Is this legal group even real?

Seeking Advice
1

I got a call today from someone claiming to work for Schwartz and Hawkins Legal Group. I looked them up online, but nothing came up to prove they’re legit. When I asked if they had a website, they said no because they’re a private legal firm. That already felt suspicious.

The guy said I’m being served legal papers by a private process server, not by the court or sheriff, and the company handling it is called Process Server Dispatch. He claimed I owe $5,000, which started as $1,900 but grew with fees.

When I asked which court this case was filed in, he dodged the question and said he didn’t know. That sounded weird since he claimed to be from a law firm. I thought I could check my county court records, but I need more info to do that.

Then he gave me this “one-day stay of execution” thing to pressure me into acting quickly. The name of the company I supposedly owe sounded vaguely familiar, but everything else about this was off.

Has anyone dealt with something like this? Could this be a scam? What should I do to stay safe? Any advice is welcome.

2

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3

Definitely a scam.

No legit law firm operates like this. If you’re really being sued, a sheriff or licensed process server will handle it officially, not some random call.

They’re trying to scare you into rushing. Just ignore them.

4

Don’t engage with them over the phone. If you actually get served papers, then deal with it. Until that happens, don’t worry too much.

5

Rodgers said:
Don’t engage with them over the phone. If you actually get served papers, then deal with it. Until that happens, don’t worry too much.

I’m not planning to call them back. What really annoyed me is that they called my employer first.

6

@HenryElla2
These scams can get aggressive. They’ll look up anything connected to you and use it to make you panic. Someone once called my dad pretending to look for me, just because we share the same last name.

7

@HenryElla2
Calling your employer is a tactic to freak you out more. They know people will feel embarrassed or scared their work might find out about fake legal trouble. It’s all about pressuring you.

8

Tell that scammer to shove their ‘stay of execution.’

But seriously, ignore them unless you get served by a proper process server. If that happens, go straight to a lawyer, not these clowns.

9

Always ask for something in writing. No serious legal issue is settled over a phone call. Ever.

10

This is a super common scam lately. Ignore it completely. Don’t call back, don’t pay, just ghost.

Here are some older threads on similar scams for reference:

11

@madisonwilson
I doubt any scam will beat the classic ‘I sent a pic of my junk to the wrong person.’ We seem to see that story every day here.

12

“Process Server Dispatch” sounds like a name someone made up on the spot. None of this sounds remotely legitimate.

13

There are legit private process servers, but they don’t call ahead. They’ll show up at your home or work to deliver papers. This ‘stay of execution’ talk is just to scare you. Total scam.

14

Here’s an image of a similar scam message someone shared. Looks like the same playbook.

Placeholder Image

15

@tyra
Sounds about right. This thread’s helping confirm what I thought—it’s a scam.

16

@tyra
Fun fact: they didn’t even spell the surname right. That should tell you how much effort these scammers put into their stories.

17

Let me guess, they want you to go buy gift cards to ‘resolve’ this? These scammers love using fear tactics, but they’re easy to spot when you think about it.

18

This is why I never answer calls from unknown numbers.

19

Jonny said:
This is why I never answer calls from unknown numbers.

They didn’t just call me—they called my workplace. My boss called to let me know, which made me take it more seriously at first.

20

@HenryElla2
Yikes, that’s definitely part of their scare tactics. I’d warn your HR department and maybe even put a fraud alert on your credit just to be safe.