Fact 1)  The DNC list CLEARLY does not work, everyone should knows this by know, it's a government program that doesn't function like all or most programs they generate.
Fact 2) Filing a complaint with the FCC does not work, a total waste of time; done that.
Fact 3) Having an unlisted phone will not help you.
Fact 4) Asking/begging telemarketers to take you off their call list does not work!
Fact 5) No "class action" suits are filed and certainly, this is not a remedy. Many of these telemarketers are in other countries and out of the jurisdiction of the USA.
Fact 6) Complaining to the BBB is a corrupt organization that sells their ratings to the highest bidder.
QUIT BEING FRUSTRATED over Telemarketers-Scammers & Bill Collectors HOUNDING day after day!
*******DON'T GET MAD ? HIT BACK!**********************
*******STOP BEING ANNOYED - STOP BEING A VICTIM*****
*******PURCHASE A CALL BLOCKING TELEPHONE!!!*******
Uniden and Panasonic make CALL BLOCKING telephones.  They?re cheap - $40-$60 and they usually come with a 2nd wireless handset, and they work beautifully!  These phones also block ?PRIVATE?, ?OUT OF AREA? and "UNKNOWN" calls!!!
?Some phone companies include a *60 call block feature with their service???

No. They claim to be attorneys, but refuse to give the bar number of anyone at their "firm". They also do not have even a passing knowledge of the law.

you can call FBI or FTC.gov
18773824357
for fraud or customer reporting.
i di both, you can also call police if you think your life might be treaten since they know all your infor or address. we should get they.

i have the same experience as everyone else. I have called FBI. I will keep all of you posted. I think it's dangerous that they have my email, phone number, full name and address. You all should call FBI or police!

About the only thing you can do is turn it into the attorney generals office. I have had several numbers call me in the past few months they are just now slowing up because I am now telling them to talk to my attorney

the calls started yesterday, and continued today! Yesterday they came from a mary Johnson brown, attorney. This lady could not even speak english! She had my social security number and dob, etc. Said I did some crime. Yet could not tell me what I did, I came back at her with, your the crook, you have stolen my personal information, and that is identity theft in the USA. I want you to know that Im recording this information and turning it in to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Scam/Fraud Unit. She then said,, now now there is no reason for you to do that. And I said Oh yes there is, you have my personal information and the only way you could have gone it is to have gotten it off my computer. I said to her, what crime did I commit, and she said oh never bother and hung up on me.
Then today a man with the same accent called, and you could hear people laughing nearby. This is absolutely crazy. Isnt there somebody we can turn this number into? I called the credit bureaus and put a fraud alert on my credit, and started changing all my online passwords.

Called me - Tom Taylor with a thick indian accent - yeah right that's your real name.  Told him I didn't owe anyone money, that he was a fraud/scam artist and he wouldn't get any money from me and never to call me again.  Asked if he understood - he said 50/50.  Not sure what part of "NEVER CALL ME AGAIN OR I WILL REPORT YOU TO A REAL ATTORNEY AND THE POLICE" he didn't get.

Is it a legit?

they claimed i owe money on a pay day loan. btu refuse to give any needed info. They asked for my attorneys name and number as well as call him and left the return info for this number

they call can tell me that they are shaw brown an attorney but does not give the law firm name, they use different phone numbers and always an accent voice. same person again and again

I did report him to my attorney This is not the first number or person that has been contacting me either I also report all numbers to the attorney generals office

This motherf***ers dont stop calling WTF!!!!!!!!!!!

I filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission again. The ref # 28164819, if anyone would like to add on to this complaint so that we may take them down is more then welcome to. These guys called my work, and the person my co-worker spoke to said he was Atty Brian Jones. The number I've got for them is 760-514-0198.

I also have receive this type of call accept they are coming tomorrow to take me to court to face a battery of charges.  Guess I better get a lawyer. HA HA HA!  The "attorney new nothing of due process. What a joke.

Left harrassing voicemail on work phone.  When I called the number he addressed his self as a lawyer.
We exchanged unpleasant verbage and I told him I would report him to the Better Business Bureau as well as the FBI.  I am sick of these harrassing phone calls.

This moth******ers dont stop calling WTF!!!!!!!!!!!

I have received the same type of phone call from a few different numbers all claiming the same thing.  This number was used today by a Attorney John Turner.......doesn't sound like any John Turner to me.  I keep refusing to talk to them.  They call my phone, I block the number.  They call my work, I hang up on them.

This person left me a message on my phone saying that he is an Attorney Brian Jones that for me to call him and the number is 760-514-0198 but to me this guy did not sound like a professional Attorney.he had a accent voice from mid east could not understand him very well to me this sounds like a scam.

Thank you The Saint.  The 3rd call from them today, I told them I had their number and was going to report it to the authorities in my area as  well as the FBI.  Guess what?  they haven't called back!

They contacted me first about 4 months ago and have the last 4 digits of my social and my e-mail address, so I told them to e-mail me the information at the e-mail address they had in my file and that was the last that I heard from them till today when they called me on my cell and and a second called  my place of employment. I was advised by  them that I have defrauded a on-line loan company and am now being sued for non-payment of a loan.  The callers claimed to be calling on behalf of an attorney's office in Los Angeles California and argued the point with me that the 760 number they were calling from was in L.A. county as I was explaining to them that 760 is in North County and that there is another whole county between the two. Also when I tried to call the # back I received a message from the phone company that the international call can not be completed as dialed.

Thank you SO much Saint!!!!  They called for two months straight then I got a month off....and now.....calling again......

WOW....this number has been calling my work now for two weeks trying to get in touch with me, and today they call and say if I am not in court by 9am the next morning the police will aresst me over a fraud case, well I didnt listen to them because of course I have recieved no court papers, the guy calling said he was from Williams Law Firm and that he was a lawyer, mind you this guy spoke hardly any english what-so-ever, and companies do NOT willingly give out info to just anyone over phone like this

I too appreciate the information The Saint has provided.

This is a scam. These people have been calling me at home and work. They accused my employees of being prostitutes. Once I asked them not to call me at work they called six times in a row within five minutes only to continue to hang up and call back. Blatant harassment. They stated the sheriff was going to come and arrest me. I told them I welcome the arrest and please make it happen quickly so we can both face a Judge in a Court of Law. I am filing with the Fair Trade Commission and the NY State Attorney General. They say their address is 46th Rogers Street in Brooklyn. "Really"?? I am probably going to have to change my phone number but I haven't a clue how to get them to stop calling me at work..  They claim they are Williams Law Firm, LLC Law Firm blah blah blah. These people are incredibly rude, indignant and obnoxious. They refuse to tell me what they want.

im from california, ive got 2 calls from this number.i have reported to law enforcement . its a scam. dont call back you might get charge for it.

I received calls from this company about 3 months ago regarding 3 criminal charges against me and that I would have to appear in court three days from the phone conversation, in CA and I live many states away from CA. I just received another call today from the same people, whom NONE of them are Americans and all of them are named Alex but the last names vary a little. They keep telling me that I will be arrested the following morning. They give previous addresses and old banks and say I had a payday loan which I never did because those things will cause you more trouble than they are worth. (Advice from friends who have done it before.)

I call the court house and none of the information is true and I have filed a claim with the District Attorneys office about this.

If you ask for their Bar number and state their bar number is in, they will hang up on you and will not accept your call.  I asked what his bar number is and what state he blurted out a number and hung up.  If they cannot provide the correct bar number and name of attorney to match. They are bogus.

thanks THE SAINT!  i was relieved so even if they knew my ss# and my personal information but i didn't give authorization to them or negotiate to them. they can't do anything to me?

For at least the last four years, possibly longer, a group has been calling former payday loan applicants advising them that they have defrauded a bank and are now being sued for non-payment of a loan.  The callers will claim to be calling on behalf of an attorney's office (name varies), the Dept. of Law and Investigation, ACS, or other similar combinations below:

United Legal Processing Division
Midline Marketing
Crime Monitoring Services
Monetary Crime Division
U.S. National Bank
Attorney General?s Office (usually in California)
American Legal Services
Affidavit Consolidation Services (ACS)

You will be threatened with arrest, a costly trial and possibly worse.  In no shape, way or form can you be arrested for non-payment on a consumer debt.  Do not believe these threats, as they are without merit and cannot be carried out in the manner they allege.  

Who are they?

In the past when pressed by law enforcement for an address, the callers have provided the following information:

David Morgan and Associates
Morgan & Associates
Morgan Associates
954-727-8481
1155 Northwest 85th Street
Wintergarden, Florida  33150
(Address is likely invalid)

The collector's MO matches a once legit collections agency called Ellis Crosby & Associates.  Here are some links on them:

http://www.budhibbs.com/collectorpages/ellis_crosby_and_associates.htm
http://www.budhibbs.com/collectorpages/EllisCrosbyJudgment.pdf

They have been previously fined over $1.3 million for various violations.  They have been known to use phone banks in India to make their calls, which more or less coincides with the difficult to understand accent many of us detect when we are contacted.  

The last time this group went by any "official" name was back in 2008:

Ellis Crosby & Associates / Douglas & Morgan Associates
4494 Southside Boulevard Suite #200
Jacksonville Florida 32216
Phone:  800-928-3536 / (904) 928-3536
(Address is likely invalid)

There are NUMEROUS consumer alerts out against this group of individuals:

Florida:
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/061107/met_176207561.shtml

Kansas:  
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/01/ks_debt_collection.html

Colorado:  
http://www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov/press/ ... lls_likely_orig

Rhode Island:  
http://www.collectionscreditrisk.com/news/rho ... -3002135-1.html

West Virginia:
http://www.wvago.gov/internetloanscam.cfm

Missouri:
On July 15th, 2010 a Public Awareness Bulletin was sent out by Missouri Information Analysis Center.  

"..received reports from individuals in Ohio and Illinois reference suspicious telephone calls they received. In both instances, the callers are reporting that a voicemail is received from a man, with a Middle Eastern accent, identifying himself as an officer working with the Financial Crimes Unit.  The message indicates that the reason for the call concerns a loan made by the receiver or someone in the receiver's family. The voicemail requests that a return call be made and a telephone number is provided. When a return call is made, the caller is asked to provide personal identifying information such as their date of birth and social security number.

Reports indicate that the calls are frequent and persistent and that they even threaten arrest or legal action if information or money is not provided. It appears that the individuals making these calls may have access to some records connecting individuals and their relatives.  Missouri does not have a Financial Crimes Unit and all indications are that this is a fictitious agency. If you receive a similar phone call, please be advised that it is a scam and please contact your local law enforcement agency or the Missouri Information Analysis Center at 866-362-6422."

Bottom line:

Do not supply the callers with any additional information.  Inform them you have reported them to law enforcement and hang up.  If you haven't already, go ahead and report the calls to local law enforcement, your state's Attorney General and beyond.  Look up the local Secret Service branch's information in your area and get in contact with an agent there.  

If you ever applied for a cash advance online, your information is out there.  
Possible sources for the breach of your privacy are:

* The scammers obtained your information from Teletrack - a reporting agency used by many cash advance lenders to determine their risk lending to you.  The service is able to tell cash advance lenders if you have existing loans with other companies, for example.  Many state laws prohibit borrowers from having more than two cash advances out at the same time.

* The scammers created their own fake payday loan application site.  People looking for a cash advance went to the site and applied, thus freely providing the scammers with their information for malicious use at a later time.  

* The scammers were able to get into the database(s) of cash advance lenders - probable targets being Sonic Payday and Cashnet USA.  


How to protect yourself:

* Inform your employer.  You are likely getting calls at home and/or at work, so make sure your employer is aware the calls are part of a scam and to not take them seriously.  Advise the callers that they are no longer allowed to call you at work.  If they continue to call, document the date and time of the calls you received.  Save voice mails left if at all possible.  

* Change your number(s).  For some this may not be an option, for others a one-time number change can be done free of charge.

Be advised - any references you listed on your payday loan application will be contacted.  Let those people know that this is a scam, and they can disregard.

* Use Google Voice.  Google Voice is a great replacement voice mail system for just about any phone number you use.  Messages can be transcribed and voice mail recordings can be saved as mp3 files.  

Pro Tip - call the scammers with a Google Voice number before turning off your old phone numbers.  Make sure when you call you identify yourself so they can start up their script.  At any point after they have your information pulled up just hang up.  They will then start religiously calling your Google Voice number.  At this point, you are free to change your regular phone number(s) and enjoy not having these people ever call you again.  (And laugh at the fact these people are basically talking to a brick wall several times a day)

The scammers change their numbers frequently.  Law enforcement used to think it was because the callers ran out of minutes on their prepaid wireless accounts or they were shuttered due to fraud, but now they understand it's simply to evade detection by savvy consumers online.  With the proliferation of VoIP, it's even easier for the crooks to stay a couple of steps ahead of law enforcement.  Below is just a sampling of the 30+ numbers that have been used in recent memory.

1-201-244-7722
1-209-349-7382
1-209-797-2212
1-212-500-0839
1-213-256-0408
1-213-995-3039
1-281-763-0433
1-347-289-3902
1-347-844-6817
1-347-844-6831
1-424-354-4270
1-516-232-8905
1-516-232-8935
1-518-212-0219
1-561-300-8018
1-561-210-4185
1-626-200-4646
1-631-456-4041
1-646-274-1143
1-646-810-8635
1-650-241-4604
1-707-401-4056
1-707-633-2789
1-708-401-0535
1-716-442-2824
1-717-862-4080
1-718-705-8669
1-760-514-0132
1-760-563-5384
1-772-318-4938
1-850-201-1111
1-858-777-1977
1-859-908-2281
1-866-860-4509
1-877-226-7488
1-888-706-7463
1-888-771-9249
1-888-785-4479
1-909-327-4870

So can they really do anything to you?

It's not a simple yes or no answer.  Logic dictates that, if they really wanted to take you for a ride and drain your bank accounts, they already would have.  

So, why haven't they?  

Authorization.  

Why do you think you are being called so much?  Perhaps it is because they like the sound of your voice?  No, they have to have your authorization to take any form of payment from you, period.  The callers know their audience, and that audience is typically a bunch of people that have applied for payday loans in the past.  Most of those people they call couldn't afford an attorney if they wanted one, and are so used to receiving collections calls that so long as they sound like a real collector, they will likely be perceived as one.

Furthermore, they don't even really want to talk to your attorney - that just sounds official and scary enough.  A real attorney would take the callers to task and write them off as two-bit con artists.  The callers need you, in writing, to authorize payment against the fictitious debt they claim you owe.  Go ahead, ask them for proof you owe the debt - more commonly known as verification of debt.  See what they say.  A phone authorization carries very little weight, so if they have something signed by you on file, you are done for - and the callers know that.  That authorization is the only thing these callers are doing by the book, and for good reason.  If they just went all willy nilly and made an ACH debit from your checking account, without your written approval, you could in turn report the transaction as fraudulent to your financial institution.  In about 7-10 business days, you would get the funds returned to your account.  Then the scammers would be up against a bank and their team of lawyers and investigators.  

Bottom line:

If you haven't paid the callers a dime, don't.  If you planned on paying them to shut them up, just don't.  Remember - you are not being contacted by a legally licensed, ethically owned and operated collector.  Read up on the FDCPA - http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf - and know your rights.

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-646-274-1143/3

i was so scared the first time they called me. i am even scared because i confirmed my SS# number to thm. they know my mom's number. what are they gonna do with that? are they gonna really press charges if they knew my SS#? help.