World National
©World National / Roger-Luc Chayer

Man Claims Firm Used AIDS to Track Him Down

By KPIX

How would you feel if you received an urgent phone message telling you to call an AIDS (news - web sites) testing center right away?

A Bay Area man says at first, he was scared and anxious. But now, he's angry, after he says that he's learned what the phone message was really about.

The story starts for Donald Crosslin with getting laid off from a dot-com company. His 2001 Lexus was the first casualty. He was six months behind in his payments when he says he received a strange message on his voicemail -- a message he certainly didn't connect with his car.

"It said, 'Mr. Crosslin, my name is Mr. North from HIV (news - web sites) testing center. It's urgent that you call us back immediately,'" he said. "I started to cry. I'd just been tested two weeks before that for HIV."

Crosslin says he hadn't received the results of that test yet. But he said he was about to get a bigger shock, when he called the 800 number back.

"He said, 'Someone you've slept with has tested positive for HIV. I need you to give me your home address,'" Crosslin said.

But in a separate call to the same number, the recorded choices allegedly led him to another person with a far different message. According to a lawsuit he's now filed, that person stated, "We are calling on behalf of Toyota Motor Credit, regarding your 2001 Lexus."

Was the HIV Testing number just an elaborate front for repossession company?
Crosslin's lawyer says yes.
"That was the goal," said attorney Jeffery Keller. "To get the address, to repossess the car."

In a phone call, the Houston, Texas repo firm that apparently handled the account denied using the 800 number.

Crosslin does not have audio tapes of the message. But after hearing a reference to Johns Hopkins Aids center on the recording, he called the hospital to check it out. Startled officials dialed the 800 number themselves, and transcribed the recording.

"This is obviously a matter of great concern to us," said Johns Hopkins spokesperson Dennis O'Shea spokesperson. "We're always concerned whenever our name -- the University's name -- is abused or misused in any way."

Toyota denies involvement, providing us with this statement, "Toyota does not and would not support the kind of activity that Mr. Crosslin alleges. Toyota vigorously denies any involvement in that activity and believes that his claims are unsubstantiated."

As for Crosslin - he's now turned the car back in. As for the real HIV test, that came back negative.