Californiablonde
Well-Known Member
Okay so I will try and make this as short as I can. A few years ago I was desperate for money so I contacted a loan company that I saw online and they loaned me out several hundred dollars. In return, I was supposed to give them my checking account info and they were to deduct money out of my account a little at a time. The interest rates were ridiculous. But I was desperate, so I did it. Big mistake. This company started taking out large sums of money left and right without my consent. I would go to the grocery store and find out I had no money in my account to pay for the food cause they took it all. I contacted my credit union and asked them what to do. They suggested I close my account so they could no longer take any money out. So that's what I did. Fast forward years later. Now this loan company has handed my file to a collection agency and they contacted me at work.
They told me they were going to take me to court and press criminal charges against me for closing my account. They told me it was the same thing as writing a check under a closed account and it was a felony. They threatened to show up at my work and serve me with papers. I could go to jail for it. I was terrified so I gave them my new account information and let them deduct $150 out of my account every month. I asked them to please send me a statement to my home address and to my email stating how much I owed and the payment agreement details. They never sent me any statement. I tried looking up their company on the internet for a phone number. All three numbers I was given were disconnected. My mom ended up finding out about what I did and almost had a heart attack. She told me it was a very stupid thing to do to give them my account information all over again. While I agree with her, it was the thought of going to jail that petrified me. I have seen many prison shows and one of my biggest fears is having to go there some day. So that was my reasoning.
My mom insisted I contact my credit union about it. My credit union's advice was to close my account again. They told me the company sounds like big con artists. My bank is now investigating the company. The investigation can take up to two months. I just closed my account last week. Today is the day the company was supposed to deduct the money. I just received a call on my voicemail at work from the company. It is from the head of operations over there. He is insisting I call him back right away. Now I am panicking. My mom is telling me to sit tight and ignore their phone calls. She said not to contact them until my bank has completed the investigation. That is a long time! I am scared. They know where I live and they know where I work. I am terrified they are going to serve me with court papers. I am getting some major anxiety about all this. So what do I do in the meantime? Are their threats real? Can they really press charges against me? Anybody have any advice? I'm finding it real hard for me to just sit back and wait and do nothing!
They told me they were going to take me to court and press criminal charges against me for closing my account. They told me it was the same thing as writing a check under a closed account and it was a felony. They threatened to show up at my work and serve me with papers. I could go to jail for it. I was terrified so I gave them my new account information and let them deduct $150 out of my account every month. I asked them to please send me a statement to my home address and to my email stating how much I owed and the payment agreement details. They never sent me any statement. I tried looking up their company on the internet for a phone number. All three numbers I was given were disconnected. My mom ended up finding out about what I did and almost had a heart attack. She told me it was a very stupid thing to do to give them my account information all over again. While I agree with her, it was the thought of going to jail that petrified me. I have seen many prison shows and one of my biggest fears is having to go there some day. So that was my reasoning.
My mom insisted I contact my credit union about it. My credit union's advice was to close my account again. They told me the company sounds like big con artists. My bank is now investigating the company. The investigation can take up to two months. I just closed my account last week. Today is the day the company was supposed to deduct the money. I just received a call on my voicemail at work from the company. It is from the head of operations over there. He is insisting I call him back right away. Now I am panicking. My mom is telling me to sit tight and ignore their phone calls. She said not to contact them until my bank has completed the investigation. That is a long time! I am scared. They know where I live and they know where I work. I am terrified they are going to serve me with court papers. I am getting some major anxiety about all this. So what do I do in the meantime? Are their threats real? Can they really press charges against me? Anybody have any advice? I'm finding it real hard for me to just sit back and wait and do nothing!