Two days ago I received a call from a mail delivery service stating they were going to deliver documents between 3-5pm the next day. The courier stated the documents are sealed and they couldn't describe details of contents, but provided a case number and a phone number. I called the phone number the same day. The representative said they were with ADR - a neutral party based out of Houston, Texas that was hired by their client to resolve a debt.
The 'mediator' said a civil suit was being delivered and that I can either dispute, settle, or make payments. I told them I didn't recognize the charge, and they said, "Okay, we'll take this as your notice of intent to dispute." The next day, I got a voicemail from the courier again stating that he will be making several delivery attempts between 3-5pm; if I do not sign for the documents it will be notated as refusal of delivery. The documents were not delivered.
Today, I called asking when the documents would be delivered (so I could review the dispute). The 'mediator' said they don't control the mail delivery service. They stated they would notate that I called concerning lack of delivery and that I'm not avoiding the case.
I called the merchant to verify whether I had a debt with them. Upon calling the 'mediator' back, they said the merchant cannot pursue this debt and dispute the debt at the same time due to "conflict of interest laws." They said my repeated calls are cost prohibitive, that I was delaying the dispute process, and I can either arrange payment or be served the civil suit and go to court.
Before making payment, the mediator was able to confirm my employer name (which is not public information or listed on LinkedIn), the last 4 of my bank account that I had "listed on file as a repayment option", the last 4 of my Social, my address, and my full name. I do recognize the lender name, but I was denied a loan from them in 2023. I would have used an iPhone to fill out the application on Safari from the lender directly. How else would they have my information?
So, I paid the balance. Was I scammed?
P.S. They gave adr.org as their organization name. They said their own firm doesn't have a website as they don't interface with the public directly; that they are a neutral party who provides recommendations to handle disputes. The address I was given for their office is 5847 San Filipe St, 413, St 500, Houston, TX.
P.S.S. All of the people I spoke to in my calls to the 'mediator' were very high vocabulary, intellectually-sounding, American-sounding individuals. Of the 4 representatives I spoke to at various points, none of their stories crossed or contradicted each other other than a minor nuance: one representative added in the "413" when describing the address to me, which I'm not sure what the "413" before the suit number means. Could this be an AI scam?
If I was scammed, what should I do next? Can I retrieve this money back from my debit card? Thank you.