I also recieved a call from someone claiming that I owed over 1200.00 for a magazine subscription from 2004 that was for 20 payments for 20 months. He said they had collected 3 payments and then I had stopped paying and I owed for the remaining 17 payments. He claimed to have a phone recording of the order. I asked what magazine it was and he said it was a choice from over 200 and would include something like a watch but he could not tell me which magazine. He also pretended to put me on hold while he looked the information up.
I did not live in the US at that time so I knew it was a scam, I also do not use my real name on Magazine subscriptions. I also never order except from children selling for fund raisers because I do not like magazines.

He said the company would settle for 399.98 and they would not take legal action and ruin my credit. He mentioned the legal department several times and my credit several times. He kept assuring me I had ordered something for that huge amount, and somehow I could not remember it.
I told him I didnt know what kind of scam he was trying but he was not getting anything from me. I kept trying to get a phone number and he said only after I had made the payment. He did give me the name and the location of Messina New York.
I think he realized I was trying to get information so I could turn it in to the attorney general and he started raising his voice and saying have a nice day and trying to hang up.
I looked on the internet for the company and found these stories that are so similar and nothing for the company so I decided to add my story. It was very upsetting and I hope the legal system can catch them and put them in jail.

* Names changed to protect privacy* While having dinner at my parents one night in March 2008, my dad (who is hard of hearing) answers a phone call. They ask for my mother but only as Mrs. Smith. My dad asked "do you want Jane?" The man on the line never identified himself, only stated he was from United Magazine Service & that it is b/c she is in collections for a magazine subscription she hasn't paid from 2006. My mom gets on the line and tells him she has never had a subscription to any magazine. She tried to get the name of the magazine(s) and all he would say was it was special deal f0r 3 magazines & didn't have the names. Then he tried to convince her to pay right then with a credit card or her credit score would be affected. He said this a number of times and she refuses. At this point, I knew a scam was happening so I got on the line and listened in. WHen I asked him for his name he freaked out and asked" How many people are on this line". He did give us his name, David Johnson. We informed him that he would have to send us something in the mail before we would pay and refused to give our address since they should have it in their file. She never received anything.
But the story continues...
May 2008 I happen to be at my parents dropping off some things while they were out. I answered the phone and they asked for Brenda. I said this is she. He said that he was calling in regards to my unpaid magazine subscription. I asked for the company & his name-again it was United Magazine Service & it was David again. I made sure not to specify my last name or give away anything he could play off of. When I asked for the names of the magazines he again said it was a set of 3 & didn't have the names. When I asked for the address on the subscriptions, he acted like he was looking it up & put me on "hold" but he couldn't provide it. I asked when this subscription was started since I was only visiting and haven't live there in years. He asked when I moved before he answered and i said a few years. Then he said I started this in 2004, which informed him I haven't lived here in over 10 years so how can that be? and also how come i haven't received one magazine at this address then? He was unable to answer any 0f my question and would keep steering the conversation to "are you goingto pay today with a credit card? if not this will affect your credit score when it is reported" I informed him No payment since i never received the product and they can send me the paper work if they want payment. He kept pushing the "credit score" issue and I could tell was getting agitated I wouldn't comply. I finally told him that he can go ahead and do what he had to and I hung up. Later when I told my parents, my mom said someone had called earlier in the week asking for Brenda and she said I wasn't there so it shows how persistant they are by trying to reach me again there.
I am so thankful I had gotten emails about scams that try to get you to give personal info over the phone otherwise parents (who weren't aware of these scams) could have gotten sucked in if I wasn't there and that I was visiting when I did in May to catch them and realize it was the same guy & company as before. Everyone should be aware of these scams!!

They Billed my credit card for a 3 yr. subscription renewal, but I never received confirmation from the magazine publisher (Playboy). The transaction was done via a phone call, Her name was Natalie, they also offered 1 yr. free subscriptions to two other mags (those I am receiving).

Their phone # is "Not In Service" - I don't know how to contact them - This Ruins The Credibility of All Tele-marketers! Don't these callers have to be licensed, approved / qualified or regulated - at all!?

I got a call ooon Jan 7, 2007 wanting to renew our subscription to Autoweek. They sounded as if they were Autoweek calling: had my husband's subscriber name, obviously our phone number, and knew when the subscription was expiring. In short: the caller offered a good deal for a 3 year renewal, offered a free one yr subscription to Playboy (which in hindsight I thought was very odd) that I declined, said they would send an invoice but that if I wanted to save an extra $5 I could pay right then with a credit card. I said fine, fortunately gave them a Virtual Account number (good for one time use only). They then said that the credit card billing would say "United Magazine Service" (UMS)- my only clue that this wasn't Autoweek calling, but I figured Autoweek had farmed out their renewal service calls. I received an order confirmation in the mail a week later (good tactic to make one think everything is fine). Weeks later, after receiving 2 "your subscription is about to expire" notices from Autoweek, I called them directly and found that they have no relationship with UMS and had received many complaints, had even published a warning in the magazine against scams like this, and are currently investigating how UMS got actual names and phone numbers of current subscribers. Today I called the phone number UMS listed on my bogus receipt and, surprise surprise, it is not a good number, nor is the phone number listed on my credit card statement next to their name. So - buyer beware!! I would call the magazine with whom you have a subscription directly, or respond only to their official renewal requests.

Note that this is one of many complaints against UMS.

I received a call from United Magazine Service the end of March, 2006 to renew may Discover Magazine. Since I am suspicious of any business over the phone, I asked them to send me the info in the mail, which they were very reluctant to do, but eventually agreed to. After receiveing the info, I sent them a check for $39.60 on April 3, 2006. In June, $154.00 was missing out of my checking account on a day that I happened to go to the bank twice. Since I caught it early, my credit union coperated with me to find out what happened. Guess who they traced it to! United Magazine Service! I called them and gave them hell and told them that I thought their company was out to scam people and wondered about my magazine. They told me the were sorry about the "mistake" and not to worry about my magazine. When I started receiving cancellation notices from Discover, I called United Magazine Service again in September. Again they told me not to worry, everything was OK with my Discover subscription. It is now November 16 and my subscription has been cancelled and have no Discover magazine. I cannot call them since their phone number has been disconnected. But what really gets me angry is their use of the American Flag on their letterhead of their original letter they sent me. Have they no shame?

Thank you

Bruce Tremblay