttered around and the retracted the statement that they had the photo ID. She continue to state that he had verified his SS# and address. The address that she shared with me that was the address she was given was not our address in 2017. We purchased our home in 2019. She did have the new address but I did not correct her. She ensured me that this was his debt and that she had the authority to waive the fees and interest if I would just pay the balance of $550 by phone with her. I shared her that I would need to speak to my husband and I'd reach back out to her. I already knew this was not my husband's debt. The first call I received was from 1-800-676-9408 10:09 am CST 8/21/2024. Later that afternoon she called me again from 1-866-372-4896 2:52 pm CST. I attempted to return that call and the line disconnected, I called back and it just rang, no answer. Today, 8/22/24, she called me an additional two times, 8:38am and 8:39 am, I returned her call 9:29am and she disconnected the line, I returned the call again at 9:30am. We were connected at that time and she asked if I had talked with my husband and would I be paying this outstanding debt to which I replied, no I would not. She then asked if I was saying for her to proceed with reporting the default to the credit bureau. I replied that she should go ahead. After the morning conversation I searched online for any data related to these calls, I searched by the phone numbers and was able to locate a complaint from May 2024 with almost the exact phrasing of the complaint she reported about my husband. The amount of the debt, the amount of the single payment, the balance of the default judgement was the exact amount.

August 22, 2024

This fake debt collector is trying to collect on non-existent debts. The debt validation letter they send you is from a fake domain. The debt collector service (Ackerman Rosenfield) is not credentialed. They say they are collecting a debt from anywhere between the years 2015 and 2017 from Personal Cash USA (also a bogus website), Cashnet USA, Advance America, or Allied lending. Their similar story is that "you only paid $150 of a $600-$700 debt, and now it has ballooned to an extravagant amount, $4,429." However, if you pay right then, they will only collect the base amount and keep it from being recorded with the credit bureaus. I called the supposed lender. In my case, they said Advance America, a company I've never had an account with. Advance America verified they were aware that this scam was happening, that I never had an account with them, and they advised me to ignore it. ARS is the same company calling from 1-866-372-4896 and 1-866-293-6078.

May 22, 2024

My recent encounter with a debt collector turned out to be surprisingly positive. Initially hesitant, I was quickly put at ease by their professional and empathetic approach. Instead of feeling judged or pressured, I felt supported and understood. What impressed me most was their personalized assistance. Rather than offering generic solutions, they took the time to understand my unique circumstances and crafted a plan that worked for me. Their transparency and clear communication throughout the process further enhanced my experience. Thanks to their efforts, I was able to resolve my debt without unnecessary stress. I highly recommend their services to anyone facing similar challenges. In a field often associated with negativity, this debt collection experience was refreshingly positive.

March 15, 2024