ARA (PO Box 5002 Villa Park, IL 60181) is a SCAM Villa Park, Illinois

The letter starts... "this letter is to inform you that ARA Inc. has recently obtained and now is the legal owner of your Reliance Acceptance Account. All obligations regarding this debt and any applicable interest and fees have been transferred to this office. As of today, you owe $12642.33, which is now due in full."  ...Sincerely, Mark Farmer

I called immediately to talk to Mr Farmer and upon questioning the man who answered the phone, he said that his comapny was ARA and that there was a man named Mr. Mark Farmenr there but had no ideal of where the letter came from. After a few more intrusive questions, his response was "We are a company that helps people get out of debt, we are not a collection agency" Then he hung up.

I am tempted to contact the BBB in Illinois to see if I can file a complaint against this company.  Here is what I look for to determine if it is a scam:

1. Have I ever had an account with the aforementioned debtor?
2. Is there an e-mail address?
3 Are they licensed in the state to do business?
4. Is there a website for the company?
5. Is there any supporting documentation of the debt they claim to own or when it was assumed as a debt?

Be careful, when you deal with unsolicited mail, phone calls or e-mail. If it smells funny, IT IS FUNNY! I thought "hmm, If I lived in Illinois, it might be worth my time to track these bastards down and give them a piece of my mind!" Maybe someone who reads this will do it for me.