Surveys of victim reports show a recurring pattern of callers posing as a paralegal named Tom Gilcrest, claiming to work for attorney Mike Kelly and to represent East Coast or Norfolk Financial. They cite old court judgments, docket numbers, and threats of bank levies or wage garnishment to pressure payment. Callers often use official‑sounding language and may even provide seemingly valid court documents, which can convince recipients to hand over money. To protect yourself, verify any claim directly with the court using the docket number, never pay over the phone, and report the number to your state Attorney General and the FTC. Debt collector scams thrive on urgency, so pause, document the call, and seek a consumer‑rights attorney if you’re unsure.
Tome Gilchrist, claiming to be from the Law office of Tea & Kelley, made a call but wouldn't provide the law office's phone number, only his direct line, which raised suspicions. A callback to the number a couple of days later revealed a different law office, further indicating a red flag.
This is a scam, and a pretty bad one, if you have a judgement against you, it will show up on your credit report, dont belive the fake posts saying its not
It seems that many organizations are willing to listen and help. Have you considered contacting a federal or state agency, or perhaps an FDCPA attorney? It might be beneficial to explore these options rather than continuing to make payments.
Absolutely refuse to give this compamy a single penny!!!!
Clearly, the reviews saying this is legit are fake, scammers themselves trying to scare people, if you ask them for their adress and stuff, they wont know how to react!
Threats were made in a scam call, Tom Gilchrist claimed I owed thousands since 2002, the languge used was abusive and threatenin.
The individual on the phone was extremely abusive in their language.
This people are very abusive on the phone
Following a call from Tom Gilcrest regarding an alleged judgement, verification from the court confirmed its legitimacy, leading to a payment plan and subsequent wage garnishment and bank levy due to my inability to pay the debt in full immediately.
Your post appears to be a recycled version of a previous tale, almost identical in wording. A 2003 judgment is highly unlikely to remain valid after 15 years. To substantiate your claim, you should provide the plaintiff's name, address, and their attorney's details, including BAR number, as this information would be readily available on court documents. If you never received a summons, the judgment is null and void. Your attempt to legitimize this debt collector has failed.
I recived a call from somone claiming i owed them money, but it turns out it was legit and now im in trouble
Our bank account was allegedly reviewed by a Tom Gilchrist from this number, who falsely claimed we had the means to settle an outdated debt; this is a clear scam, and we have reported it to both our local police department and the Massachusetts Attorney General's office.
A call was received from Tom Gilchrist, claiming to have reviewed bank accounts and requesting payment of $26,000 on an old, closed bill
Numerous calls were made to me claiming i owed a debt from 2006, they gave me a docket # and everything, but when i tryed to pay it of at the brockton district court they refused, the companie Norfolk Financial Corp is aparently behing this and they have a reputation for scamming inocent people like myself, its rediculous
They called me multiple times, telling me to pay a old debt, I verified it with the court and it was legit, but then they took my car and sent me a letter saying I owed them 4500 dollars or somthing
When someone claims to be a lawyer, the first thing you should asks is what states they are registred in and their BAR number, then you can checks them out
They called multipul times, threatening to freeze our bank account unless we paid $1200.00 to dismiss a writ of execution on a unpaid credit card debt from 2006, what a scam.
Threats to freeze my bank account were made by these callers regarding an old credit card bill judgment, which was later confirmed by the court; however, their refusal to accept a proposed $50 monthly payment led to wage garnishment and a bank account levy without prior notice
Four consecutive calls were made from this number, showing as TLG on the caller ID, but no voicemail was left, indicating potential scam activity.
In a series of five consecutive calls, the person on the other end threatened me, claiming I owed money and that a court order had been violated, even stating a sheriff would be sent to my house