Kathy - A lawyer cannot read you your Miranda rights. They can explain them to you, but the arresting is done by police. Lawyers don't arrest you. As mentioned on this forum, insist that they send you EVERYTHING in writing. Admit to nothing. If they don't answer the phone, wait for them to call. PS: Don't Panic!

I got a call from someone who said they are with a law firm called sherman and sterling in california they read me a list of fraud charges like fraud on a check fraud on theft it must have been 7 or 8 charges they read me my rights over the phone that I have the right to an attorney if I could not afford one than one will be appointed for me they said if I am on probation I need to tell my probation officer which I am not they said if I have any felonies I could get several years in jail they tried there best to threaten me I asked who it was that I was suppose to have wrote a bad ck to they said a company called cash advance I know this company they called me years ago told me they had a warrant out for me it scared me I paid off my small loan in full they gave me my check back but this firm wont give me there address I have called several times you can hear a lot of other callers in the background sounds like a call center I told them if this is a legitament law firm you will give me the address but they hung up on me who can I see about this all I have is a name and phone number the area code is barstow california 760-308-0230

A shane blake from john washington law associates keep calling my job and home talking about some payday loan i owe when asked from which payday loan he couldnt tell me or where is the paper work couldnt tell me but that they were going to sue me and send the cops to pick me up.
SCAMMERS!!!!

I've received calls three days in a row from "Jeff Brown" at "Affidavit Collection Services" saying I owe for a payday loan.  THIS IS A SCAM!  They are trying to get you to confirm your bank account number so they can take money from your account.  It's possible that they already have lots of personal information about you.  Put a fraud alert into one of the three credit reporting agencies and they will pass it on to the other two.  Then file a report with the FTC and the BBB.

They are back at it calling me over and over -- calls appear as "unknown" or as a broken number in caller id.  I just let it go to vmail, then delete the message without listening to it so it wastes more of their time. I'm going to try and gather more info and will post back if I find anything useful.

You would think a legitimate collection company could or would mail you hard copy - I have talked to them also and advised them that I went thru a consolidation company to pay my payday loans as I had lost my job and they needed to contact them - Gave them the phone number etc.  My consolidation company said that alot of these companies buy the payday loans at cents on the dollar and that they are scamming - what they collect they keep

This number keeps calling me at work also. Please help me to stop them!!!!

called threatening me with jail time for an alleged cash advance I made.

Lot's of threads on this number.  Total scam, so don't be fooled. "Affidavit Consolotation Services" and "Neil Johnson" is the contact.

they keep calling me at work - any advice on how to make them stop?  I've told them to stop and they keep calling.  Say to call Jack wood.

Claims that they are about to file charges against me for a payday loan from 2006.  Yes I have used payday loans in the past but as many people knows this is debited from your checking account.  How can it not be paid was my first thought and so many years ago, its not like it was hard to find me.  I requested information be mailed to me and I am still waiting.  How do you stop these calls, even on my job.  I told them to take me to court so we can end this.

I had someone call me about a month ago or more... I did some research on them because they told me that if I didn't pay the amount owed to some Cash Advance company that they would take me to court on a criminal charge... The first guy called and had a heavy accent, couldn't even understand him... he told me to call this other number... and supposedly that was the Lawyer's office in California.   They wouldn't tell me the case #,  wouldn't tell me their physical address, and wouldn't tell me the phone number or the name of the company I supposedly owed money to.   After I basically found out this was a huge scam,  I kept calling the numbers back and trying to get more information on them,  of course they kept hanging up on me.   The number that came across my phone the first time was 0000,  that is all that showed up.   The number they gave me to call was (818) 538-9561.   The law office was in California they said and it was called John Washington & Assoc Law firm... Couldn't give me the address of course.

just wanted to let you all know that the same people contacted me earlier. hung up on me multiple times. i knew it was a scam,. read everything all of you posted and called back. lets just say i was called a w***e, a bi***, said i suck. use your imagination. DONT PAY A PENNY. ill keep you posted if i receive any follow up calls

Keep getting a phone call from 052-497-347...They call around the same time everyday and have now taken to calling my sister and telling her that I am in "big trouble" and I'd better return their call because they have the law out looking for me.  I googled the number, because I knew it wasn't a legit phone number and came across SEVERAL websites warning me of this being a scam.  I called my sister and told her to ignore all further calls from them and I contacted my State Attorney General's office to let them know.  I'm not going to contact the FBI, since i'm sure they have better things to do, but just be aware that this is happening.

I have gotten these calls also. A few months back and started again the other day. The number "JAMES FRANKLIN" told me to call was 347-625-3715 and the number on my caller I.D. was +052497347. Saying that I owed money and was in big touble by the government. I just ignore it and will not call them back in case they found a way to reverse the charges to my phone. Be careful with this!

I just got a voice mail from "John Garcia" at ACS Legal Dept. He had the last 4 of my SSN and said if I didn't call him back I would lose my SSN, my job and my reputation. He didn't even leave a callback number, and had to call a second time just leave the number 206-801-5319. I am not returning this call.

I received a call at work today on a recorded line frm 052497347 from
an indian women (can hardly speak english). Did not give me her first or last name...i ans the phone good morning this is....and she
starts to blurt out a social security # that is close to mine but not
correct, then a former address I havent resided at in years. Tells me
she is from acs legal department asked for her call back # gave me
813-283-0124 and said see you in court and hung up...I am a bill collector and have been for over 20 years..Way to break the FDCPA..there are laws that protect the consumer and there are laws that this agency must follow. I then received a message from a co-worker in the same office no more than 10 minutes later stating they had an important legal matter against me and i must contact them immediately regarding a payday loan..Third party disclosure..i have done my background check on the company and they are scammers. If it was a ligit debt i would have received something in writing, especially for something legal...they are in florida and im in washington state any ligit company knows you have to be served in your state and appear in court. i attempted to call the company back and was hung up on after asking for a manager. I called back again asking for the company name and address and the man hung up on me again. I intend to file a formal complaint as well as seek the advise of an attorney
as the call was recorded.

Keep getting calls from these guys - different numbers.  They scam me for a $1000 and I did call the Mo Attorney General office, also the Better Business Bureau - they call and it also charges my house phone number sometimes.  Is there anything to do to get these scams stopped.

got a call from these people to  ... i'm fed up with this ...i got a similar call from someone running the same SCAM in decmember ... if this is a debt collection they are required by law to give you information about the debt(amount owed, company who issd debt, account number, dates..etc) they are also required to provided you with the name of there company as well as a valid mailing address. if they can't or won't give you the info then it's not legit. ALSO alot of these company's will try and intimadate or threaten you by saying if you don't give them your info or pay them thay will take you to court, have you arrested, or (my favorite) ruin your life. THIS IS AGAINST THE LAW. Statements like that are considered harassment and/or terrorist threat (any verbal or non-verbal statement that is meant to cause fear or terror). I filed a harassing call report with the local police dept. regarding the december call i got  and surprise surprise that number is now disconnected. SO PROTECT YOURSELF , KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AS A CONSUMER, DON'T GIVE THEM ANY INFO OVER THE PHONE (always demand everything in writing  and if they ask you for your address don't give it if they are legit they should already have that info), NEVER GIVE THEM ANY ACCOUNT OR BANKING INFO, NEVER CONFIRMOR DENY YOU OWE ANYBODY ANYTHING, FILE POLICE REPORTS IF NECESSARY, AND DON'T BE AFRAID ---THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING THESE PEOPLE CAN DO TO HURT YOU OVER THE PHONE

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS HARASS THEM BACK!!!!! IL CALL 10 OR 11 TIMES IN A ROW AND SCREAM OR TALK BAD ABOUT THEIR CULTURE AND THEY STOPPED CALLING ME FOR GOOD!!! SO INSTEAD OF BITCHING OR GIVING ADVICE ON REPORTING THEM TO AN AGENCY THATS NOT GONNA DO A DAMN THING BECAUSE THEY HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO, JUST HARASS THEM BACK!!!CMON PEOPLE ITS TIME TO TAKE A STAND FROM THIS B***S***!!! I GET THESE CALLS EVERY MONTH, BUT THEY CHANGE NUMBERS.  THEN I CONSTANTLY HARASS THEM AND THEY STOP! SCREW THOSE LOSERS

A foriegn women called claiming to be from a law and investigation office, said i owed for a loan and needed to call immediatly or charges would be filed.They even called my work and talked to a co worker telling them i was in trouble and would be arrested if i didnt call(How embarrising is that)But when i call back,the machine says messages cant be left,and there message on my phone says they cant discuss the matter.

BBB IS A TOTAL WASTE OF TIME - even if this was a legitimate debt collection business - THEY CANNOT DO A THING TO STOP THIS.  As it is - this scam had been ongoing for over a YEAR before the BBB released their SCAM announcement about it.  

These CROOKS rely on the ignorance of those they are calling and using SCARE tactics to make people pay what they do not owe.  

The correct complaint filing process is listed below in the info from the W. VA Attorney General..

Fake Debt Collectors ? Terrorizing Consumers

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5621205&page=1


MORE ON FAKE DEBT COLLECTORS
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-904-425-9141
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/call4action/17285785/detail.html
http://www.800helpfla.com/newsletter/2008/092008.html


http://www.wvago.gov/internetloanscam.cfm
Attorney General Darrell McGraw took the extraordinary step today of warning the public about a band of scam artists making threats to consumers who allegedly obtained Internet payday loans in West Virginia and across the nation. The consumers they threaten never obtained a loan at all or paid it off years ago.

Internet payday loans are short-term loans or cash advances, usually for 14 days, made over the Internet via interactive web sites and secured by an agreement authorizing debits of the loan and all fees owed from the consumer?s checking account. These loans typically charge interest rates ranging from 600-800 APR and are unlawful in West Virginia.

The scam artists, who speak English with a foreign accent, call themselves ?U.S. National Bank,? ?Federal Investigation Bureau,? ?United Legal Processing? and numerous other phony names. They refuse to disclose real names and addresses and are believed to be operating ?off the grid? from homes, automobiles, or from off shore locations or foreign countries, including India. Since the scammers have kept themselves purposely well hidden, thus far no law enforcement agencies have succeeded in locating or shutting them down.

The scammers typically pose as law enforcement officers, investigators, lawyers, and bankers and threaten consumers that they will be arrested for ?bank fraud? or other fictitious crimes unless money is wired immediately. They simultaneously scare and confuse consumers by using meaningless legalese gobbledygook phrases such as, ?We are downloading warrants against you? or ?We are filing an affidavit against you.? Consumers who don?t immediately fall for the scam are warned, ?Only God can help you now.?

The scammers almost always call consumers at work several times a day, and tell their supervisors, ?Your employee has committed fraud and is about to be arrested.? Such threats have proven unsettling even to the most savvy consumers and employers who suspect the calls are fraudulent.

Attorney General McGraw stated, ?Ordinarily my office protects consumers from fraudulent activities by seeking injunctions in court. But legal action cannot be taken until the scam artists can be located. Even then, it is unlikely that the persons behind the fraudulent calls and extortionist threats would obey a court order. In this case, the consumer?s best defense is to be armed with the knowledge of the scam so that all demands for money can be resisted, despite the false but scarey threats of arrest.?

McGraw added, ?Because the fraudsters make a special point of calling consumers repeatedly at work, employers must understand that the consumers are innocent victims of a criminal enterprise and cannot stop the calls from coming. I also wish to assure the citizens of West Virginia that my office will continue to do everything possible to locate and shut down the outlaw debt collectors.?

More information about this fraudulent debt collection scheme is available at the Attorney General?s website, www.wvago.gov/internetloanscam. Any consumers who have been threatened by these persons or wish to file a complaint about another consumer matter may do so by calling the Consumer Protection Hot Line, 1-800-368-8808, or by obtaining a complaint form from the Attorney General?s web site.

It's a debt collection scam. And all their threats are false and illegal.
This is a very active group of scammers, many of whom are calling from India (and probably other countries) and are in cahoots with a group of American pay day loan scammers. They attempt to extort money from consumers with a myriad of false and illegal threats, and alternately pose as debt collectors, federal and state law enforcement officers, lawyers and bankers. Their trademark is to use meaningless legalese gobblygook phrases like "We are downloading warrants against you" or "We are filing an affidavit against you." Another trademark phrase is to threaten the consumer with something like this ridiculous phrase: "If you don't pay then only God can help you."
Typical of many financial scams of this variety, they usually demand payment via Western Union or MoneyGram or credit card. They use any number of phony names such as US National Bank, Federal Investigation Bureau, US Legal Investigation Bureau, Hopkins Law Office, United Legal Processing, Morgan Associates, United Pay Services, National Processing, White Collar Crime Unit and many more.  These criminals also use many phone numbers from many area codes; they're probably using caller-id spoofing software and/or VoIP to disguise their real location.
The main thing to remember is that anytime someone calls you demanding money to prevent your arrest, or demanding your lawyer's name so they can sue you, it is ALWAYS a scam. No debt collector (let alone criminals posing as debt collectors) has the authority to have anyone arrested for anything. (And it's illegal to them to threaten such a thing.) And since these foreign dirtbags routinely impersonate law enforcement, it's also important to remember that American law enforcement officers aren't in the business of debt collection.  (Debt is a civil, not a criminal, matter.)
The bottom line is, these are criminals trying to steal your money.
A consumer posting a complaint about these same scammers at http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-718-831-7157 notes that 718-831-7157 is associated with an India-based "outsourcing" telephone bank.  Though a reverse search on WhitePages.com shows that 718-831-7157 is an unlisted land line in New York City, information on Debtbuyers.Com shows that that number is used by India-based Intellisourze. (Source: http://www.debtbuyers.com/debtbuyers.asp ) My guess is that it's a VoIP phone number.
This is another piece of the puzzle that fits in perfectly with other information about this scam. There are some reports on 800Notes that have suggested that the crooks behind this offshore scam are also the crooks behind the notorious Bass/Ellis Crosby & Assoc./States Predisposition scams in Florida and Georgia. The interesting thing is that the number of complaints on here about the US National Bank/US Legal Investigation/Federal Investigation scam skyrocketed *after* April 7, 2008 when Florida obtained a $1.3 million judgment against Ted Ellis Crosby, shutdown his operations and barred him from ever conducting debt collections in Florida (Read http://myfloridalegal.com/newsrel.nsf/newsrel ... 5257424005858A6 ) There's certainly a good chance that the crooks placing these calls from India are doing so on behalf of the American crooks behind the Crosby/Bass/States Predisposition scams.
Here's the contact information for the phone bank in India:
IntellisOurzE BPO
701, Sapphier, Nr. Cargo Motors,
C.G. Road Navrangpura,
Ahmedabad - 9. (Guj.) INDIA.
E-Mail: info@intellisourze.com
Website: www.intellisourze.com
A check on the domain name "intellisourze.com" shows that the website and name registration was created on May 8, just one month *after* the Crosby scams were shut down in Florida:
Domain Name: INTELLISOURZE.COM
Registrant:  Pragra Infratech Pvt. Limited.
Email:  ankur.ranpariya@pragra.com  
908, Aksaht Tower, Nr. ICICI Bank
Opp. Rajpath Club, S.G. Highway
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India 380054
Tel. +91.7926871353
Creation Date: 08-May-2008
Expiration Date: 08-May-2009
Domain servers in listed order: ns5.znetindia.com ns4.znetindia.com
(Source: http://whois.domaintools.com/intellisourze.com )
Though scam calls from these crooks have been going on long before May 8, the frequency of complaints about these calls increased considerably after Crosby was shut down in early April.
This is conjecture, but appearances suggest that Crosby and company were originally running a two-pronged payday loan scam operation -- with some calls being made from Jacksonville, Florida and other calls being made from a phone bank in India (and possibly other countries); then, after the Florida Attorney General shut down the Crosby scams in Florida, the Crosby crooks transferred most of their scam efforts to the India phone bank.

If you are targeted by these criminals, be sure to report them to all the following federal and state law enforcement agencies (most of which you can do online or over the phone):
1.    The U.S. Secret Service is responsible for protecting the country's financial infrastructure and payment systems from international and domestic threats. Call or write your local Secret Service field office to alert them to the details of this attempted extortion. The addresses and phone numbers for the local Secret Service field offices are listed at http://www.secretservice.gov/field_offices.shtml or in your phone book.
2.    Alert the FBI at https://tips.fbi.gov Be sure to tell the FBI that you are being targeted by extortionists over the phone. And if the crooks claim to be law enforcement or lawyers, officers of the court or bankers, be sure to include that information in your report.
3.    File a complaint with your local police. Most police departments will take a report over the phone.  Be sure to tell them that you're being targeted by an extortionist and give them all the details.
4.    File a complaint your state's attorney general, the contact information for whom is at www.wvago.gov
5.    File a complaint online with The Federal Trade Commission at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en
If these crooks call back, promise them nothing, pay them nothing and tell them nothing other than that you know they're a scam and that you've reported them to law enforcement. (And be sure to report them to all the agencies above each time they call you.)

By the way, here's just a small sample of numbers used by this particular group of scammers. Read the reports and you'll see the same pattern time and again -- phony organization names, thick foreign accents, and oddly worded threats that are so melodramatic and ridiculous that it's laughable:

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-925-262-1327
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-678-954-6346
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-341-4004
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-856-831-0640
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-949-743-1140
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-410-505-8128
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-917-464-2534
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-210-858-6602
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-775-2121
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-949-743-1156
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-214-245-1402
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-214-245-0922
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-214-723-5572
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-904-425-2863
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-718-831-7157
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-904-425-2857
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-858-244-0444
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-954-678-9724
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-610-571-3252
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-310-909-8245
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-310-499-9983


Scam alert: Bogus debt collectors
By Leslie McFadden ? Bankrate.com
Monday, Aug. 3
Posted 2 p.m.
Bankrate reporter Leslie McFadden contributed this entry.
This scam isn't technically about credit cards, but it is scary enough to post a warning. The Better Business Bureau issued an alert today saying consumers across the country are getting phone calls from bogus debt collectors claiming default on a payday loan. Of course, the consumer needs to pay a large fee to avoid arrest -- as much as $1,000.
The caller poses as a lawyer, and may threaten extradition to face trial if the consumer doesn't pay up immediately.
What makes these calls alarming -- and perhaps convincing -- is that the perpetrators reference the consumer's personal information, such as the person's Social Security number, driver's license number, previous bank account numbers, home address -- even personal references.
"The amount of information they have is really troubling," says BBB spokeswoman Alison Southwick. She adds that the amount of data points to a possible security breach.
Spread the word to your friends and family: Don't give out personal or financial information to an unknown caller. Scammers can spoof Caller ID to display different numbers, so trust your instincts over technology.
The BBB offers these tips:
?    Ask the debt collector to provide official documentation which substantiates the debt.
?    Do not provide or confirm any bank account, credit card or other personal information over the phone until you have confirmed the legitimacy of the call.
?    File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission online if the caller is abusive, uses threats or otherwise violates federal telemarketing laws or the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
?    File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau online if you believe a debt collector is trying to scam you.

Same thing happened to me this morning. They tried this last year for a few months. Then it stopped.  Now the scam phone list is circulating again. The same guy with a heavy indian accent by the name of Mike Smith keeps calling with the same nonsense you all listed above. However, this time he leaves a different company name, ACS Consolidation, but then leaves his same name of Mike Smith. He called with a number of 646-274-0619 last week, now this week it is 813-283-0124. If I really had a judgement against me they would notify you by mail, not by phone. Last year, I had a friend of mine to call them and they couldn't even say what company they were. They even said the cops were coming to my job and had just been at my home. However, my neighbor is disabled and stays home all day. She said no one came to the house EVER. So that was a scam also. I did report this on the BBB and for awhile it stopped.  Do I need to report it again? Now that they are harassing me again. I refuse to call them from my home or work # and I refuse to provide any information.  The best thing to do is ignore it. If you contact them they will know they have the right individual and will continue to harass you.  It is annoying at times, but eventually they will give up.

Got a call from Jason Williams said he was calling for acf company about a pdh loan. Left a phone number to call back and said that I need to call them back soon or I would be in trouble.

called me asking about my brother.  Heavy accented middle easterner or indian.  cant wait to call em back and see what he says

Received call from 052-497-347 on my cell number and of course you can't call the number because it lacks one digit. Had that number leave a voice mail msg and the caller has a strong accent, said his name was James Franklin and he is calling in refernce to a complaint against me and I need to return a csll to 813-283-0124 immediately because I owe a great deal of money. The caller sounds east Indian or Pakistanian.  I researched these types of calls and found that they get your number if you apply for loans online. Contacted the attorney general in my state and found that they call from several mobile numbers that cannot be traced to a particular location so therefore they can't be caught. These are SCAMS and they have threatened to have the police pick me up if I don't pay. My local police dept stated that no one can pick you up because you owe money. This scam has been going on a long time, unfortunately. All they do is harrass you and get on your nerves. Don't believe them. Please be aware of these SCAMMERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How funny...now they keep calling me back (20+ times :-) now saying how much of a jerk I am and threatening to ruin my reputation...it's fun to give it back at them.  Lousy english and the whole crew sounds east indian.  Today it's "Neil Johnson" calling btw.

I just talked to someone with a heavy indian accent telling me that I have an unpaid bill at a loan company.  I informed him that I had looked the phone number up and apparently he is trying to scam me.  He replied that the people that have posted on this site that the number is a scam are just trying to get out of paying a bill.  He then got upset with me and told me that he would file the legal papers against me and "GOODBYE!"   What a joke!  He was completely taken aback when I told him I had googled the phone number and he was trying to scam me.  BEWARE!!!!  These people have no conscience and will take your last dollar, illegally, and not even give it a second thought.  PLEASE BE CAREFUL OF THESE SCUMBAGS!

Same thing for me today beware.  The first clue is that the caller id is all messed up, but they leave a message with 813-283-0124. Call them back and tell them that you are investigating fraud and ask to speak to any of the names listed above in the thread. Tell 'em that you want their address and they will balk at that. Have fun with them as they are a bunch of di**o's.  Either they stole info from a legit company or I'm guessing they set up a phony cash advance website to gather personal info online.

They called me today at work from this number for an indian person named Joe Martin! he had a thick accent and told me that they were from Affidavit Consolidation Services or ACS. He said there was a serious matter relating to my name and SSN, and I know that this is a scam since I have been reading different posts about this and so I pretended to be someone else and told him that I didnt work here anymore. He threatened to press charges on me and told me there was a serious charge against me.