NEWARK, Ohio (WCMH) — Newark resident Jesse Cannoy first heard from a debt collector in March of 2023.

“And as they present themselves as a representative with Mathews & Associates,” Cannoy said. He told Better Call 4 that he had an existing debt; therefore, he had no reason to doubt the company, especially because they weren’t the only ones to contact him.

“I had had several calls, and I was just getting tired of the phone calls and people wanting to collect that debt,” Cannoy said. “And, I decided, okay, well, this sounds legit. I’m going to work with this one.”

Cannoy said he sent an initial payment to Mathews & Associates.

“So, the original note was for $9,700,” Cannoy said. “‘So, how much, how much of that can you pay?’ I said, ‘I don’t have much money.’ I said, ‘I can pay about $6,000, maybe a little more.’ And they asked, ‘Well, can you do $6,600?’ And I said, ‘Okay, well, we’ll work with that.'”

Not long after, though, Mathews & Associates called again.

“They said, ‘Well, you didn’t send enough money,’ and I said, ‘Well, I messed up.’ I said, ‘I’m dyslexic and I got the numbers turned around,'” Cannoy said. “But the total I paid was $6,684.”

After that, Cannoy said he thought it was all said and done — until he got a call from another debt collection agency, Midland Credit Management.

“I’ve sent them a copy of all these papers,” Cannoy said. “And I said, ‘I’ve already paid that debt.’ And they said, ‘No, we’re sorry to tell you, but you’ve been scammed,’ and, ‘No, you didn’t pay the debt. We sent our investigator team out and they researched it and they said they’ve never heard of you before.’ So, that’s when I first realized that I’d been scammed.”

That’s when Cannoy called Better Call 4.

We took a closer look at Mathews & Associates. The website was pretty bare, with no specific information. All of the images used were stock photos that appear on several other websites, and the logo that appeared on the letter Cannoy received was nowhere to be found, until we clicked on “Make A Payment.”

Additionally, the Better Business Bureau stated that it began investigating this “business” in July of last year, with a series of questions — including proof of licensing. The “company” never responded.

Cannoy said he also got a collection letter from Red Line Solutions Group, that cited a separate debt. But the letters from both companies had an identical layout, P.O. boxes in the same city, and the same fax number, all signs that Cannoy said consumers should pay attention to before they agree to pay.

“Research it thoroughly,” Cannoy said. “And if you’re not sure what you need to do, I would go to a financial expert or bank and speak with them and have them check it out.”

Cannoy is now working with a legitimate company to make payments on his existing debt, but he is still out more than $6,000 that he paid to Mathews & Associates. The most he can do now is report the incident to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office for investigation.

Earlier this year, the BBB put out a warning about phony debt collection notices, like the ones Cannoy received. For more information on how to spot them and what to do if you’ve responded, click here.