Consumer complaint received 2016-09-09
Company: NAM National Arbitration and Mediation
State: IA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other (i.e. phone, health club, etc.)
Issue: Taking/threatening an illegal action
Sub-issue: Threatened to sue on too old debt

Complaint:
I keep getting phone calls from a " process server '' ( XXXX ) telling me that my package was returned undeliverable and I need to call this other phone # immediately to verify the contents of my certified letter, and discuss my account immediately. They have given me XXXX different case numbers now, this has gone on for over 2 months now. They do n't keep notes on who they are calling, as the caller just keeps leaving me the same message over and over again, and each time I call they act like it is the first time calling. The first was reading my " certified letter '' to me, and told me she did n't have time to re-send the package, due to my upcoming court date on XXXX XXXX, 2016. I called the XXXX # she directed me to, and was told they had recently gone to my local courthouse ( yet they could not tell me where I live or what county the courthouse was in ). They said a pending lawsuit was being filed against my name and social security number due to an old XXXX XXXX cell phone bill in the amount of {$1000.00}. I could save myself from " court costs and a 10 year judgment being put on my record '' if I paid them half the balance over the phone right away. I refused and told them to send me something in writing. A week later a very poorly composed Word document letter was sent to me from them. It looked like a template where they had just plugged in my name and some figures. I forwarded this letter on to an attorney I am now working with. He said the letter is complete nonsense, they are just using scare tactics and lots of " legal language '' to try to intimidate me and trick me into thinking there is a lawsuit. I do not owe any debts, there are no collection accounts on my credit report, and I have n't used XXXX XXXX phone company in over 11 years. When the company called me again, a new person answered the phone, and gave me a NEW case number, dollar amount {$890.00} and a new court date, XXXX XXXX, 2016. I asked him what happened to the XXXX XXXX court date, he had no clue what I was talking about. I informed the debt collector of the statute of limitations, and that it is illegal to threaten legal action over the phone. He told me it is not, that they own my debt and I ca n't escape my debts. I told him that my attorney had their information and would be serving them with papers for violating FDCPA. We investigated them, their address is a Post office box at a USPS shipping store in California. Unfortunately, we are not able to serve them with papers, and my attorney told me that he strongly suspects they are not even located in the United States. I would just like the phone calls and messages to stop ( every time I block XXXX number they create a new one and start again ). I also would like other people to know that this company is a complete sham. There are at least XXXX other companies using this same " address '' by the name of ADR Group, XXXX XXXX and " XXXX XXXX '' law firm. All of them have shady, horribly put together websites with misspellings and bad grammar. For a " legal expert '' or " law office '' you would think their website and letters would at least appear to be legitimate. I want to get the word out so people stop sending these scam artists money. If you feel like they are n't real, please contact the company that they claim you owe and verify with them first. I did, and found out that guess what.. I owe nothing. How can I get them to remove my name from their calling system? I know I can not take legal action against an illegitimate company, but I would like something to be done.

Company response to consumer: Untimely response