CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Morrisey is warning consumers about a scam in which callers attempt to recover a payday loan, which they claim the consumer took out several years prior.
The callers allege they are from Stark Recovery and, in many cases, have the targeted consumer’s personal information such as name, phone number, address, date of birth and Social Security number.
“It’s always a scary thing when strangers have such sensitive information,” Morrisey said in a statement. “This type of information may cause some to think the caller represents a legitimate company, but instead of complying out of fear we urge everyone to use caution.”
Morrisey's office recommends anyone receiving such a call to review their credit report. Any outstanding debts and the entity owed will appear on the report, which can be accessed via free websites such as AnnualCreditReport.com.
The AG's office also stresses the importance of frequently monitoring bank and credit card accounts to catch any fraudulent transactions.
Consumers can stay up to date with the latest scams by signing up for email alerts from Morrisey's office at: http://bit.ly/WVScamAlert.
Those who believe they have been the victim of this scam or any other scam are asked to contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-368-8808 or visit the office online at www.wvago.gov.