Phishing Alert: Fake Creditor Seeking Repayment for Cash Advance

TrainMyParent.com
Oct 2
4 min read

a laptop displaying an icon of an envelope — Criminals never stop trying to steal your money!

With the advent of AI, phishing emails are becoming more prevalent and harder to spot. But, the criminals still make grammar, spelling, and other mistakes that can help us identify these as phishing attempts. Here is one we received recently, lets take a closer look at its content!

Received: Wed, Oct 1, 2025 at 7:57 AM

To: attorney.alex.hales.llp@gmail.com

From: Christopher David <christopher.david80@outlook.com>

Subject: Act Immediately: Avoid Costly Legal Consequences

Total Balance at Placement: $1858.57

Current Creditor: Advance America Inc. (Cash Advance)

File No: QXT-9871-ZP3893

Outstanding Balance: $1858.57.

Contact: attorney.alex.hales.LLP@gmail.com

File No: -: QXT-9871-ZP3893, with a past due balance in the amount of $1858.57 with one of Speedy Cash Services.

We hereby advise you that after several failed attempts to reach you on your contact number, the Current Creditor Advance America Inc. has decided to mark this file as a "Flat Refusal". The Current Creditor - Advance America has sent out notifications on April 17th, 2022, but you failed to respond on time. Failure to respond following this notification will result in proceeding to register this case. Consider this notification a final warning.

For “SETTLEMENT” and “Repayment” options, do revert to this email or else we will be left with no option but to move ahead legally.

The creditor has the entire right to inform your employer and your references regarding this issue and the charges will be levied upon you which will be amounting to $4,673.00.

Kindly let us know what your intentions are by today in order to keep this file from being submitted for further proceedings. This is your last and final chance to settle this file. Following are the repayment plans we have available.

Option A. 3 Bi-weekly of $500 - you will save $358.57

Option B. 2 Months of $800 - you will save $258.57

Option C. 1 Payment of $1350 - you will save $508.57

We urge you to take immediate action and settle the outstanding balance to avoid the following potential consequences:

1. Legal Notices: Non-payment of your debt may result in the issuance of formal legal notices, notifying you of the pending legal action being taken against you.

2. Adverse Credit Impact: Unpaid debts can severely damage your credit score and report, impacting your ability to secure future loans or credit.

3. Collection Agency Involvement: If the outstanding balance remains unresolved, we may be forced to involve a professional collection agency to recover the amount owed. This may subject you to additional fees and legal and financial consequences.

4. Salary and Wages confiscation – If the need be the legal consequence may also force us to take such action.

As a valued customer, we implore you to take this matter seriously and treat it with utmost urgency. Failure to respond or remit payment within the specified timeframe will be considered as an indication of unwillingness to cooperate, leading to the commencement of legal proceedings against you.

Our primary objective is to rectify this situation amicably. We believe that open communication and prompt settlement can resolve most issues. If you are unable to settle the outstanding balance in full, I encourage you to contact me directly via email, and we can explore alternative arrangements to find a mutually beneficial solution by setting up a customized payment plan.

I urge you to take this matter seriously and settle your outstanding balance promptly. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our attorney (attorney.alex.hales.LLP@gmail.com) to discuss this issue further. Your prompt attention to this matter will be greatly appreciated.

We remain hopeful for a quick resolution and a continued positive business relationship.

Sincerely, National Debt Relief, LLC

Alex Hales

Confidentiality Statement & Notice: This email is covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. 2510-2521, and intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed to. Any review, retransmission, Dissemination to unauthorized persons or other use of the original message and any attachments is strictly prohibited. If you received this electronic transmission in error, please reply to the above-referenced sender about the error and permanently delete this message.

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Besides never having taken a cash advance, some things we noticed include:

The recipient was never mentioned in the email message.
There is a real sense of urgency to address the issue.
The language and phrases used in the email are not professional, or do not make 100% sense.
The email mentions legal ramifications if the payment is not sent.
The dollar amounts just do not make sense...
This was received on October 1, 2025, but mentions April 17th, 2022, and has not one but two copyright notices dated 2023.
There are way to many law firms mentioned, including Harris Law Group, National Debt Relief, and Alex Hales LLP (in the email address).
If this were a real debt collection email, there would likely be a phone number to call. This one is asking for an email response.

So, this is being treated as a phishing attempt, and has been marked as SPAM and reported to reportphishing@apwg.org

A criminal with a bag of money being caught by a policeman — Busted!

Learn how you can protect yourself or your family by enrolling in the Complete Internet Security Basics and Phishing Awareness Course for Parents on TrainMyParent.com

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