This scam campaign centers around a coordinated operation using five interconnected phone numbers (8334984692, 6088698076, 4067177735, 9498047133, and 8054439754) operating under the apparent direction of two companies: Locate Services LLC and Direct, Inc. All five phone numbers are connected through same-campaign relationships with 0.70 confidence levels, indicating they are part of a unified fraudulent operation. The central hub appears to be phone number 8334984692, which connects to all other numbers in the network.
Locate Services LLC, identified as operating in the debt collection industry, has generated 4 CFPB complaints and shows reported-together relationships with phone number 8334984692 (0.50 confidence) and phone number 9498047133 (0.35 confidence). Direct, Inc, operating in the mortgage industry, also has 4 CFPB complaints and maintains a perfect 1.00 confidence reported-together relationship with Locate Services LLC, suggesting the two companies are closely coordinated or potentially the same entity operating under different names. Direct, Inc also shows reported-together relationships with phone number 4067177735 (0.35 confidence).
Community reports reveal the campaign's tactics, with scammers identifying themselves as "location specialist Mike Mason" and claiming to call "in reference to your pending claim." The fraudsters use urgency tactics, warning targets that "by law, I have to make you aware that the filing will become public record soon" and requesting victims to "please be available." Additional reports indicate the operation extends to fake employment scams, with one victim's family member being asked to send identification documents as part of a fraudulent hiring process before becoming suspicious of the company's legitimacy.
To protect yourself from this campaign, never provide personal information, financial details, or identification documents to unsolicited callers claiming to represent debt collectors or mortgage companies. Legitimate companies will provide written notice of any claims and will not pressure you with urgent phone calls about "public records" or "pending claims." If contacted by any of these numbers or companies, hang up immediately and do not engage. Verify any legitimate-sounding claims by contacting the supposed creditor directly using official contact information from your records or their official website. Report these scam attempts to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov or to the FCC for unwanted calls. You can check if a phone number has been reported as fraudulent by searching online complaint databases or reverse phone lookup services.
This campaign represents a moderate threat level given the coordinated nature of the operation and the professional-sounding scripts designed to create false urgency. While no FTC complaints have been filed against the individual phone numbers, the 8 total CFPB complaints against the associated companies and the interconnected network of numbers suggest an active, ongoing fraud operation. Consumers should remain vigilant for calls from these entities and immediately report any contact attempts to appropriate authorities to help shut down this coordinated scam network.