I ALSO PAID THEM MONEY I NEED HELP THEY KEEP CALLING MY JOB HARRRASING ME FOR MORE MONEY . WESTERN UNION TOLD ME I WAS BEEN FRAUD . PLEASE HELP

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 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.

Read this investigative report ABC News did on this scam:

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 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.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/phantom-debt-co ... ory?id=16512428

o my this happen to me just yesterday and I work at a hospital it was jamming the switch board crazy but my administrator said I am the 3rd person it happen too. we blocked their number they cussed us and it was crazy

Receiving harrassing & threatening telephone calls.  Using terminology as "FBI" and "legal department" as a scare tactic.

You're an idiot.

Kristy, print these out and take them to your bosses.. They need to understand what is going on here. This is a extortion scam that is being ramped up. It is NOT your fault.. They will need to call their phone service provider about seeing this number gets blocked.

A couple of links to articles here about these type of calls:
http://800notes.com/forum/ta-944ec1426a8bcbb/ ... service-attacks
And see:

http://800notes.com/forum/ta-86217073a9c8dad/ ... 077595690349410
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http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0258-fake-debt-collectors
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http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/pressreleases/extortion_scam.htm
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http://www.fdcpa.me/fake-process-server-injunction/
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http://800notes.com/forum/ta-9413b3202bc8b6c/ ... net%27s-tactics
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http://dfi.wa.gov/consumers/alerts/cashnet-payday.htm
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http://www.cashnetusa.com/consumer-notices
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http://800notes.com/forum/ta-4f7d326029dcf9d/ ... lectors-finally
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Extortion Scam Related to Delinquent Payday Loans

Washington, D.C.
December 07, 2010  FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691

? filed under: Press Release

The Internet Crime Complaint Center has received many complaints from victims of payday loan telephone collection scams. Callers claim the victim is delinquent in a payday loan and must repay the loan to avoid legal consequences. The callers purport to be representatives of the FBI, Federal Legislative Department, various law firms, or other legitimate-sounding agencies. They claim to be collecting debts for companies such as United Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Net, and other Internet check-cashing services.

According to complaints received from the public, the callers have accurate data about victims, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, employer information, bank account numbers, and the names and telephone numbers of relatives and friends. How the fraudsters obtained the personal information varies, but in some cases victims have reported they completed online applications for other loans or credit cards before the calls started.

The fraudsters relentlessly call the victim?s home, cell phone, and place of employment. They refuse to provide any details about the alleged payday loans and become abusive when questioned. The callers have threatened victims with legal actions, arrests, and, in some cases, physical violence if they do not pay. In many cases, the callers harass victims? relatives, friends, and employers.
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Also read up on the laws and your rights:

http://800notes.com/arts/Jb8EW-eDhQA/harassin ... ou-need-to-know
See Residents post here also:
http://800notes.com/forum/ta-34af6a034ba34b6/unending-collection-calls

http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpajump.shtm
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/search ...
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0096-fair-credit-reporting-act.pdf
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0149-debt-collection
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To report Extortion Scam Operations, file reports with the FBI, your state attorney general and Department Of Justice,CFB,FTC & FCC..

http://www.nw3c.org/
http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
http://www.fbi.gov/
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#&panel1-1
https://esupport.fcc.gov/ccmsforms/form1088.action
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/

They have been harassing me at work that they have legal complaint against my name and the name of the company is cash advance like really also they tied up my phone lines at work they don't care about getting me fired they need to be stopped immediately

Hi my name I latoya this number has been calling my job all morning jamming up both lines harnessing and threatening me saying I owe this and that. I said I wanted to take it to court but they said they were gonna keep calling...

They are doing me the same way. It has been happening over two years too. So i am going to tell them the same thing they told me. And hopefully it will stop. I AM TIRED OF THIS

I have received calls from these people every couple of months for the past two years. They have threatened me, saying they have my social security number and other personal details.

Phillip-can you email me at awarren @ Mdta.state.md.us   I need to know how you sent them money.

Yes that was their old number. These guys for the past three days have continuously called my work. They are using some kind of computer recall hardware and recall with a second. Fortunately my work was very understanding and over looked it. My boss finally just told them that he had fired me and to stop calling. The calls finally stopped today. My advice, don't even talk to these people. If they call, just ignore it or hang up.

Was this the old number.  3476031626?  Same names asked me to call back.  Got police on phone with adrian walker and he told the cop he was my husband and he was tryinh to get me out of it.

Called my work and same requests.  I gave them nothing.  Im reporting the number.

I received a call back on December 17th for my work saying that there was a gentleman with a thick indian accent, call my place of employment repeatedly trying to contact me about a cash advance I supposedly owed. I called the gentleman, and he demanded I pay 800 dollars or he would continue to call my work, until I lost my job. He demanded that I money gram him 105 dollars right away and once I did, the calls would stop for two weeks. I did send him the money like a fool. First I was scared that I was going to lose my job, so I sent them money so that he'd stop calling. Then after two weeks he called back, but this time I was ready. I asked right away what his company's name was. He said that his company's name was cash advance, but he was not authorized to give me anymore details, not even any documentation that this was a legit debt. I refused to pay him anything more until my demands were met. Since then he has been spamming my work and congesting the phone system there. This is the newest return number they gave to me. Their contact number seems to continuously change after a few weeks. The two gentlemen that I interacted with in this time call themselves Adrian Walker and David Jones, though I have no doubt those are fictitious names. I have contacted my local police dept, the FBI, the ohio attorney general, and the FTC, yet after 3 days they are still spamming my work. These guys are using fear to get what they want, but I'll be damned if this American is gonna be bullied anymore. I spent three hours today continuously spamming them with calls, just like they are doing to me. I'm not sure what else to do here, I have to fight back somehow.