Debt collection phishing scam

I’ve recently been getting phone calls from an automated system that claims to be a “professional debt collection service.” The voicemail left by these automated calls (click here for recording) uses a computer voice to say a person’s name & claims that you must call back at 877-290-2705 to resolve the matter asap. The person’s name in the massage is intentionally mispronounced and sounds like “melrook” with the intent of tricking as many listeners into believing that it could be their own name. When you call back to the number you are instructed to press 9 if the mispronounced name is yours and hang up otherwise. If you press 9 a person picks up after a while and asks for your social security number and a bunch of other information to look up your account (that’s the phishing part because they don’t actually have an account). I called them (for fun) just to see how much I could get out of an operator there. I didn’t give them any personal information and claimed that since they called me they should know what my outstanding debts supposedly were. The operator claimed that I had an outstanding car loan (which is not true) and when I informed her of this she just hung up.

———-UPDATE————

I’m still getting weekly messages from claiming to be for “melrook” but now the callback number has changed to 877-290-9573. The message itself has also changed and now specifically advises me to hangup if I am not this person “melrook.”

Some people on the phone forums seem to suggest that this new number belongs to:

LDG Finacial Services, LLC
4553 Winters Chapel Road, Suite 100
Atlanta Georgia 30360

One of the forum users states: “It is also illegal in the state of Nevada to make harassing or obscene phone calls. Statute 201.255 provides for Federal Prosecution of offenders including Federal prison time and hefty fines of said company. Nevada also provides numbers to call for home phones and business phones. I have also phoned the home line to report harassment. The phone company will deal with them as well as police and or Sheriffs. I am keeping a log book of said calls to be turned over to Nevada law enforcement.”

Hard core, man! You must have gotten a lot of them.

——–UPDATE 2————

Another forum user from whocalledme.us writes:

get these once or twice a day, also have gotten calls from 866-281-7743, also belongs to LDG Financial Services II, LLC. According to GA’s corporation department, Randy Carbo is the President and Registered Agent and can be contacted at
1.678.225.1111 x1100 or email [email protected]

LDG Financial Services II, LLC
4553 Winters Chapel Rd. #200
Atlanta, Georgia 30360
Web Address: ldgfinancial.com (nothing but under construction
LDG FINANCIAL FAX 678-225-1144

Other names (from mycollector.com) include:
Marsha J. Carbo
Sabrina Carbo (daughter)
David Fletcher, VP of Operations
and Mercedes Elyse Fletcher ([email protected])