i too received a call from this number yesterday afternoon and spoke to a BEN EVANS and i dont know about any of you but i was scared..i was told that some loan company over the internet was pressing charges on me for not paying back a loan..i then went my bank and told them what had happened..i was told that there is a possibility that this is a scam..after i was done at the bank i went home and realized i had a voicemail..i listened to it and it turned out to be the guy from the "law firm" he told me that me or my attorney needed to contact him and that i was not to disreguard this message or the phone call and that if he didnt hear from me or my attorney that the only thing he could was wish me good luck..i then went to the police and after a few hang ups and call backs the police finally told him that if he didnt quit calling my phone that he was gonna be pressed with harassment charges..

I am a Managing Partner of a CPA firm.  I give my personal mobile number out frequently.  Once I became overwhelmed with calls, at home and the office I hired an answering service to answer all calls and e-mail me transcripts of messages.  This stops almost all telemarketers except the illegals like "SHAWN WILLIAMS/LAW FIRM" as he identified himself to my answering service.  He refused to leave any other message except "PLEASE, CALL. WOULD NOT LEAVE FURTHER INFO." (direct from the transcript.)  In the course of my work, I deal with attorneys, but I know most of them by name, and since they are calling a business, they will often leave the name of their firm as well.  All calls to my service are recorded.  A few days ago I received a call from (presumably) this idiot disguising his number as with a 772 area code.   I called back and demanded to know his name, his firms's name and what business he had.  As soon as he started saying the VERY  vulgar things he wanted to do do my wife, mother and sister, I knew immediately he was not an attorney.  I am very busy, but I had some staff who was not.  We ended up flooding his line with calls and be actually BLOCKED OUR NUMBERS.  I find it humorous that a telemarketer would "get a dose of his own medicine" and block incoming numbers. He has called back using different names AFTER BLOCKING OUR NUMBERS. In call type, there is no selection for "scam," so I selected "prank call" because this guy (or group of similar sounding foreigners) is a joke.  If they want to scam Americans, they should research our legal system to at least sound like they have half a brain.  Their numbers are spoofed and probably overseas where the FBI does not have jurisdiction over their illegal practices and vile threats of assault and other violence.

I recieved a call from them around 1:00pm. The guy had a real thick accent and while he was talking I could barely make out what he was saying so when I asked him to repeat himself, he got angry and said I could not interrupt him while he was reading the affadavit. I was like really I played along with him and asked him who did I owe and how much he said I owed a payday loan called cash america and I owed them 690 dollars. He said I was getting arrested on monday at my place of buisness and he then started to read me my rights it was hysterical. I'm not new to these scams I recieved phone calls last year and I was terrified about them knowing my social security number and they will call every number you put on your loan application or whatever you filled out online for references. I wasn't aware that they pull money out your account because when I played along with the one from last year and asked them for my account info they replied they couldn't give it to me due to privacy lol but they read my ss# out before they knew who they were talking to. I just told him today that I don't know who cash america is and I don't have the money and he said well your going to jail on monday l said okay good bye and I haven't recieved another call. last year I let them talk to me for an hour and I act like I was going to pay them and at the end I told them I wasn't going to pay them anything and there's a whole blog about you bums and she started cursing and before she hung up she said f**k them damn blogs I was crying laughing!

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

i have been called by this number saying that i will be going to jail from my place of business if i dont repay a loan they said i took out on april 20th 2012 from a company i never delt with called american cash. I called the number back and he said his name was working for a company called THOMPSON&LIVINGSTON LAW FIRM. HE WAS CUSSING ME OUT CALLING ME OUT MY NAME AND CONTINUED TO CALL MY PHONE AND PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT being very rude. how do i press charges on this matter. the internet shows a number and city and state but no physical address.

I too received the same phone call from "Livingston & Assoc. Law" stating I owed money from a loan that was deposited into my account. And police were going to come to my work and arrest me, take me to court. I was to have $800.00 to pay them or I would go to jail for 30 days. Called my sister who is a paralegal, and got confirmation from her that this was a scam. I never even borrowed any money, but my mistake was applying for a online loan but never finishing up on them because most of them didnt
make sense. they got all my info, SSN, workplace, bank acct info. everything! CALL YOUR ATTORNEY
GENERAL OFFICE to report this number and if you get anymore calls tellthem that the Attorney General's office is investigating them. That should put a stop to them calling you anymore.

I receive the same call, and I got so upset that I told them you keep calling me and I know you are a scam, and you calling back again, not once but twice they called, and I curse them out and I called back AGAIN AND AGAIN  AND AGAIN, I WAS NOT PLAYING, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO CALL ME AND GET ME UPSET, I GAVE THEM THE SAME TREATMENT BACK AND MORE, i DID MY INVESIGATION ON THEM AS WELL, I HAVE A LIST OF ALL THE NUMBERS THEY CALL ME FROM.

I too was just called by them about an hour ago. They also stated that they are for a law firm and that I will be arrested and charged with fraud for a loan I took out. I am currently a Paralegal student so I knew everything they were saying to me was a lie. I asked to speak to the lawyer on the case and they told me that they will switch me over to the Paralegal. They transfered me to some other lady, all up until than had a really strong middle eastern accent. When speaking with her she told me "why will you not pay your loan you took out? We are going to have you arrested in 48 hours!" I kept trying to ask her what loan and what company is it from. She was getting mopre and more upset and screming at me. We went back and forth for a good while. I kept trying to ask her about this so called debt and she kept insisting that I will be arrested in 48 hours. I had informed her that she is suppose to serve me with papers and there is no jail for a debt. Just a lawsuit. I than lied to her and told her I was looking her up on my Lexis Nexis and there is no information on them. At that point she hung up on me.

A few minutes later I decided to srart calling tham vback and give them a taste of their own harrassment. I kept calling them telling them that they are going to be arrested with in 48 hours for harrassment and fraud for trying to steal my information. Than I would hang up. After a few times of me calling them I recieve a call from another #. 818-338-9680. When I answered they hung up. I called them back and he was asking me what I wanted and why was I calling him. I hung up and called the other # to, shockingly, was the same guy on the end. At that point I told him that I now have another number that I will be reporting he laughed and hung up.

I decided to just diconnect my phone and leave it be. Lets see how long this lasts.

Just left the Hialeah Gardens Police Station. After  filing a police report under this issue i faced today, they took all the information from this site and copies of the calls that were made from that number into my phone. They filed a report for Identity theft for my protection. They stated that the phone number is not registered in the state of IL and that the phone number is generated via satelite. These people are now wanted for identity theft and Fraud. The more inputs we get on this page the strong the case gets against these people. In my case these people infact have access to my account. yesterday they ran a transaction for $30.00 and according to the detective that spoke to me, he stated that is a transaction conducted to check balances and account activeness. i had to close my account because local police stated that most likely they would end up compremising my bank account and stealing the money from it. I own an electric company and this has been a huge issue for me seing that i dont know where to put the money at untill this clears up. since they have my social security number they can know where my accounts are. These people may not be so bright talking on the phone but, truth is they are master minds stealing your identity.

Today at 12:10pm I received a call from this phone number stating that they are an attorneys office and that if i knew the reason why they were calling? I said i did not and he said hold the line. I stayed on the line the guys started pushing some numbers and immediately som other guy picked up the phone. Stated i was being charged with 3 criminal charges and that i would be picked up by local authorities this friday at my place of employment. I panicked I questioned him where he received the information he said his client is American Cash. That i received a loan that was deposites into my regions account. He read me my SS#, DOB, ADDRESS, and place of employment. I did some research on the name of the loan company i was provided with, no information on that place. I searched for the phone number and I found this place. Now i am more calm knowing this was all a scam. I am currently at my bank closing my accout and fileling identity theft protection through my bank. If these people have mentioned your bank information and SS# make sure to get protected. Before you end up finding your identity stolen and facing real charges

I too got a call twice yesterday and three times today I answered and I went off on him.i told him don't call this number no more or I'm going to the authorities.he tried to get loud with me and I said f you and hung up.i called my cell phone provider and got a block on that number so that he can reach me no more freaking idiot.these scam and fraudulent artist should be arrested and put under the jail for this foolishness.

i got a call at work and they told the person that they need to have me call them about a legal matter..my store management called me at home.  i called the number and was threatened with court costs and the amount of loan..i was told to go to walmart and get a green dot  i called the company i was dealing with to reduce my loans to one payment who informed me that it is a scam and to google their phone #.  this lead me here and now i just need to stop them  i was told to tell them the fbi is monitering my phone..i just want them to go away..

I received the same phone call today from the 300-200-0536 number. The caller had a strong middle eastern accent and stated that his name was Kevin and I committed fraud by not paying a payday loan back that I received in March from an online company. I informed him I had never received a payday loan and he had mistaking with someone else. Then he went on to tell me that I was the person who he was looking for and would be arrested in 24 - 48 hours at my place of business and hung up. I then contacted him back for his company information and he stated he was from Thompson & Livingston Associates and refused to give me his address. My husband then called and he told my husband he does not talk to little stupid people and kept hanging up in his face. I contacted my Attorney and she informed me vto check my credit report to make sure no fraud was being committed on it  and she would take it from there.

This call really ticked me off and they better glad I can't reach out and touch them!!!!

I recieved the same phone calls since yesterday. The same names numbers everything. He said that I would be arrested thursday morning at my place of employment. So be careful everyone. Im getting the authorities in on this plus I have a REAL attorney. !!!!!!

Yes - I too was almost fooled.  I spoke to a Ted Cummings, Paul Smith, Elaine Marucs and Erica (last name not provided).  My heart dropped when I received a call this morning from "Mr. Cummings" who told me that I was going to be arrested at my place of work or home because of a late fee that was assessed on a cash advance that I placed on April 28, 2012.  The irony is that I did indeed take a loan out around that time, but payed it in full on time.  

As I did some research and used some common sense, it was clear that this was a scam.  First, Mr. Cummings said that he was a paralegal, who also answered the phones.  In addition, when my husband called Thompson and Livingson (name of supposed law firm) - Mr. Cummings gave my husband all the information pertaining to the supposed case.  Although I am married, any cash loans that I have requested have been made under my name and SS # - not my husband, therefore it is illegal for "Mr. Cummings" to provide any information concerning my loans to anyone,even my husband.  PLEASE BE AWARE AND BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY...THIS IS A HORRIBLE SCAM!!!

my husband received a phone call from the same number also, i called back and ask what is going on and what is this all about. he said that he is a paralegal for the law office and they are taking action for not paying back a loan, which is false cause we did not receive any money. then i asked if this was a joke and i told him you are b***s***ting me. wtf we need to do something about this. why don't we flood his phone with calls harrassing him and lets see what this a***ipe does.

I have gotten two calls from this number on my cell phone.  Glad I looked here first.  RIGHT ON to Margaret in VA that fired back.  I FOOMCLMAOd big time.  I am going to pass this along to everyone I know, right after I have the number blocked.

I got a call from a Sam Richards at 309-200-0536.  I said to him that his name did not match his voice and he just kept asking for the person.  He then threaten legal actions and I told him that he had better not call back to my house again if he was going to be threatening, in a very calm voice and he said yes.  I hung up.  I think when he calls back, I am gonna play with him a little bit.  Maybe fake sex or fake killing myself or something like that.  Maybe I will say everything he says to me back to him.  That would be so much fun.  I don't know these people and I don't have a payday loan.  Turn about is fair play!  I will let you know if he calls back!

Love it!  I wonder if everyone on this site started to call him back and hound him, would he like that.  Great job Margaret.  You are a little spitfire.  You go girl!

Got a call from the same number today at work. Got on a computer an checked my account no money was deposited from any other place that my work. I am in the process of talking to the athorities but like an earlier post said they are probly overseas somehow using a U.S. phone number when it shows up on your caller id. They are very rude and have a thick middle-eastern acsent. If you get a call from this number just pick up and hang up like i had to about 30 times today. If you do not pick up and hang up they will just leave you nasty voicemails stating that you need to call them back the very second you can. They will pick up the phone with different names every time. Overall its a scam but im sure until you get on this website and read these posts it will scare you alittle. What scares me the most is they have my work number and my ss#.

Got a call on my business switchboard from this # and a man with a heavy Middle Eastern accent asked for for a name that I didn't recognize.  I told him that we had no such person here by that name and he started to pressure me, asking if I was sure.  I told him I'd double check (although I knew that no one worked here by that name) and I started asking questions.  The guy said he was with some legal department and that they were working wtih the local police that that he NEEDED to speak to the person he asked for.  Righ then and there, I knew he was full of "baloney" and I told him so.  I then told him again that we had no one here by that name.

Well, my buddy got rude with me and I got rude right back with him, which irritated him even more.  He demanded to speak to my boss and I told him, "No."  He then said he INSISTED on speaking to my boss.  Again, I told him, "No."  I said, "You can't speak to anyone at this company unless I transfer you.  Doesn't it suck that you can't get past me??"  He started to get angry with me and I told him, "Tell you what.  If you want to speak to my boss, you have to do one thing.  I want you to stomp your feet and say "please" in a whining voice!"  He called me a very rude name and I asked him, "So is that the first or second word that they taught you in English?"

He continued to rant and rave against me and threatened more legal action than I can shake a stick at.  I literally laughed at him and told him that he's really screwing up his call times by continuing an unproductive call with me and he immediately hung up :)  Then I started calling HIM back - relentlessly!  I'm guessing he doesn't have Caller ID because he (and yes, the same guy who called me kept answering  the phone) kept answering "Legal Department".  I would then say something insulting to him and then hang up.  (No, I didn't have anything better to do at work yesterday afternoon and NO, I will NOT grow up!).  Obviously he was livid and I finally asked him how it feels to be harrassed and hounded.  I kept asking him that in a loud, pressuring voice.  "Huh, buddy?  How do you like it??  C'mon, tell me how it feels to be on the other end of the phone!"  Strangely, he never hun up on me.

Finally I stopped and got back to work.  Then he started calling me.  I immediately transferred his call to a fax #, a local recorded line about fraud, courtesy of my City's government, and then directly to the FTC.

He hasn't called back; he knows he won't win against me :)

Yes, it is illegal, but your tormentors are likely overseas, and difficult to stop.

DO NOT answer their calls.

<http://800notes.com/forum/ta-5967f134228cfe0/ ... alls-from-india>

<http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpajump.shtm>

<http://800notes.com/forum/ta-4f7d326029dcf9d/ ... lectors-finally>

I got a call from 309-200-0536 and was told if I didn't pay off my late loan ASAP, I would be served legal documents and at my work place. I asked them to sent me an email stating what I owed and said they don't send emails that I would only get a notice of payment once they received the money through a PayPal card. They were willing to take payment in 3 payments.  They claimed to be a legal firm. I was nervous and didn't get the name, nothing like this has ever happened to me. They said I should have recieve an affidavit, which I hadn't.  I asked them to send me a copy and was told it was too late, because the matter would be in court by the time I got it. I've had payday loans and they knew that, but when I asked them which loan they were talking about they couldn't give me that information and was told that USA loans have hundreds of lenders. Since I'm paying off a payday loan, I almost went for it. I was a reck and didn't want legal action and couldn't understand why this was happening and was ready to pay off the amount. I decided I would look into further, thank goodness. I spoke with a Paul Smith and a mr. cummings.

Received a call from this number, caller id stated it was Illinois and there was a very rude woman saying that I was going to be arrested at my place of business if I didn't pay back the loan owed.

Received a call (heavy foreign accent with major background noise like a bus terminal) and I didn't answer.  (It said BLOOMINGTON IL on the screen and I don't know anyone there).  The message left on my answering was almost unintelligible, but what I did get was:  "My name is Barry Jones [yeah, right] and it is important that you or your attorney of record return this call the very second you get it.  Call 309-200-0536.  If you and your attorney disregard this call and fail to return it immediately, you will be in deep legal trouble."  This number had called earlier while I was out and did not leave a message.  Did a little research on the web, and 309 is a legit area code for Illinois, BUT there is no 200 prefix, there are anywhere else I could find.  I will not attempt to dial the number at all, since that can be monitored to give them further identifying data and do nothing but confirm that I got their message at all.  So I came here to report it, and now I will go to my phone service provider and have this number blocked.  Sure am getting tired of this nonsense -- I have entered over twenty numbers to be blocked so far this spring..  With all the laws and regulations in existence, isn't there something that covers this?  Any legitimate lawyers reading this who care to share some sound advice?  No pranks or scams, please!

I received a call saying that if we didn't call right away there would be serious consequences and that they were a law firm.  When I called them they said we were being charged with fraud.  I laughed and hung up.  My husband called and they called him by name before he even gave them his name.  He hung up on them.  I called them again and asked what law firm they were and they told me Thompson and Livonson Legal Associates and I asked why are they not listed then and they hung up on me.