Scammers threaten to take away nurse’s license if she didn’t pay up

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis woman is the newest victim of a scam.

The nurse said the scammers called her not once, not twice but four times. The scammers even called her job and spoke to her boss.

She said the scammers knew her name and where she lived. They also knew the last four digits of her social security number.

The nurse didn’t want to give her name or show her face during her interview because she works for a private company. She said she came forward so no one else fell for the scam.

“They had so much information about me,” the nurse said. “I was like what if it’s $300 today and $1000 tomorrow. I mean it could just never end.”

They also threatened to have the nurse arrested and threatened to report her to the state.

“I’m like oh my God, I don’t understand what’s happening right now,” the nurse said. “So, I paid it because I was afraid.”

She said the scammers threatened to take away her nursing license if she didn’t pay. So, she paid them almost $300.

When she didn’t receive a confirmation email, she called the number back. Another person claimed the confirmation would come in a few days.

“They said it’s notarized so it takes a while and I’m like ‘who gets an email notarized?,” the nurse said. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

Once she got suspicious, the nurse called her bank to alert them about the charge from a company called the Allied Financial Group.

Then she called police and the Better Business Bureau.

FOX13 called both numbers associated with the scam. One number kept ringing and the other rang and went to voicemail.

The BBB said if you receive a threatening call about debt that you think might be real, ask the caller to prove it.

“Under the fair debt collections act you have a right to a written copy to whatever debt you owe,” said Nancy Crawford of the BBB of the Midsouth.

To stop unwanted phone calls, the BBB said you can add your name to the do not call list.