Consumer complaint received 2018-07-26
Product: Debt collection — Payday loan debt
Issue: Communication tactics — You told them to stop contacting you, but they keep trying
Company: JPL Recovery Solutions (CA)

For the past week or so, I have been receiving phone calls from people who know me stating that people are calling them and asking all sort of lengthy questions about me. They say they are researching or doing research on me, or they are doing a background check, or they are investigating the whereabouts of me, or they are trying to locate my exact location, etc. They even say that they are calling from XXXX Bank. When questioned on just where XXXX Bank is, the woman stated Florida. They never gave their company name and they are instilling fear in not only the people that they are contacting, but the people that they are calling about. They are giving anybody they come in contact with the impression that the intended target of theirs is some kind of scandalous criminal in trouble with the law. They constantly call and hang up all hours of the day and night. They don't give their name and are very harassing and threatening. Today I recorded them, as I told them I was doing, and on the recording I told them that I have never received any information from them and asked them to please send it out to me for verification. The woman stated, " well, we have sent it out to you over and over. '' I told her that I have not only never heard of them and/or received any information from them and I also have the right to request all communications be in writing. I asked them to send me out whatever it is they alleged they have -- via certified mail -- to make sure that I receive it and the same woman stated " we don't do that. '' I told her that I am positive that they have never send anything out and were pulling some sort of a scam on me. Just after this recorded phone call, they continued to call me on the phone. Also, when I was recording my phone call with them I told them to quit contacting anybody else and again, the same woman, stated that they can do whatever they want to do and contact anybody they want to get information. It was only a half hour ago today, XX/XX/2018 that I have ever heard about any collection from a XXXX debt. I can honestly say that I have never received anything from them in writing and had no idea that this was a XXXX   collection account. This company, I believe, breaks the law and in fact does not mail anything out in hopes of initiating some kind of legal action and/or damages a persons credit report/rating/score just to get what they want. I have never seen anything like this and I can not believe this company is allowed to be in business with their business practices. I am literally stunned at what they are doing. The Government needs to step in and take action immediately to put a stop to this company and its employees. One additional comment is that when they do call, they sound like a scammer, meaning they do not say who they are or what it is in regards to when they contact the target person, meaning the debtor. However, when they call all of the other numerous people around the target debtor, they ask unbelievable questions and literally hound these other, non-debtor people that are friends and family members. This goes to show a very disturbing pattern and practice with their company in addition shows their very unprofessional and possible unlawful business practices. This company banks on a smear campaign -- meaning smearing the image and reputation of target debtors to force them to pay up any amount of money. It feels like extortion to me, meaning pay up or no matter how many times you ( the debtor ) requests that the harassing phone calls cease and desist, we will continue to slander you to everyone until you pay us ( JPL Recovery ) and all the other names they go by. Could their actions be covered under a RICO statute?