Consumer complaint received 2021-11-03
Company: U.S. BANCORP
State: MN
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: False statements or representation
Sub-issue: Attempted to collect wrong amount

Complaint:
I was contacted yesterday, XXXX, by an individual claiming to be calling from " the county '' about a failed attempt to serve me for a civil suit filed against me. When I called the number back, the representative claimed to be from " XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX '' and said they were working on behalf of US Bank to retrieve a debt of {$3500.00} that I incurred by overdrafting {$25.00} on a checking account ( which I did ) in 2010. They stated that with 24.99 % APR, this debt had grown to the current balance of {$3500.00} and with legal fees, the amount owed could end up being double or triple that. 

The thing that prevented me from paying them and not thinking twice is that I paid this debt six years ago then AGAIN last year on XXXX. The representative was very friendly and told me that I was set to be served yesterday ( the day we spoke ) but we could work something out with the attorney to settle for a lower amount since I had already paid - she claimed that many companies collect payment but never release the claim and suggested that it was terrible that I was in this position. They offered to settle for {$700.00}. 

Luckily I was able to find the " Paid in Full '' letter from last year releasing me from the debt which I forwarded to her boss. The representative assured me that her boss would review the documents after lunch and she would contact me in the afternoon to confirm that my case was closed and I wouldn't be served court papers. 

At this point, it felt like something was up so I attempted to find XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX online - first using the url in the email address they provided to me, then by searching their company name and phone number on XXXX. Nothing came up. The URL in the email address came back as an error page and there was no record of XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX on the XXXX search. It was past XXXX and I had not received a call back from the initial representative to confirm that my case was closed. 

I called back and spoke with someone named XXXX, who refused to provide any information on their company nor the lawyer 's accreditation and confirmed that they had no web presence. He then said he would transfer me to his boss but just put me on an hour long hold. When I called back, he said, " oh, it's XXXX you again? ", hung up, and blocked my number. I then called from my girlfriend 's number and I asked if he was going to hang up on me again and he said, " XXXX watch me. '' He then blocked her number. I then tried from my XXXX XXXX number because by this point I was livid - not only about being scammed, but by the utter disrespect. He answered again, realized it was me, and blocked the number. I tried calling from one other line this morning and nobody answered.

The scary thing about this is that they had my birth date and the last four digits of my social security number along with the actual case number from my debt settlement last year. I'm not sure where this information is available but they used it to seem 100 % legit. Between impersonating a government employee ( the original caller stating that they were calling from the county ) and a law firm ( every other individual I spoke with - totaling five different " employees '' ), making threats of serious civil litgation, and attempting to collect a debt that was satisfied over a year ago, this behavior seems downright illegal. I can't imagine how many people they trick with these tactics. I work in the financial sector and I was still ready to pull out my card and pay them off. 

For reference, here are the contacts I have for this group of people : XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation