Beware of New Bankruptcy Scam

Recently in Vermont, several debtors in active bankruptcy cases were targeted by a scam. The victims received a call demanding that they wire money or a warrant would be issued for their arrest. While this scam isn’t completely new, the one in Vermont had a disturbing twist.

The scammers were able to use software that made it appear that the call came from the debtors’ attorney’s office. The calls were made after hours so the victims were not able to contact their attorney to confirm that the call was legitimate. Unfortunately, several of the scam calls were successful.

While I have yet to have a client inform me that they received a scam call from my office, and hope that it never happens, the events in Vermont are a reminder that you can never be too careful. I constantly inform clients to immediately call our office when they are contacted by a creditor, especially after filing.

A few clients who acquired payday loans before filing received calls from scam organizations stating that their payday loans could not be included in their bankruptcy case. They were told if they did not send money immediately, a warrant would be issued for their arrest. While these calls were not disguised to look like they originated from our firm, they were still troubling. Thankfully, my clients called us before they sent any money. I then personally called the alleged creditor and quickly confirmed that it was not legitimate.

If you think you are a victim of a scam and you are in a bankruptcy case, contact your attorney before you send money to anyone. If you have not filed a case and are a victim of harassment by a creditor, please contact our office nearest you to set up a free consultation with one of our attorneys.