Consumer complaint received 2017-08-08
Company: Cottonwood Financial Ltd.
State: IL
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Payday loan debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Seized or attempted to seize your property

Complaint:
I have already filed a complain about the Cash Store 's collection practices. I took out a payday loan with them in XXXX in XXXX, Illinois for a little over {$1000.00}. I since lost my job and was unable to pay. A few years ago, I was receiving calls threatening me saying someone was on the way to my place to arrest me. They knew all my personal information including names, addresses and phone numbers of family members. They also contacted my family and threatened to have them arrested as well. All of the information was in my previous complaint. Today, I received a call for a number based out of XXXX, Illinois XXXX little town of maybe a couple XXXX people if that ). The person on the phone stated they were with XXXX XXXX and she stated she had a " court order '' for me. She asked if I was home and I told her I was n't. She then stated that I could call the party who filed the complaint and asked if I wanted their number. I said yes. She gave me the number ( XXXX ) XXXX which is the number based out of buffalo. She then stated that she could transfer me. I said that was fine. I was put on hold and then someone else answered the phone. Gave them reference number XXXX which is the number given to me by the woman claiming to be a courier. The man who answered used the name XXXX XXXX but sounded uncomfortable saying it. Never let me know the call was being recorded until the end of the conversation. Stated I owe a debt with the Cash Store. Stated that I need to appear in court or we could settle the debt for {$1800.00}. Said he needed to know if I was voluntarily going to settle the debt but before I say anything, he said that if I did n't, he would " activate a lien '' on my car and take any other property I own to settle the debt. Stated that I would need to appear in XXXX XXXX XXXX where I reside. There are no records of any action filed in XXXX XXXX. He knew my address, a new phone number, the license plate number on a car I just bought in XXXX, etc ... I hung up on him. He called back at XXXX today ( XXXX/XXXX/XXXX ) from a number based out of Kentucky XXXX Did n't say who it was, just said that I was being evasive and non-compliant. Will be sending out the " notice for lien '' on my car. After asking about XXXX times who he was, he stated he was XXXX XXXX. Again, never stated the call was being recorded or that this was an attempt to collect a debt or how the information would be used. When I asked over and over and over, at least a dozen times, what company he was with, he refused to answer. Instead, said that there must be mental problems going on over here if I ca n't articulate a conversation at XXXX XXXX XXXX besides asking the same thing over and over. Never gave me a company name. Continued to tell me that he will get the court order to me. I asked again what company he was with and he stated in a very threatening manner that " you 'll see when you get the order '' and hung up. I am very concerned to see what my apartment looks like when I get home since I verified that I was n't home at the beginning of the conversation. He threatened to take property that they have no right to and the court order is fake. I still do n't know what company he supposedly works for. These calls have been happening since I took out the loan and the threats to me and my family have caused so many problems. Threatening to throw my grandparents, my mom and I in jail for not being able to pay a loan. Threatening to take property without a legitimate court order. Faking having a court order to take my car, faking having an arrest warrant and if I do n't pay up now they 'll throw me in jail. This is crazy and needs to stop.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation