ADR Group ADR Services - Carona, CA Don't be fooled...these guys are GOOD at sounding real Carona CA

Got a call at my JOB...had never been contacted previously, despite having the same address & phone number for more than a decade. Guy says he's calling from ServePro...so I already know it's BS right then and there. ServePro is disaster cleanup, and we used them during a flood several years ago, so I'm familiar with them. 

Anyway, ServePro-guy says he's calling on behalf of ADR Group with a case number. Says they've been attempting to deliver court summons letter to my address. He even recites my correct address & says it was being rejected and sent back. I ask for a tracking number on the letter & he re-routes his story...says the letter was being "hand delivered" to the door, so no tracking number. I know this guys is full of it, first of all, because regardless of how this mysterious letter was being delivered, there would be a tracking number...and because my fiance works from home, he would know if someone comes to our door. We also have Ring doorbell & have full video/audio records of all deliveries made to our house over the last 4 years. Every single person who has ever gone to our door, I can show you the date and time they arrived.

I laugh and ask for the "case number" and phone number to this ADR Group. I then told him to never contact my place of employment again & he abruptly hung up. By law, they are supposed to adhere to that request and never contact that number again. More on that later.

I then call the phone number to this ADR Group & speak to a gal called Kris Meyers. She says I owe T-Mobile like, $2K. I've never had an account with T-Mobile and she then asks me to confirm my social. Here's where it gets interesting...she actually has my correct social..she confirmed it, I didn't give it out obviously. Scary stuff, right? I let her know I do not have and never had an account with T-Mobile, so when did this account take place? She says it happened in 2001! It's 2018, FFS! Why on earth has no one bothered to reach out to me before? She says they had been and I say, "weird, I'm just hearing about this for the first time today." I'm basically laughing at her throughout this entire conversation, cause I know she's a scam artist & I let her know I planned to contact the police about them. She gets real hostile & even called me a b-word before she hung up. Classy, right? I call her back. I ask her to please send me a copy of these letters, all records of my "debt" and all tracking numbers associated, so that I can find out when they were origingally sent & why they were being "rejected" from my address. I give her my email address and she sends me one letter, dated the SAME DATE I SPOKE WITH HER...the letter says I can settle for $900 some-odd bucks or I have to respond to the letter within 30 days to dispute. I respond to that email, asking for ALL copies of ALL Letters with dates and tracking numbers once again. No response.

I start researching debt collection practice laws & learn about other people who have been getting similar calls from these losers. I then draft a response letter, saying they were not allowed to contact my place of employment & that I do not & never have acknowledged this so-called "debt" to T-Mobile. Oh, I forgot to mention before that I contacted T-Mobile directly, just to make sure someone didn't open an account under my name. (I already know it's not possible...as I would have learned of this "debt" long ago.) But just to do my due-diligence, in case I have to file a lawsuit, I called them. Sure enough, no account information at T-Mobile. I make sure to screen-shot the date/time I called all these idiots, as well. I'm not running from anything...I pay my bills. My credit score speaks for itself & I have no collections against me, never have. Perfect payment record on all my bills...I don't have anything to hide.

So, because these losers have my ACTUAL SS#, I'm not taking any chances. I draft the response letter & have it sent Certified, to the address in the ADR letter, with a tracking number. A week later, I get a notification that the letter-notice was placed in their PO Box, but that no one has come to the desk to claim it. This is a tactic with these scammers...they can ignore the letters & then later claim it was never put in their PO Box, they let it go past the 30 days, so they can file a suit against you. THIS is why you need to send your response letter via certified mail...so you can track it & have records for a possible court date later. COVER YOUR BUTT!

I call the Carona, CA post office where my letter is currently waiting to be claimed & speak to a woman who confirmed the letter-notice was placed in their PO Box, but no one has come to claim it. I email the ADR Group again, telling them that I've responded to their letter, well within the 30 days & have proof. I say they need to go and pick up the letter & reiterate they are not allowed to contact my place of employment. 

Guess who I see on the caller ID at work, about 10 minutes later? Yep, ADR Group...but they let it ring once & then no one was on the line when the receptionist answered. This is how childish and moronic they are. I imagine a group of angsty teenagers with greasy purple hair & infected lip rings, sitting in someone's parents' basement, making these calls, thinking they're cool.

I then went to my Experian account & placed a lock on my social. I highly suggest ANYONE who gets a call like this...follow my actions and make sure you cover your butt. These scammers can and will try to file a bogus suit against you, if given the opportunity. Don't get hostile & sink to their level. Just outsmart them. Which should be easy...I mean, they are scammers after all. If they were smart, they'd have real jobs. They wouldn't have to be thieves.

1.) Ask for copies of all records/correspondence to be sent to you. Ask to have it emailed, so you have a paper-trail.

2.) Tell them they are not allowed to contact your place of employment.

3.) Follow-up with the "original debt" holder, (in my case T-Mobile), ask for a confirmation email to be sent, detailing your call.

4.) Respond by certified-mail within 30 days & keep your receipt. DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEBT! 

5.) Track your letter every day. Print all tracking updates for your records.

6.) LOCK YOUR SOCIAL! Contact the credit bureaus to flag your SS# and apply a credit-lock. 

7.) Keep a close eye on your credit report. 

8.) Contact an attorney, if need be. It might cost a $100 to have them draft a cease/desist letter, but well worth it, IMO.