Called on 7/30/18 from unknown number. Left voicemail stating the following:
This message is from "? media", attention of [omitted name], file number: DA [omitted].
I am contacting you in reference to a complaint that may have been filed against you. To discuss it's pending actions, Contact Deferment Control at 877-287-6792.
Failure to respond will result in the department proceeding without your consent. Please be advised that this call has been logged and submitted as legal proof that you have been notified of this matter
Sounded fishy from the start but to make sure this family member wasn't getting scammed, I called the number provided. Someone offering to transfer me answered the call. I stated I was contacted and told to contact this number about a legal matter. They asked for information & I asked for identity. They identified themselves as 'an answering service for 3 companies' and asked for the case/file number. I provided the number from the VM and was transferred to a guy identifying as 'Litigation Service'. He started asking for PII (Name, last 4, DoB, etc) and I stated I needed to know who I was talking to before providing anything. I was placed on hold for about 5 minutes before being transferred to "Mindy". I asked for the name of the company calling and why they were trying to get ahold of my family. I was told they are "Cardinal Firm in Temecula, CA" (verbatim) and she asked for last 4 of SSN to verify I was allowed to talk. I provided a fake number and she said it's not correct, she cannot talk to me, & I will no longer be called then hung up on me. This started to make it sound legitimate.
I called the number back and when the supposedly unaffiliated 'answering service' looked me up by phone number (pretended I didn't have the file number) they notified me that I had just talked to Cardnial & cannot be transferred or call back (very fishy for an 'important legal matter')
I reported this to my legal service & confirmed that the voicemail alone violated a few statutes/laws on the surface (in my state), including called from a masked number if they are actually a debt collect. They also agreed that the behavior is very suspicious but we should verify if it is valid. I was advised to call & have them verify any debts that they hold for us. When I called the number listed on the website, I did end up transferred to the 'Mindy' person I spoke with before and was again refused any details (despite offering verification this time).
I did some investigation into this company, their website, etc, and this has pop-up scam written all over it:
Company itself:
Address is a mailbox at PostalAnnex+ in a strip mall in Temecula, CA
Company claims to have been started in 2014 but the BBB first recorded them 6/28/2018 (shortly after website was created)
In all of my searching on address, name, domain, etc, I have found no evidence supporting any claims to being in business or existing earlier than May 2018
The California Secritary of State has no record of any kind of corporation under the name "The Cardinal Firm", "Cardinal Firm", or other variation/combination of those terms.
https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/
The CA Department of Consumer Affairs has no record of any business license (DBA or otherwise) for this company
https://search.dca.ca.gov/
Website: https://www.thecardinalfirm.com/
'Out of the box' website created by Web.com a couple months ago
Domain first registered 81 days ago on 5/10/18
Private registration through PERFECT PRIVACY, LLC which on it's own has many markers of fake/illegitimate company
Claims "The Cardinal Firm was founded in 2014 by three former members of the U.S. military. " yet has no reference, photos, or other information to support any of that (contrary to common practice with this kind of statement).
Claims they work with "Cornerstone Law" but provides no direct link to website, no contact info, nor any full name of the firm (that name brings up quite a few results accross country)
I checked all of the top results for law firms by that name and none of them have any mention of Cardinal Firm or even their supposed services
There is no indentifying information of any founders, owners, members, clients, etc that leads you to believe this place has been in business as long as they have
In the end, this is a HIGHLY suspicious organization/website/group (whatever they are) and at a minimum they are operating an illigitimate/illegal business (at least accourding to California records) and are outright lying on their website, and leaving law breaking voicemails. I will continue to try to get every piece of information out of these people so they can be properly shut down for good.
If they do call you & you happen to talk to them, it would not be wise to verify any debts/legal matters/etc before providing any sensitive or financial information but that is just my personal opinion based on advice I was given. If these are legitimate organization, they deserve some serious negative legal attention for their threatenting & law-skating practices and if they are scammers, let's hope they get a nice free ride to incarceration.
NOTE: I do have each conversation with them legally recorded as well as the recorded voicemail if these are needed for future legal action.
A "courier service" contacted me from a blocked number. The woman on the line (putting on a very friendly act) claims that she needs to confirm my address in order to deliver a package. I asked where she was calling from and she stated that she's a courier calling on behalf of the company "CF" and then gives me this number to call: (877) 862-5297. She plays innocent and says she has no information to give me other than a reference number beginning with the letters "DA", but that if I call this number, they will explain further and confirm my address. She says that she'll wait an hour, but if she doesn't receive an email from the company "CF" with a confirmation of my delivery address, she will call me back. The whole thing felt creepy and suspicious.
I did not call the 800 number. The woman called me back an hour later, as promised, but I did not pick up. This time, she left a not-so-friendly message that was totally scripted and threatening. I didn't know courier services were so invested in people's "private/personal matters". I did a reverse lookup of this number and found other complaints with similar details.
Later in the day, the courier woman called again. I became annoyed and decided to call the 800 number to see who would answer and what I could find out. I tried to call from a blocked number at first, but got a busy signal. I then called without blocking the number and a man answered with the greeting "Answering Service". I asked what type of business it was that I was calling. He explained that he's the answering service for a large office building and then started rattling off business types: Healthcare company, design company, etc., etc., and then asked me if I had an extesnsion. I then asked about "CF". He said, "that's The Cardinal Firm" and transfered the call. A woman picked up and I asked what type of business it was. She said they are a litigation frim. I asked if they had a website and she spelled it out for me: thecardinalfirm.com
I thanked her and said that I needed to look into it because of the strange calls I'd been receiving from a courier on their behalf. She did not respond and then just hung up on me.
The next morning, I received another voicemail from the courier and at this point I'm getting very annoyed so I call The Cardinal Firm back and this time a man answers "how may I direct your call?" I tell him that I keep getting calls from a courier service who is trying to send me something on behalf of CF. He asked if I had an extension or a file number. I gave him the DA reference number the courier had given me the day before. He then said that in order to avoid a case of mistaken identity and due to a state law, he has to either verify my birthdate or social security number before he can tell me what this matter is in regards to. I reluctantly verified my birthdate (reluctant becuase I have no idea who I'm speaking with and I am very protective of my personal information). That said, I wanted to know the reason these people are contacting me so I made the choice to give my birthdate.
The man then said he confirms he's speaking to the right person. He said that he had a scanned copy of my Driver's License (recited my DL number) and recited my full social security number. He said that Wells Fargo Bank is suing me over an old account. I've never had a bank account with Wells Fargo and I stated this to him. He said that he'll send paperwork and that he'd provide me with dispute instructions and then he abruptly hung up on me.
A little while later, I received a text from my brother who lives in another state. He said that a "courier service" called him looking for me. So, now they are harassing my family members. This is unacceptable.
As another consumer wrote on 6/28/18, the website for The Cardinal Firm is clearly a facade. These individuals are extremely shady! Beware and be careful.
This "company" called my husband insisting he had an unpaid debt with U.S. Bank. They said that U.S. Bank turned over his account to them, a "law firm", and they were collecting on their behalf. They told him he'd be summoned to court if he didn't pay right away. They insisted they sent us ground mail, they DID call some of our family members with a DA case number in the last several months (which we ignored) and wanted them to tell my husband to get back with them. We didn't think much of it until they called my husband at work in the middle of his work day! He was polite, and told them he'd call them back when he got off work. Long story short, these people calling used scare tactics to try to get us to pay a debt we were unsure about (my husband had an account with U.S. Bank way over 10 years ago). The lady speaking with us became very rude when we inquired about the details, and when we told her we wouldn't pay without some actual documentation, she told us we were just trying to find any way not to pay our debts.
Upon hanging up with her, we contacted U.S. Bank and they were able to give us (accurate) details on the old account. No such debt exists, and when we called back to tell the lady from The Cardinal Firm about it and also how we thought they were running a scam, she said, "Good luck with everything," and hung up on us. I called back and asked to speak with anyone from the Cardinal Firm, just not that specific lady as she'd just hung up on me, and the person answering the calls from the number listed on the website directed me right back to the rude lady from before. She told us we had spoken with the wrong department at U.S. Bank. When we asked who we should be speaking with, she was quick to say, once again, that we we're just trying to get out of paying a debt, and hung up on me again. When I called back, it went directly to her! She said if I called back one more time, they'd sue for harassment. I tried calling again, and get nothing but a busy signal. Scam, scam, scam. Don't pay them a dime. Upon further investigation of their website, it is made for people who are getting these calls to look at and seem legitimate, but really, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize they are frauds. Read the fine print and do your research before paying anything to anyone.
The Cardinal Firm Reviews
Called on 7/30/18 from unknown number. Left voicemail stating the following:
This message is from "? media", attention of [omitted name], file number: DA [omitted].
I am contacting you in reference to a complaint that may have been filed against you. To discuss it's pending actions, Contact Deferment Control at 877-287-6792.
Failure to respond will result in the department proceeding without your consent. Please be advised that this call has been logged and submitted as legal proof that you have been notified of this matter
Sounded fishy from the start but to make sure this family member wasn't getting scammed, I called the number provided. Someone offering to transfer me answered the call. I stated I was contacted and told to contact this number about a legal matter. They asked for information & I asked for identity. They identified themselves as 'an answering service for 3 companies' and asked for the case/file number. I provided the number from the VM and was transferred to a guy identifying as 'Litigation Service'. He started asking for PII (Name, last 4, DoB, etc) and I stated I needed to know who I was talking to before providing anything. I was placed on hold for about 5 minutes before being transferred to "Mindy". I asked for the name of the company calling and why they were trying to get ahold of my family. I was told they are "Cardinal Firm in Temecula, CA" (verbatim) and she asked for last 4 of SSN to verify I was allowed to talk. I provided a fake number and she said it's not correct, she cannot talk to me, & I will no longer be called then hung up on me. This started to make it sound legitimate.
I called the number back and when the supposedly unaffiliated 'answering service' looked me up by phone number (pretended I didn't have the file number) they notified me that I had just talked to Cardnial & cannot be transferred or call back (very fishy for an 'important legal matter')
I reported this to my legal service & confirmed that the voicemail alone violated a few statutes/laws on the surface (in my state), including called from a masked number if they are actually a debt collect. They also agreed that the behavior is very suspicious but we should verify if it is valid. I was advised to call & have them verify any debts that they hold for us. When I called the number listed on the website, I did end up transferred to the 'Mindy' person I spoke with before and was again refused any details (despite offering verification this time).
I did some investigation into this company, their website, etc, and this has pop-up scam written all over it:
Company itself:
Address is a mailbox at PostalAnnex+ in a strip mall in Temecula, CA
Company claims to have been started in 2014 but the BBB first recorded them 6/28/2018 (shortly after website was created)
https://www.bbb.org/central-california-inland-empire/business-reviews/legal-services/the-cardinal-firm-in-temecula-ca-850034779
In all of my searching on address, name, domain, etc, I have found no evidence supporting any claims to being in business or existing earlier than May 2018
The California Secritary of State has no record of any kind of corporation under the name "The Cardinal Firm", "Cardinal Firm", or other variation/combination of those terms.
https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/
The CA Department of Consumer Affairs has no record of any business license (DBA or otherwise) for this company
https://search.dca.ca.gov/
Website: https://www.thecardinalfirm.com/
'Out of the box' website created by Web.com a couple months ago
Domain first registered 81 days ago on 5/10/18
Private registration through PERFECT PRIVACY, LLC which on it's own has many markers of fake/illegitimate company
https://www.bbb.org/atlanta/business-reviews/internet-web-hosting/perfect-privacy-in-atlanta-ga-27215290
Claims "The Cardinal Firm was founded in 2014 by three former members of the U.S. military. " yet has no reference, photos, or other information to support any of that (contrary to common practice with this kind of statement).
Claims they work with "Cornerstone Law" but provides no direct link to website, no contact info, nor any full name of the firm (that name brings up quite a few results accross country)
I checked all of the top results for law firms by that name and none of them have any mention of Cardinal Firm or even their supposed services
There is no indentifying information of any founders, owners, members, clients, etc that leads you to believe this place has been in business as long as they have
In the end, this is a HIGHLY suspicious organization/website/group (whatever they are) and at a minimum they are operating an illigitimate/illegal business (at least accourding to California records) and are outright lying on their website, and leaving law breaking voicemails. I will continue to try to get every piece of information out of these people so they can be properly shut down for good.
If they do call you & you happen to talk to them, it would not be wise to verify any debts/legal matters/etc before providing any sensitive or financial information but that is just my personal opinion based on advice I was given. If these are legitimate organization, they deserve some serious negative legal attention for their threatenting & law-skating practices and if they are scammers, let's hope they get a nice free ride to incarceration.
NOTE: I do have each conversation with them legally recorded as well as the recorded voicemail if these are needed for future legal action.
A "courier service" contacted me from a blocked number. The woman on the line (putting on a very friendly act) claims that she needs to confirm my address in order to deliver a package. I asked where she was calling from and she stated that she's a courier calling on behalf of the company "CF" and then gives me this number to call: (877) 862-5297. She plays innocent and says she has no information to give me other than a reference number beginning with the letters "DA", but that if I call this number, they will explain further and confirm my address. She says that she'll wait an hour, but if she doesn't receive an email from the company "CF" with a confirmation of my delivery address, she will call me back. The whole thing felt creepy and suspicious.
I did not call the 800 number. The woman called me back an hour later, as promised, but I did not pick up. This time, she left a not-so-friendly message that was totally scripted and threatening. I didn't know courier services were so invested in people's "private/personal matters". I did a reverse lookup of this number and found other complaints with similar details.
Later in the day, the courier woman called again. I became annoyed and decided to call the 800 number to see who would answer and what I could find out. I tried to call from a blocked number at first, but got a busy signal. I then called without blocking the number and a man answered with the greeting "Answering Service". I asked what type of business it was that I was calling. He explained that he's the answering service for a large office building and then started rattling off business types: Healthcare company, design company, etc., etc., and then asked me if I had an extesnsion. I then asked about "CF". He said, "that's The Cardinal Firm" and transfered the call. A woman picked up and I asked what type of business it was. She said they are a litigation frim. I asked if they had a website and she spelled it out for me: thecardinalfirm.com
I thanked her and said that I needed to look into it because of the strange calls I'd been receiving from a courier on their behalf. She did not respond and then just hung up on me.
The next morning, I received another voicemail from the courier and at this point I'm getting very annoyed so I call The Cardinal Firm back and this time a man answers "how may I direct your call?" I tell him that I keep getting calls from a courier service who is trying to send me something on behalf of CF. He asked if I had an extension or a file number. I gave him the DA reference number the courier had given me the day before. He then said that in order to avoid a case of mistaken identity and due to a state law, he has to either verify my birthdate or social security number before he can tell me what this matter is in regards to. I reluctantly verified my birthdate (reluctant becuase I have no idea who I'm speaking with and I am very protective of my personal information). That said, I wanted to know the reason these people are contacting me so I made the choice to give my birthdate.
The man then said he confirms he's speaking to the right person. He said that he had a scanned copy of my Driver's License (recited my DL number) and recited my full social security number. He said that Wells Fargo Bank is suing me over an old account. I've never had a bank account with Wells Fargo and I stated this to him. He said that he'll send paperwork and that he'd provide me with dispute instructions and then he abruptly hung up on me.
A little while later, I received a text from my brother who lives in another state. He said that a "courier service" called him looking for me. So, now they are harassing my family members. This is unacceptable.
As another consumer wrote on 6/28/18, the website for The Cardinal Firm is clearly a facade. These individuals are extremely shady! Beware and be careful.
This "company" called my husband insisting he had an unpaid debt with U.S. Bank. They said that U.S. Bank turned over his account to them, a "law firm", and they were collecting on their behalf. They told him he'd be summoned to court if he didn't pay right away. They insisted they sent us ground mail, they DID call some of our family members with a DA case number in the last several months (which we ignored) and wanted them to tell my husband to get back with them. We didn't think much of it until they called my husband at work in the middle of his work day! He was polite, and told them he'd call them back when he got off work. Long story short, these people calling used scare tactics to try to get us to pay a debt we were unsure about (my husband had an account with U.S. Bank way over 10 years ago). The lady speaking with us became very rude when we inquired about the details, and when we told her we wouldn't pay without some actual documentation, she told us we were just trying to find any way not to pay our debts.
Upon hanging up with her, we contacted U.S. Bank and they were able to give us (accurate) details on the old account. No such debt exists, and when we called back to tell the lady from The Cardinal Firm about it and also how we thought they were running a scam, she said, "Good luck with everything," and hung up on us. I called back and asked to speak with anyone from the Cardinal Firm, just not that specific lady as she'd just hung up on me, and the person answering the calls from the number listed on the website directed me right back to the rude lady from before. She told us we had spoken with the wrong department at U.S. Bank. When we asked who we should be speaking with, she was quick to say, once again, that we we're just trying to get out of paying a debt, and hung up on me again. When I called back, it went directly to her! She said if I called back one more time, they'd sue for harassment. I tried calling again, and get nothing but a busy signal. Scam, scam, scam. Don't pay them a dime. Upon further investigation of their website, it is made for people who are getting these calls to look at and seem legitimate, but really, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize they are frauds. Read the fine print and do your research before paying anything to anyone.