Palmer Caufield - Overdue Notice (Scam???)

Hi,

I received two of these in the past couple of days. The first one I didn't even open because I was concerned about viruses and it was from someone named Kent Hacking. Its still in my trash so I just viewed the attachment.

This morning I received another one this time from someone named Delbert Shams. (The names seemed odd to me for sure.) It wont let me copy and paste it but the wording is exactly as those already copied to this forum with the amount being 261.10. The subject of the first one was Overdue Notice and the subject of the second was Re: Overdue Notice. However, there was no account number and my name was not included in this email or the attachment at all. There was also no other identifying information.

Someone tried to hack into my Paypal account some months ago but I managed to thwart them and not lose any money so I was on alert for this kind of thing. I'm disabled and on disability and my husband is currently unemployed and looking for a job so things are hard now. I have no idea what to do about this and most days Im too sick to even try but if there's some place I should report this too please let me know. I haven't replied but I wanted to send them one of those legal cease and desist letter things but wasn't sure if I should or should just totally ignore them. Thank you for listening.

Susan

Mine was slightly different, and threatened me with criminal prosecution for fraud (irony, anyone?)... I sincerely hope this person is caught and has the book thrown at them...

THIS COMMUNICATION IS FROM A DEBT COLLECTOR. THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO
COLLECT A DEBT.

AFN FINANCIAL DEBT COLLECTIONS, INC.

ACCOUNT: ****************

AMOUNT DUE: $261.10 (DEBT SETTLEMENT)

YOU HAVE NOT RESPONDED TO OUR PREVIOUS REQUEST FOR PAYMENT IN FULL. YOUR
FAILURE TO COOPERATE CAN ONLY MAKE MATTERS WORSE.

PLEASE FORWARD PAYMENT TO US IMMEDIATELY OR WE WILL HAVE NO OPTION BUT TO
ADVISE OUR CLIENT TO TAKE DRASTIC LEGAL ACTION. WE MAY ALSO ADVISE OUR
CLIENT TO FILE CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST YOU FOR FRAUD, A SERIOUS CRIME.

WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU CLEAR THIS ACCOUNT NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.
PLEASE: TO ENSURE PROPER CREDIT, REMIT PAYMENT IMMEDIATELY.

FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE WE MAY BE ABLE TO ACCEPT PAYMENT ON THIS ACCOUNT IN
THE FOLLOWING METHODS: VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, DISCOVER, OR
ECHECK.

PLEASE VISIT THIS LINK TO MAKE YOUR PAYMENT: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-
bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8437126

THIS COMMUNICATION IS FROM A DEBT COLLECTOR. THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO
COLLECT A DEBT. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED SOLELY FOR THAT
PURPOSE.

Hi sdelan2,

Welcome to Scamwarners

Unfortunately getting these people caught is just about impossible, they operate from the cover of internet cafes in countries where police have no jurisdiction and they know it too.

Thank you for this additional information, it will help to prevent others from falling for this scam.

Please tell your family and friends about how clever you have been in avoiding this scam, public awareness is the best way of slowing down these scams

MOD NOTE: This person is posting from the same IP as another scammer featured on this site in the delinquent money collection scam, my opinion which I am free to share and will, is that this post is from a scammer trying to discredit our information and it shows the lengths they will go to in order to continue their scams

It is not a scam nor is it illegal to collect a debt via email. Until you prove that it is a scam, please keep your opinions to yourself.

Sorry Fila (or whoever you really are). Not sure if we are dealing with a troll or a scammer, but either way, you might want to try sounding plausible for a minute or two.

I don't believe anyone claimed in this thread that it was illegal to collect a debt via email (though it is a less than ideal method of debt collection and it is not likely the first choice of any legitimate debt collection agency). What was pointed out was that these emails do not include the name of the debtor or the company they are collecting on behalf of. From the FTC's website:

What does the debt collector have to tell me about the debt?

Every collector must send you a written “validation notice” telling you how much money you owe within five days after they first contact you. This notice also must include the name of the creditor to whom you owe the money, and how to proceed if you don’t think you owe the money.

Hmmm... a little problem here (and a gigantic red flag) as the letter is attempting to collect the money without providing that info (that would be of course because the debt is fictional). But let's point out a few other things that were noted:

-we have some interesting similarities in debt amount
-numerous reports have been received from people who are not aware of any debt and have not been on the receiving end of collection attempts.

Oh, and for the record:
-Googling the "collection agency" name shows no legitimate companies, that name only comes up in the context of the exact same letters making the rounds.
-
As to what you said about not being illegal:

Under the provisions of U.S. Federal Law, The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, debt collectors may not:

* use threats of violence or harm;
* publish a list of consumers who refuse to pay their debts (except to a credit bureau);
* use obscene or profane language; or repeatedly use the telephone to annoy someone.
* give false credit information about you to anyone, including a credit bureau;
* send you anything that looks like an official document from a court or government agency when it is not; or
* use a false name
*Talk with third parties, including neighbors, children, and employers, for purposes other than acquiring location information about consumers, without consumers' consent;
Considering the fact that the collection agency doesn't even know the email owner's name, it is very likely they are in fact in violation of this provision. If a debt collection agency is using email, the burden is on them to ensure they are in fact not communicating debt information to anyone other than the debtor and spouse.

But it gets even better:
collectors may not:
Imply that failure to pay the debt could result in arrest, imprisonment, or garnishment of wages;

Oops, guess these statements:

THIS COULD INCLUDE GARNISHMENT OF WAGES, SEIZURE OF BANK ACCOUNTS OR OTHER PERSONAL PROPERTY.

WE MAY ALSO ADVISE OUR CLIENT TO FILE CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST YOU FOR FRAUD, A SERIOUS CRIME.

ARE illegal. If this were a real debt collection company, they would be in trouble right now and possibly facing some nasty little lawsuits.

So there you have it: scam or illegal. Either way, do NOT send any money to that paypal account. Hopefully Paypal will soon kill it.

Hi Fila,

Welcome to Scamwarners

Here at Scamwarners we post warnings and information to keep people from being scammed by scumbags like you.

As it turns out, you share the same IP as the scammers posted here viewtopic.php?p=14339#p14339

I have banned you and look forward to preventing many others from sending you money

@ Dotti, that is a brilliant post and great information for anybody who finds an email like this in their inbox, well done

I just got the same email this past week. I received 2 of these PDF "overdue notices" via email. The first one i received was from someone named "Mitch Meneses" ([email protected]) and the second one was from roosevelt panos ([email protected]) from "AFN Financial Dept collections, Inc". Both emails were for a suppose overdue balance of $261.10. and they included a convinient paypal link for me to make my payment promptly and settle my debt.
What's interesting is that i also received a mailed letter from AFN with this exact PDF file printed. They actually took the time to mail it to my address!! But just like the emails, my name did not appear on any of the documents and the account number they reference is "Account:*******************". Most companies would at least print the last 4 digits of the account number when sending you one of these.

Also, there is absolutely no way to contact AFN which is the other give away these scam artists neglected to notice. No phone number or title of the person who sent the letters via mail and email. Both emails are from someone completely different and are identical. Please note that NO LEGITIMATE COMPANY would email you a paypal link for payment! and they specially wouldn't be emailing you from a free GMAIL account. I also requested a copy of my credit report from one of those free credit report sites and i have no outstanding balances which is further proof these people are trying to take me for a fool.

This is a neat site, glad i found it. We have to stop these people somehow because i am positive some poor souls out there have already thrown their hard earned money away.

Note that this same scam letter is circulating under at least on other "company" name

NDC Debt Collection

http://australianconsumerwatch.blogspot.com/2009/09/new-internet-scam-hits-australia.html

My father got the same email on Friday. His was a little more threatening. I am reporting it to Attorney General---don't know if it will help, but it is worth a shot. My concern is that my computer shut down within seconds of opening the email that I had forwarded to me so I could check it out. Will be having computer swept for viruses in AM. Here is a copy of the letter we got:

THIS COMMUNICATION IS FROM A DEBT COLLECTOR. THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO
COLLECT A DEBT.
AFN FINANCIAL DEBT COLLECTIONS, INC.
ACCOUNT: ****************
AMOUNT DUE: $261.10 (DEBT SETTLEMENT)
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT WE HAVE BEEN RETAINED TO COLLECT THIS DEBT FROM
OUR CLIENT. WE HAVE ATTEMPTED TO NOTIFY YOU ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS
REGARDING THIS DELINQUENT ACCOUNT. WE THOUGHT IT BEST TO STATE OUR
INTENTIONS AND MAKE IT CLEAR THAT WE INTEND TO COLLECT THIS DEBT USING
ALL AVAILABLE MEANS AT OUR DISPOSAL.
UNLESS WE RECEIVE PAYMENT FROM YOU, WE WILL ASSUME THAT YOU HAVE NO
INTENTIONS OF LIQUIDATING THIS DEBT VOLUNTARILY. WE WILL ADVISE OUR
CLIENT THAT THEY MAY WISH TO FILE SUIT TO RECOVER THIS DEBT. PLEASE
UNDERSTAND THAT IF LEGAL ACTION IS UNDERTAKEN, IT COULD BE COSTLY AND
TIME CONSUMING. IF ONE SHOULD LOSE IN SUCH AN ACTION, ONE COULD ALSO BE
SUBJECT TO COURT COSTS AND/OR ATTORNEY FEES, IF APPLICABLE. THERE ARE
VARIOUS AVENUES WHICH COULD BE USED TO SATISFY SUCH A JUDGEMENT. THIS
COULD INCLUDE GARNISHMENT OF WAGES, SEIZURE OF BANK ACCOUNTS OR OTHER
PERSONAL PROPERTY.
IT IS NOT OUR INTENTION TO THREATEN YOU BUT TO POINT OUT THE PROBLEMS AND
COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH REFUSING TO PAY A DEBT. WE HOPE THAT NO FURTHER
ACTION WILL BE NECESSARY AND YOU WILL AGREE TO OUR AMICABLE PAYMENT
ARRANGEMENT.
PLEASE: TO ENSURE PROPER CREDIT, REMIT PAYMENT IMMEDIATELY.
FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE WE MAY BE ABLE TO ACCEPT PAYMENT ON THIS ACCOUNT IN
THE FOLLOWING METHODS: VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, DISCOVER, OR
ECHECK.
PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO MAKE YOUR PAYMENT: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-
bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8437126
THIS COMMUNICATION IS FROM A DEBT COLLECTOR. THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO
COLLECT A DEBT. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED SOLELY FOR THAT
PURPOSE.

Thanks for adding your letter to the pile. Would it be possible for you to post the email address it came from?

Also, it would be great to know if this email does contain a virus.

This is definitely a very weak scam... they wont post your name on this fraud of a form for supposed collections I don’t even owe anyone at the moment so I knew right away it was bogus. The e-mail was sent to me from (Manual Danos [email protected]) on behalf of AFNE collections, which is complete BS. So I did send them a reply, which was as follows, and it made me feel great lol

“BLOW ME !!!
YOU DONT EVEN SAY WHO THE COLLECTION IS ORGINALLY FROM I'M NO DUMB ASS WHO'S GOING TO PAY SOME SCAM ARTIST WITH NO ACCT# TO REFRENCE YOU DONT EVEN KNOW OR STATE MY NAME SO WITH THAT SAID EAT SHIT AND DIE, KISS MY ASS YOU WONT GET A FUNKY ASS DIME OUTTA ME !!! SO GO BLOW SMOKE UP SOMONE ELSES ASS !!! (BITCH)”

Now I know this sounds ignorant but hey I feel better and that’s all that counts LMAO

Hi Devine

Welcome to Scamwarners.

I dont mean to burst your bubble but pointing out to them where their scam is failing is never a good idea.

With your useful tips they will go away and modify their script.

I know, some of the things you suggest they cant do, but others they can.

It is much better all round if you ignore them, if you really want to hurt them, post their emails here which will alert others to the scam and keep them from getting money from other victims

If you really must email them, head over to www.419eater.com over there they can teach you how to bait safely but also how to teach the scammers tips they wont be able to use

I got this E-mail also, it was for $271.11, it says a name on the E-mail also. Should I reply to the E-Mail? Or just ignore, any suggestions?

I also received this message. Mine is exactly the same as the others posted but the name is slightly different. It was from <[email protected]> Here is the letter.

AFNE FINANCIAL DEBT COLLECTIONS INC.
8671 ROBERT FULTON DR. SUITE B
COLUMBIA, MD 21046
REF ACCT #: ****************
AMOUNT: 0.00
FEES: 0.00
INTEREST: 0.00
TOTAL DUE: $271.11 (DEBT SETTLEMENT)
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT WE HAVE BEEN RETAINED TO COLLECT THIS DEBT ON
BEHALF OF OUR CLIENT. WE HAVE ATTEMPTED TO NOTIFY YOU ON SEVERAL
OCCASIONS REGARDING YOUR DELINQUENT ACCOUNT. WE THOUGHT IT BEST TO STATE
OUR INTENTIONS AND MAKE IT CLEAR THAT WE INTEND TO COLLECT THIS DEBT
USING ALL AVAILABLE MEANS AT OUR DISPOSAL.
UNLESS WE RECEIVE PAYMENT FROM YOU SOON, WE WILL ASSUME THAT YOU HAVE NO
INTENTIONS OF LIQUIDATING YOUR DEBT VOLUNTARILY. WE WILL ADVISE OUR
CLIENT THAT THEY MAY WISH TO FILE SUIT AGAINST YOU TO RECOVER THIS DEBT.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT IF LEGAL ACTION IS UNDERTAKEN, IT COULD BE COSTLY
AND TIME CONSUMING. IF YOU SHOULD LOSE IN SUCH AN ACTION, YOU COULD ALSO
BE SUBJECT TO COURT COSTS AND/OR ATTORNEY FEES, IF APPLICABLE. THERE ARE
VARIOUS AVENUES WHICH COULD BE USED TO SATISFY SUCH A JUDGEMENT. THIS
COULD INCLUDE GARNISHMENT OF WAGES, SEIZURE OF BANK ACCOUNTS OR OTHER
PERSONAL PROPERTY.
IT IS NOT OUR INTENTION TO THREATEN YOU BUT TO POINT OUT THE PROBLEMS AND
COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH REFUSING TO PAY YOUR DEBT. WE HOPE THAT NO FURTHER
ACTION WILL BE NECESSARY AND YOU WILL AGREE TO OUR AMICABLE PAYMENT
ARRANGEMENT.
PLEASE: TO ENSURE PROPER CREDIT, REMIT PAYMENT IMMEDIATELY. FOR YOUR
CONVENIENCE WE MAY BE ABLE TO ACCEPT PAYMENT ON YOUR ACCOUNT IN THE
FOLLOWING METHODS: VISA, MASTERCARD, DISCOVER, AMERICAN EXPRESS, OR
ECHECK.
PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO MAKE YOUR PAYMENT: https://www.paypal.com/cgibin/
webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=9198359
THIS COMMUNICATION IS FROM A DEBT COLLECTOR. THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO
COLLECT A DEBT. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED SOLELY FOR THAT
PURPOSE.

I thought it was probably a scam since it did not have an account number, creditor name or my name. In addition, I know that my wages can't be garnished in the state where I live. Glad to see the info here tho, so I could be sure.

Thanks guys!

Hi Lucerne and Alicia

Welcome to Scamwarners

Lucerne,
please just ignore the email, it is always best not to respond, by responding you will only mark yourself as a good possible victim for further scam emails.

Alicia,
Thank you for posting your experience with this scam.

If either of you have any questions, please feel free to ask