A flurry of e-mails from a bogus collection agency using a nonexistent Denver address and a telephone number for a Glendale restaurant has pushed law enforcement to warn consumers not to pay up.
The e-mails purport to be from IAC Recovery Systems Ltd. along Platte Street, although the company is not registered with the state as a debt collector — as required by law — nor does it exist as a business in any state.
Attorney General John Suthers issued the consumer warning Wednesday after three dozen complaints were filed with the office. In each case, the e-mail claims the recipient owes a debt of $293.11 and that IAC is the collector.
The scam preys on consumer worries about ruined credit histories for nonpayment.
Using the same reference and file numbers, the official-sounding e-mail directs consumers to a bogus website to pay.
The federal Consumer Debt Collection Act requires all notifications to contain the amount owed, the name of the company claiming the debt and a telephone number to call regarding the debt.
By law, consumers are allowed to demand that a company provide proof of all claimed debts.
David Migoya: 303-954-1506 or dmigoya@denverpost.com
