This is a criminal extortion scam operating out of India. They are making the calls utilizing VOIP and the names of legitimate firms to make it appear the calls are originating from within the US. There is NO "company" or "debt" and you will NOT be arrested. They are harvesting and/or buying consumers' personal identifying information from unscrupulous websites like the one you may have filled out an application with, and you need to do whatever you can to protect yourself. This includes: Notifying the FTC: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/, placing fraud alerts with all three credit bureaus, notifying your bank and employer and letting these criminals know you are aware they are attempting to extort money for a non-existent debt and have alerted the authorities.

ABC News released an investigative report on this scam in June. The FTC has indicted one of its ringleaders for criminal fraud:

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/phantom-debt-co ... 16512428&page=1

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/08/bgm.shtm

This number keep calling and harrassing me

last month on aug.6 i get a phone call from this man calling himself eric nash,he tells me that i am being sued by my name and ss.that i took out a american cash advance loan of 300.00.he said that i have been sent repeatedly notices to pay this money.i told him that i did not do this.he go angry at me started to yell at me.he said that he would call my local police department to have me arrested.than he said i have your passport.i told him oh really.i never had a passport in my life.he still yell and said i have to pay this money.also that i will be going to court and if we go to court the cost will be much higher and if you want to settle out of court you send me 400.00 by western union.you are to do this today.i told him i did not do this and i never fill out or e sign anything nor did  i get a notice of how much i am getting and the date it needs to be paid off.he went on and on just yelling at me.say you don't understand me this is have to be done today or you are going to be arrested.i said go right ahead,i am not paying,i hung up the phone with him,i did not hear from him until sept.5 he called me 6 times did not leave any messages just called.that night i get a phone call from i knew the number it was my local police station calling me,well mr nash changed his number to the police station number and pretent to be an officer.he said there is a warrent out for your arrest and we are coming to get you.sure i was scared,i did call someone and that person got to the bottom of this.this person i am not saying who this is.any ways.that person call back that number and sure enough it was the local police station,that person ask the lady who answered and gave my name and said of what just happened.she says let me check,than she came back and said nope we have nothing on that person,they hung up.my so we call mr nash number 202-600-4531 so nash got question and boy what he had to say,he said that he is a private lawfirm and that its called goodwich parker and he could not come up with the last word.so he was questions so what is this all about.nash said i took out a loan online for 300.00 than change it to 400. than change it again the real amount she got was 70,000.00 to 80,000.00 we knew it was a scam we did threaten him with this you ever call this number back you will be charged with threating me.nash kept hanging up and calling back,did that about four times.he is the one who every one says about he is rude,mean this scum needs to be stop now.

just got a call saying i have fraudulent charges pending against me and the county sheriffs were gonna come out and arrest me. the callers name was Benjamin Gates

this rude a** mutherfucker just called me saying that someone filed a lawsuit against me for non repayment of a payday loan. I dont even have any loans. oh yea and "check fraud" such b***s***. the dude told me his name is james brown and he was an indian dude

This guy goes by James Brown with a harsh accent can't even understand what he is saying. He doesn't state where he is from he just tells me to have an attorney. Because this comes from our nations capitol is my alarm for getting such a call.

I got a call from this number and they were so rude, but as soon as I conferenced my attorney friend in on the call the mans attitude changed and he hung up the phone. This is a SCAM. Do not believe anything they say. First of all, if the debt was legitimate, it is against the FDCA to threat with criminal prosecution, when criminal prosecution is not legal in this matter.

lmao this bozo clown calls everyday so i started to call back too lol..he said his name is MIKE JOHNSON..my wife (who he is supposly looking for) started calling too and fell in love with her voice and got him to give her his facebook account ..his real name is "kunal dusad" out of washington DC ...feel free to look him up and leave him a message if ya like..we sure did and got a good laugh ..

We all need to get this guy caught.  He says his name is Johnson and he is very very rude.  Do not give him any informaton just tell him never to call you, block his number and tell him to just send you the damn papers then hang up.  Do not answer anymore calls from this jerk.

I received the exact same call as "Aggravated" the only difference was "Mike Johnson" said i took a loan of $500.00 and Iwas having a law suit against me and he mentioned their was a warrent out for my arrest aw well. I really hope they catch these jerks and put them where they belong. Thank god to my co-worker who over heard the conversation, she told me it was a scam and i needed to hang up as soon as possible.

highly   probable  a  continuation  of  the  "  202"  area  code  fraud  scams............(  fake  calls /  spoffed  etc......).....

SUBJECT  changes  out  all the time..........one  time  it's a  survey ,  next free  money  ,  next collecting  for a   payday  loan  etc....


202  area  code  faud  scams !!!!!

PLEASE  NOTE !!!   THESE  SCAMMERS  ARE ALSO IMPERSONATING   THE  US  GOV'T /  SEVERAL  GOV'T  OFFICES AND   PERSONS....BEWARE !!!

-  new  twist  is  they  are   also  impersonating  DEA  officials  /  IRS   etc....  with  threats  to  arrest you  unless  you  immediately  send money  via  wire   transfer /  western  union   to some   offshore  country  !!!!!   obvious  scam  !!!

some  are landlines...many  are  cell phones...some  are  spoofed  and  linked  to  offshore foreign call centers  /  countries !!!!
we've  traced  back  most  of  these  numbers  to  offshore  foreign    call centers  in  INDIA /  THAILAND / AFRICA  /  JAMAICA  ETC....

here's   other  numbers  posted  from  the   same  area  code  offering a  wide  variety  of  scams  /  fake  emails and  scams  after  posting  something  on   craigslist   (  old  scam  )  ...... collecting  for  non  existant  "  payday  loans "....free  money / scam  giveaways /  calling  on  behalf  of  a  humane  society..... $1,000's  in  free  gov't  money......../   conducting  some  "  unknown  survey "........  etc  etc.....stories  change  out  all the  time......and  the  usual  nonsense!!!

**   mysteriously  call to  claim  they  have  several  thousand  of  dollars  to  send  you....just  provide  your  bank  account and  credit  card   right  away   etc etc.........scam scam

several  of  these are  the  usual   long  ongoing  scams   such  as  :  you  have  won a  free  walmart /  bestbuy  gift  card....or  you  have  won a  free  ipad  etc......all  long  ongoing  scams

202-621-0436  ( offshore  foreign  call center ? )  poor  english and  violent on the  phone!  claim  to  be  giving  away  $1,000's  in  free cash....just  give  them all your  personal  info  etc........


202-478-8098
202-800-5680
202-407-7221
202-552-1545
202-657-4485
202-684-6393
202-607-2732
202-657-6800
202-905-0682
202-215-2622
202-202-0000  ( fake  #  )
202-559-4661
202-684-6796
202-615-1823
202-239-0331
202-407-7213
202-657-6252
202-559-0667
202-558-4605
202-684-8305
202-785-5534
202-827-0661
202-621-0667
202-534-3926
202-599-8726
202-286-0705
202-559-0687
202-779-8686
202-234-3930
202-683-9875
202-405-4852
202-599-7894
202-895-0900
202-779-8686
202-738-5647
202-417-7606
202-403-4812
202-379-1926
202-644-8750
202-595-9420
202-870-5859
202-380-3449
202-674-8706
202-730-9951
202-684-2191
202-674-8789
202-615-5910
202-417-4483
202-664-2228
202-506-8939
202-640-5461
202-559-4645
202-674-2106
202-239-2860
202-470-0037
202-239-1271
202-379-1935
202-470-6720
202-505-6138
202-650-6145
202-715-6610
202-684-8622
202-800-5517
202-559-4664
202-436-9919
202-241-4267
202-827-0660
202-599-8821
202-407-9217
202-280-7882
202-391-0961
202-640-5457
202-640-5495
202-640-2926
202-559-7869
202-434-1317
202-738-9778
202-644-8989
202-730-9945
202-580-8490
202-827-1692
202-747-7372
202-280-7264
202-496-0986
202-556-4418
202-709-3010
202-445-7881
202-679-4428
202-905-0699
202-896-3563
202-351-3916
202-407-9198
202-684-6540
202-695-8604
202-304-5614
202-280-5502
202-800-5537
202-234-3930
202-354-8935
202-123-4567  (  obviously  a  faked  #  by a  fraud  scammer )
202-552-4779
202-249-7541
202-684-6934
202-657-6907
202-664-0962
202-674-4728
202-666-6887
202-657-5284
202-594-8012
202-640-5471
202-280-7039
202-499-1488
202-499-1612
202-777-7212
202-656-1162

i have been getting numerous calls from this number. today they just started calling my work and leaving nasty messages as well as on my cell. anyone know how to block them, my carrier has me going through hoops.

they called me and said they where representing and worked with a law firm and that they where coming to arrest me if i didnt pay back some kind of a online loan or if i okayed them to take out 300.00 from my bank account ofcourse they would need my routing and account numbers that they could talk this firm into dropping everything and marking the bill paid. what they where abit surprised to find out was the call they made to me was being recorded and that im a officer of the law myself. havent heard from them since but i do have the number and best of all thru law inforcement channels we know who they are . now i get to arrest them.  its made my night of sleep much better.

Hi New girl just got my first call from them and its the same name everyone else is saying.. James Brown didnt recognize the number so I didnt pick up telling me this is an important matter and very time sensitive and if I dont call or have my lawyer call that they will have the police coming to my house tomorrow... Please let them come... I dont owe these people anything.. will be calling my cell phone company to have this number blocked! Thanks everyone for the info another scammer calling... They need to leave people alone!

Hi Sina, I got scared at first too, I do have an outstanding loan but I am going trough someone else to settle. But I went back to my contract and read and they would not have settled by calling a lawyer, they would have talked to first. When I first got the message from James Brown with the Indian accent I thought it was a joke,  Plus they transfered me to a so called lawyer name Michael Davis, to much of an American Name it seemed suspicious with them having a heavy Indian accent.  Also they named a company I didn't have the loan with.  They didn't curse me but he did get louder and started talking real fast.  Said they were going to stop my SS check, lst he said job, file with my state, he also read me my rights over the phone. There were so many red flags. But I hope they catch these guys.  I guess we all need to watch what we do over the internet.  I applied for a car loan for my daughter in my name, and I had tons of callers and all of them with a strong Indian accent.  So I decided I did not want a car and they stopped calling me.  Well I hope other people decide to check out the numbers like we did so no one else get scamed.  Thank you all.

iha pretty much the samething happen to me today 8/16/12 very rude man he is and didnt wanna give any info to me at all had  the 4 of ss# and the last few of my bank account number but reading all this i feel a lil better but can help but wonder whta he can do with the info he has.. but he only had the last 4 so hopefully nothing

or thumper.. i applied for a loan cash advance as well they had the last 4 of my socal and the last couple number of my account number at my bank as well. he was an indain sounding guy and said that the company went to him cause when they went for pmt they couldnt get it and asked me if i was ever charged with fraud or anything he had me realy scared so my husband said to check it out and i typed there name into the better business berue and nothing came up and now i found this he wanted my atterneys name and he would send paper work to him and i said i dont have an atterney and he tryed to get me to settle for 350.00 out of court and if it went to court i would pay up to 5000.00 he gave me his address and everything its probably not real but im not sure who to report this to does anyone have any idea.. this has me very upset..

I got a call from some Indian guy saying he's a lawyer. Got scared at first but not anymore no lawyer gets mad and starts yelling at people an then hangs up thats stupid

I got the same call today 8/15/12 and he said he can't give me any info unless I have a attorney so I told him I don't have an attorney do I want ti know wat ur calling for n he kept telling me to listen I told him don't tell me to listen I'm at work I don't have time for this so I'm Guna hang up n he said that's fine I'll jus have my client file the lawsuit so I said I thought it wa already filed n he jus hung up I called back n he said not to call back so I was worried then I google the number n this ad pops up oh my goodness n it was a India. Sounding guy wat weirdos they need to get a real job I feel a lot better now that I seen this I thought it was a scam   Cuz for sum reason all scam artists sound indain not to be racist but wasn't sure n now I am sure it is a scam thanks to this ad and everyone's comments

A man with a heavy accent named "James Brown" called me to notifiy me that his "client" is pressing charges against me for check fraud and non-payment of a payday loan. I do not have any outstanding payday loans with any company. When I told this guy that I don't owe anyone money and I don't have any oustanding payday loans he started to yell and curse me out. He said that he was going to call my work all day and make "my life a living hell." This is a scam. They try to scare people into paying money they don't really owe.

Phantom Debt Collectors From India Harass Americans, Demand Money

By BRIAN ROSS (@brianross) , CINDY GALLI and MATTHEW MOSK (@mattmosk)
June 7, 2012

Hundreds of thousands of cash-strapped Americans have been targeted by abusive debt collectors operating out of overseas call centers suspected of links to organized crime in India, law enforcement officials told ABC News.

The calls are part of a massive scam, one that appears to target struggling Americans -- especially those who have gone online to apply for payday loans. Armed with personal information from those pilfered applications, the threatening callers, who claim to be debt collectors poised to initiate legal action, have managed to pry loose millions of dollars from their victims -- even when the victims never owed money in the first place.

"This is what we call a phantom debt collection scam," said Jon Leibowitz, the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. "It's a very pernicious and innovative new fraud."

Working through call centers in India, the commission estimates that the criminals have dialed at least 2.5 million calls, persuading already cash-strapped victims to send them more than $5 million. Some have reported receiving dozens of calls per hour. They are victims like Cindy Gervais, of New Orleans, who went online for a quick loan when her husband's car was hit by a driver who didn't have insurance.

Even though she paid the loan off, the so-called "phantom" debt collectors with Indian accents began calling to say she still owed money.

He more or less told me that if I didn't pay, they were going to have someone on my doorstep to arrest me," she told ABC News. "And that they were going to contact my place of business, and tell them what kind of person I am."

At first, she said she resisted. Then the calls became more frequent, and started to ring on her cell phone, and at the grocery distribution company where she had worked for 27 years.

"I was more or less was in panic mode because he told me there would be someone before noon at my place of business to arrest me and take me to jail," she said tearfully. "So I agreed to pay him."

After receiving scores of complaints, investigators with the FTC said they began tracking the calls, and following the payments. They alleged the payments led them to a California company run by an Indian-American named Kirit Patel, and that such scams would not be possible without American front men.

"I would say that all roads of this scam, or many of the roads of this scam, lead back to Mr. Patel," said the FTC's Leibowitz.

ABC News tracked Patel for weeks, from the suburbs of San Francisco to Austin, Texas.

Patel refused to talk. But his lawyer, Mark Ellis, said he believes it is far too early to pass judgment on his client. Ellis, a Sacramento-based attorney, told ABC News that Patel was hired for a nominal fee to set up an American shell company, and had no idea what the call centers in India were doing.

"I can tell you, he was as snookered by the people in India as anybody," Ellis said. "He's a 69-year-old man who is nearing his retirement who thought all he had to do was set up some corporations and everything was on the up and up. He's completely dismayed that he has become the lightning rod of this entire problem."

A close friend of Patel's also defended him in a brief interview at his home, saying Patel was not trying to defraud anyone -- he was just an unwitting, bit player in a larger scheme.

"If Mr. Patel was just a cog in the wheel he seems to have been a pretty big cog," Leibowitz said. "It is clear that Patel was integrally involved with this scam."

Leibowitz points to thousands of pages of financial and phone records gathered by the FTC and filed as part of a civil case brought against him in the U.S. District Court in Sacramento last month. When FTC lawyers sought to freeze his assets and prevent his business from continuing to operate, Patel responded by invoking his rights against self-incrimination. His lawyer told ABC News he has had to be careful in how he responds to the allegations in civil court "because there is a potential criminal action," but that Patel maintains the allegations against him are false.

Federal investigators said the phantom debt collection operation that allegedly benefitted from Patel's assistance was one of several that all trace back to the same small town in Western India called Ahmedabad. Callers use technology to make it appear that the calls originate inside the U.S. Victims provided ABC News with recordings of dozens of the calls, and many of the thickly accented callers appear to be reading off a script.

"Subpoenas have been readied, and Monday morning you're going to be picked up from your home," one caller says on a victim's voicemail. "And you have children. Don't worry about your children. We have a childcare department to take care of the children."

"You will be behind bars for six months," said another caller. "And once you go behind bars, you will lose your job. Once you are behind the bars, you won't get a single drop of water."

William Peerce Howard, a Tampa attorney who represents victims of harassment from debt collectors, said it takes an especially twisted criminal to use threats and coercion to pry money from someone who is already struggling financially

"These guys really are the most visible villains in America today," he said. "They make a living scaring people."

Mark Merola, of Florida, said he just panicked when the caller told him he might be arrested at the deli where he works in a Florida retirement community.

"I was nervous. I didn't want to embarrass myself, my family," he said. He used his debit card to pay the collector $576.

Afterwards, he says he realized "how stupid I was."

"It just happened so fast," he said. "I got scared."

Leibowitz said he hopes with more attention, future potential targets of the scam will recognize red flags before they turn over any money.

If callers say they are from the police, consumers should know that law enforcement officers do not collect debt for private parties. If the caller is speaking with a thick Indian accent, but calls themselves by a names such as Officer Mike Johnson, that should be a tip off. And if they're calling 40 times in two hours, that's another red flag. "Legitimate debt collectors, legitimate pay day lenders don't do those sorts of things," he said.

Merola said he would like to see anyone involved in the scam prosecuted aggressively.

"There's no place in society for these people," he said.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/phantom-debt-co ... 16512428&page=2

A man with a heavy accent named "James Brown" called me to notifiy me that his "client" is pressing charges against me for check fraud and non-payment of a payday loan. I do not have any outstanding payday loans with any company. When I told this guy that I don't owe anyone money and I don't have any oustanding payday loans he started to yell and curse me out. He said that he was going to call my work all day and make "my life a living hell."

Hi JT, I just got the same phone call, he knew my work , ss# and even my banking info. He said is name was James Brown also same indian accent! He said he was filing a suit and against me and i better get an attorney and that I would lose my job if I did not pay him today! This is nuts. I dont even know who to call about this.

stupid foreigner calls with all kinds of threats but i have reported it to the fbi and an inverstigation is underway

I have been getting the same call (8 times in  one night)... same thing... I have a lawsuit against me & I can settle out of court... Mr. James Brown (Indian Man Named James Brown... get outta Here!) also had my SSN... didn't tell him anything & hung up on him again.  Hasn't called back yet!  I did apply for a PayDay Loan last week... so it seems to tie together!

I received a threatening call from this number. They even left a message on my cell phone. What frightens me is that they had my social security number. They wanted the name of my attorney and said they were pressing charges against me. I immediately knew it was a scam, but how did they get my social security number and how might they use my number?

this idiots call claiming there from law offices call goodwin proter, bull s*** there a bunch of dumb a***s that dont know english verry well with there stupid indian accent.and said i owe a payday loan that i never took. but i quess i was smarter then them because i dint fall for there stupid scam(HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW!!!!!)

OMG I just got a call from this number last year July 29, 2012 and I gave them 490.00 I thought it was real then somethin told me to call the 408-340-7773 number back and it was disconnected then today July 30,2912 this Indian man calls again wit the same thing and for da same loan person I knew it was somethin cuz I just paid that 490 last year and he call again wit the same name of the payday loan I said o no this ain't right so I got scared I let my sister act like a lawyer and he try and lie and say he ain't call me and he don't know what she is talkin bout and he was very rude to let everyone know this is not tru It's a scam

I have been recieving a call from this number for a couple of days. and while yes I did apply for a payday loan last week, The money was never deposited and I know they did not have all my acct info. No decent attorney ever files in your town they file it in County. I checked my bank and no overdrafts, No deposit from anyone other than my job. I told them this and they had the nerve to ask if I had ever been arrested for fraud, bounced checks etc,. I said no and I told them that my bank does not do overdrafts. I told them I wanted documentation in writing the name of the loan company, and phone #. he said he had everything and Hung up!! he also stated that he was from the DEA in DC

I just got a call from this # and when I asked him what this was about and how he got my ssn he became rude so i cursed him out and told him I was going to report him he hung up so I googled the phone # i had no idea that this many people had recieved the same call.