760-512-1382
CA, US
 | rjripper 2013-01-22 22:31:52 Debt Collector |
This person just called my work 50 TIMES today they finally called the police, I hope these people get caught and severe penalties are imposed. I work hard for my money and I'm afraid that if they continue to call my work that I will lose my job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
| angela 2012-07-24 00:51:09 Unknown |
These mf have been blowing up my cell and work phone relentlessly!! With b***s*** about they r a law firm and someone. Has filed criminal charges against me!! Really??? I called to ask wtf was this s*** they were "trying " to pull and got hung up on, to show how mf slow they are and not up on their game they are f****ng stupid enough to leave voice recordings on my cell!! I will be turning this s*** over to authorities. Ans. I am personally contacting. The fcc!!
| Alfalfa 2012-07-20 21:36:54 Unknown |
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
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
| Peter Laserinko 2012-07-20 21:31:57 Debt Collector |
Just got another call from these a** holes ,,I reported to my Locale Sheriff, and he called them, when he informed them that he has no record of any paper work to be delivered to me for my arrest, he told them that he had the California state Sheriffs office on line for this three way call. these Chicken s**** hung up..
i also reported to my bank, and the FTC.. and all three Credit Bureaus...
we should all get together and teach these A** Holes a serous lesson....
i also reported to my bank, and the FTC.. and all three Credit Bureaus...
we should all get together and teach these A** Holes a serous lesson....
| Peter Laserinko 2012-07-20 20:39:42 Debt Collector |
just got a phone call again, from these idiots ,,now a new number 1-760-512-1382..
claiming to be a Law Firm from California....
claiming to be a Law Firm from California....
| ophelia 2012-07-19 21:08:37 Unknown |
These people call me abt 60 times in one day asking for payment of which I have no clue, no detail of $1500, plus dollars for the sherriff would pick me up, I told him go to hell and get a job and I reported them to the sheriff dept.. He was only interested in getting my debit or credit card over the phone
| Leo 2012-07-18 20:26:50 Unknown |
These people call several times a day. They will not send any info and are rude. When you question them they hang up just to call later.
| chad 2012-07-16 23:40:32 Unknown |
you need to call about 50 more times each time they called begging me to just stop calling finally
| chad 2012-07-16 23:38:06 Debt Collector |
well as you all know the same thing they call they read the script then hang up when you tell them it's a scam.... but today it was different when they did it today I got the 2 phone numbers I had been saving and called and called maybe over 100 times till a mAn called from another number and ask me to stop calling and said they would never call again so now I will have to wait and see if this has worked I will keep you guys updated
| I'M OVER THESE SCAMS 2012-07-13 20:44:18 Unknown |
Report to the FTC or Federal Trade Commision at www.ftc.gov .. I have reported to the local sheriff's office 1st then my local FBI office and then they told me to also file report with the FTC. To this day these idiots still call me and I just have fun with them now telling them that I'm sending them $1,000.00 right away!! Then I call them like 50 times in a row until they take their phone off the hook cause I called them so many times. It's all a big scam!!!
| thomas ellis 2012-07-11 18:34:05 Unknown |
I recieved the same thing...
| Ms. Williams 2012-07-06 17:45:55 Unknown |
The caller keeps calling my job and I work at a federal government institute. He keeps threatening me and is demanding money. This guy has a distinct accent. It scares me to know how this person or people got my information in the first place. Be carefeul...and tell these people that they will be reported to the FBI promptly.
| Charles 2012-07-05 18:41:40 Debt Collector |
Same script....exactly. These people are relentless. They take advantage of people at their weakest point, when they are struggling financially and use scare tactics to go in for the kill. Word of advice: if Mike Rogers or James Smith calls with information about legal action against your name and SS#, don't stress. The sheriff won't be at your door and you will not be going to jail for 6 months. Just get your finances in order and make arrangements with your creditors.
| nikki 2012-07-02 21:09:41 Unknown |
i have bee receiving calls from these jerks too. i have gave them money for the last 3 weeks and roger was his name said it was over. today july 2 i get a phone call sayin that they were given me my money back and the sheriff would be at my door. i panicked of course.he also said that he got my crdit reported and i needed to give him 1545.00 in two hours or the sheriff would be coming to get me. so i then called the sheriff dept. myself and the told me that it sounded like a scam. but the detective himself works for the sheriff department directly and told me not to worry at all. he did then do research and email the page where i am at now. this stuff is really crazy. does anyone know where to report scams like this.
| Nella 2012-06-29 21:36:56 Debt Collector |
Said he was an attorney named Roger Gelb, looking for my step-dtr who does not live with us. Said there were criminal charges. Phone is in California and we are on east coast...
She is breaking up with her husband and he has given all the names & phone numbers from her address book to various scammers, all of her family and friends are getting calls from several numbers.
She is breaking up with her husband and he has given all the names & phone numbers from her address book to various scammers, all of her family and friends are getting calls from several numbers.
| Heather 2012-06-28 22:19:32 Unknown |
James, try a couple of things...
Two days ago when I got a call, I blasted the radio in the phone. Yesterday they called and I did the same thing. Then they called back about an hour later and I blasted the radio again. After they hung up, I called them back and blasted the radio. I did that about 6 times. I haven't heard from them since! My uncle works for the FBI. They are a SCAM!!!! And hopefully one day they will get to who is behind this! This is very annoying and should not be allowed to get by with this! They are affecting people's lives!
Two days ago when I got a call, I blasted the radio in the phone. Yesterday they called and I did the same thing. Then they called back about an hour later and I blasted the radio again. After they hung up, I called them back and blasted the radio. I did that about 6 times. I haven't heard from them since! My uncle works for the FBI. They are a SCAM!!!! And hopefully one day they will get to who is behind this! This is very annoying and should not be allowed to get by with this! They are affecting people's lives!
| James Hawks 2012-06-28 19:07:27 Unknown |
These jerks have been harrassing me on my cell phone, AND my employer! This guy called me about a month ago claiming that there was a lawsuit against myself and my social security number, and he told me that I would be served by a sheriff the very next day at my job. It never happened, and when I contacted my pay day loan lender, they told me it was a scam, and to ignore it.
Well, an indian man called me at work today, and I told him to take my work number off from their calling list and he refused to listen to me. He was combative on the phone, and I hung up on him. He called back a minute later, and we had the same conversation, and I hung up. He called me a third time, and I yelled at him to take my employers number off the list and stop calling. He called AGAIN a few minutes later, and my boss took the phone call and told him to stop calling here, and he argued with my boss! My boss hung up on him, and he called back TWO MORE TIMES, and left a voicemail saying all the same stuff we had just discussed over three conversations. We have saved the voicemail.
Well, an indian man called me at work today, and I told him to take my work number off from their calling list and he refused to listen to me. He was combative on the phone, and I hung up on him. He called back a minute later, and we had the same conversation, and I hung up. He called me a third time, and I yelled at him to take my employers number off the list and stop calling. He called AGAIN a few minutes later, and my boss took the phone call and told him to stop calling here, and he argued with my boss! My boss hung up on him, and he called back TWO MORE TIMES, and left a voicemail saying all the same stuff we had just discussed over three conversations. We have saved the voicemail.
| James 2012-06-28 19:03:49 Unknown |
These a***oles have been harrassing me on my cell phone, AND my employer! This guy called me about a month ago claiming that there was a lawsuit against myself and my social security number, and he told me that I would be served by a sheriff the very next day at my job. It never happened, and when I contacted my pay day loan lender, they told me it was a scam, and to ignore it.
Well, do***ebag indian man called me at work today, and I told him to take my work number off from their calling list and he refused to listen to me. He was combative on the phone, and I hung up on him. He called back a minute later, and we had the same conversation, and I hung up. He called me a third time, and I yelled at him to take my employers number off the list and stop calling. He called AGAIN a few minutes later, and my boss took the phone call and told him to stop calling here, and he argued with my boss! My boss hung up on him, and he called back TWO MORE TIMES, and left a voicemail saying all the same b***s*** we had just discussed over three conversations.
Who do I report this 760-512-1382 number to, and how? Please help!
Well, do***ebag indian man called me at work today, and I told him to take my work number off from their calling list and he refused to listen to me. He was combative on the phone, and I hung up on him. He called back a minute later, and we had the same conversation, and I hung up. He called me a third time, and I yelled at him to take my employers number off the list and stop calling. He called AGAIN a few minutes later, and my boss took the phone call and told him to stop calling here, and he argued with my boss! My boss hung up on him, and he called back TWO MORE TIMES, and left a voicemail saying all the same b***s*** we had just discussed over three conversations.
Who do I report this 760-512-1382 number to, and how? Please help!
| shell 2012-06-28 19:03:21 Unknown |
got the same call
| Heather 2012-06-27 00:05:23 Unknown |
Just received a call as well! They have also called from a few other numbers. They threaten me that the sheriff will be coming to take me to jail. And they have left messages saying, "All I can say is I wish you good luck with this because you're going to jail! WHATEVER!!!!! My uncle works for the FBI! Nice try!! The last time they called, I turned the radio up full blast and put my phone up to the speaker! We will see if they call back! JERKS!!!! Keep your dirty laundry and illegal practices in your OWN country!
| Mitchell 2012-06-21 12:59:43 Debt Collector |
Yes, I got called from this number last night at my job. Very heavy Indian accent. He called 3 times. It sounded suspicious because I know that you cannot get arrested for a civil action. If you owe sa company money and you don't pay, they have to send the account to collections and then take you to court. The caller says that you or your attorney has to call back. No company you owe money to wants to have an attorney call on your behalf because they know the laws. It's just so aggravating. I'm glad I have a personal work number.
| Genny 2012-06-20 22:53:51 Unknown |
Please tell me who I can report this I have voice mails saved on my phone from the woman caller. Telling me I must want to lose my job & go to jail for 6 months. Then when I called the guy back he got smart with me & asked me if I knew where my mom was.
| Wendy 2012-06-20 20:21:55 Debt Collector |
I read through all of other people's post and they are the same script as what these dumb #$&% keep calling me about, and its like they read from a script too cuz its always identical each time what the message says!
| Marsha 2012-06-20 00:02:51 Unknown |
They have called my home at least three times a day saying that they are legal and criminal charges against me. I called back when I said I didn't have a attorney they read a rehearsed summons and not to interrupt or it couldn't be recorded. They also called my employer and left a message. I figured this out when I signed up for loans on line I entered this information and they had my email address and said they had my social security number. They said that Cash advance was not suing me but the federal government was. I called the police department they said they couldn't do anything unless I gave them money. The sum that they wanted was 591.23 or the fines would be 6000.00 and 6 years in jail for fraud and bad check also breaking a loan agreement. They need to stop these dishonest people so us hard working americans can live in peace.
| Karin 2012-06-14 00:35:09 Unknown |
Received a call from an Indian woman saying that there were some legal and criminal charges against me. She told me to call the law office of "David Moore" - (760) 512-1382. I called and this time an Indian man answer the phone saying that his paralegal had called me because there were some legal and criminal charges against me. I kept asking question and he wouldn't answer. He told me he was going to read the summons and that I should not interrupt him. When I told him I couldn't understand what he was saying, he said "wait for the sheriff" and then hung up on me.
They had my full name and social security number.
They had my full name and social security number.
| Nayasia 2012-06-08 22:14:26 Unknown |
Same thing. I did get called from them. They said, they will be arrest me over about money or something. I don't really understood clearly, because I am deaf. So, I called them back, they said don't bother or call me . if you did and they will arrest me! I don't understand whats going on. its so scary and treatment me. how they did know my Social Security and phone number. its was happen today.
| Alfalfa 2012-06-08 15:30:14 Unknown |
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
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
| Tina 2012-06-08 15:26:59 Unknown |
I just received the same Icall from these jerks. I couldn't understand anything they was saying. I called back and told them I was going to report them to local authorities they hung up.
| Summer 2012-06-07 23:07:21 Unknown |
I got the same phone call at work, stating that they were a legal agency and that the sherrif would be out to my place of employement if I did not go to wal mart and transfer money within one hour. They had all my personal information including my address and full social.
| Joseph 2012-06-07 01:54:34 Unknown |
To whom did you report this so I can report mine I received a call this week from this same number they have my full ss number
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