i received a threatning voice mail frm some shawn scop***. Now i changed my number.

This is hardly a company, this is a Scam. Every call is different but the same. The name of the company changes and the names of the employees change; but the same scare tactics remain. They state that there are companies that are going to sue you and put you in jail. Then they try and squeeze you for information and get your banking information and take your money. I have done a little research and it seems that the group was operating out of California, but now they are in Tampa, Florida area. They have several cell phones with all different area codes and numbers. Every time you call one of them it is the same guy it seems. If you catch them unaware them you will get a woman who's name also changes frequently. Here are a list of "employees" and phone numbers that these scamers are using:

Alex Barker
Sarah Jones
Nash Brown
Mike Wilson - "Attorney"
May Johnson
Miguel Zerra
John Johnson
Curtis Jackson
Arnold Watson- "Attorney"
John Smith
Frank Jackson
Joseph Williams
"Nancy"
Jonathan Smith
Michael Stevens

Of course these aren't the only names they are using, and they can make up new ones very easy. Here Are their Phone Numbers.
813-489-2927
813-283-0610
813-283-0611
315-770-0405
772-228-4008
813-388-4935
813-283-0641
954-639-9313
not working any more:
496-656-7520
916-233-0467
991-279-9100

These numbers can be searched throughout the internet and it's all bad news. whocallsme.com is a good one, but there is many. I have tried to obtain a mailing address and they will not give. They are violating many rights of many people: old and young, rich and poor; but mostly the poor. I have been calling these numbers using *67 to protect myself and I have found it very enjoyable! If these guys have harassed you then try calling them (protecting your number), and if it is a girl ask for a guy and if it is a guy then ask for a girl. Try and get a mailing address - that's the golden ticket. Never give your real name or information, these guys are somewhat serious. Please help stop these guys.

John Doe

Here's the new numbers:  

813-749-9950
813-319-2655
813-436-8927

817-231-7414
817-231-7415
817-231-7416

this "little"  Scam is getting bigger and bigger by the day.  It seems that these guys and gals have several different scams going on.  this one starts with a website and then turns to bill collections.   They are also connected with many "craig's list" and ebay scams.  If you get a call that you are not sure about ask them for their mailing address and check it out.  tell them  to send you information about the bill in writing through the postage mailing box.  Don't give them any information what so ever!  they are only going on what they know or think they know and that is very little.


John

This is a scam to get free money. To protect yourself file a claim with the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). Doing this will put a lock on your credit file. This will prevent the illegal persons or anyone from applying a loan or anything else under your social security number without your autherization.

Fake Debt Collectors and Collection Tactics

If consumers did not have enough to worry about having to deal with rising credit card interest rates, late fees and over-limit fees, zombie debt, and fervent bill collectors, now we have to worry about collectors calling about fake debt.

While many legitimate collection agencies follow the FDCPA, there are some collectors out there that are only running a scam operation and will be quick to use threats and scare tactics to get you to pay up quick. Their scams turn up in mailboxes, on the internet and through the telephone every day. Some collectors pose as national banks, government agencies (FBI, CIA), or even popular celebrity stars to gain personal information. These phony collectors may threaten to repossess your house, issue a warrant for your arrest, or even garnish your pay check, all of which are against the FDCPA rules. Some of which are even laughable (for example, there is no debtor?s prison in the United States).

Fake debt scammers rely on the fear and lack of knowledge about debt collection laws within the population. They also figure that a certain percentage of their calls will be received by individuals who may be carrying debt on credit cards anyway and may be susceptible to intimidation. When collectors use misleading statements and fail to provide identification, they are breaking the law. Never pay money to a possible thief. Keep cool when you hear from collectors to avoid this collection abuse.

Many times, people who took out payday loans online in the past are most susceptible. If you took a payday loan, be aware scammers may have access to your Social Security number and other personal information, and keep your guard up against such tactics.

Ironically, real "deadbeats" probably wouldn't fall for these scammers, since they have no intention of repaying their creditors anyway. But upright citizens may doubt themselves, thinking they've forgotten to pay a bill. Many times, the sums involved tend to be fairly small, so some people may be tempted to just pay the "bill" and "get it over with."

Ways to Protect Yourself Against Debt Collection Scams

Review your credit report frequently to find inaccuracies.
Be aware of your current creditors and how much you owe.
Ask creditors for identification before you provide any information over the telephone.
Reporting Fake Debt Collectors

If you ever receive a call from anyone identifying himself as a debt collector, the law requires that the debt collector provide you with identification, and that the debt collector refrain from making misleading and threatening statements.

You can report any problems you have to your state Attorney General?s office www.naag.org and the Federal Trade Commission www.ftc.gov. Many states have their own debt collection laws that are different from the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Your Attorney General?s office can help you determine your rights under your state?s law.

http://www.internetautoguide.com/credit-cente ... on-tactics.html

They called me today, stating that I took out a 300 dollar loan from a advanced america loan place online. never would I have received money online. I keep pretty good record of things like that! They said they have all of my info including SSN and that if I didn't give them money on the spot they were going to transfer the case to the court house. Oh and the guy said he's name was Rick Thomas at first and then he changed it to John Smith...I knew something was wrong then and there.  I'm pretty upset about this. who can we report it to?

These people called me at work.  I told them not to call me and hung up. They called back 3 times in 5 minutes.  I eventually talked to them and they told me that I had taken a payday loan over the internet and that i was getting sued.  Said they were trying to help me.  I told them that I did not have a loan, and they got very rude. I argued with them and they gave me some information.  I attempted to get a fax number so that I could fax a bank statement to them showing I did not take a loan, and thank god... they didnt have one.  I then learned that it was a scam, but I am worried because they have all of my information and my ssn.  I am calling the police and the credit bureau.  Please offer suggestions if you have any ideas how to further proceed.

813-749-9950 wanting ti get money from me saying I owe this company money and need me to pay. I foundx out it's a scam john smith arnold watson also fax 646-786-4401

This is a total scam run by idiots who cannot speak English, have heavy Mideastern or Indian accents, and use organizational names that would never exist in this country.

Their real names are undoubtedly names like paramanansa yogamatash or maktoum bin mohammad, but they have used, among many, the following American sounding names:

Ryan Smith
James Wilson
Roger Smith
Alex Green
David Richards
Jack Jones
Robert Jackson
Paul Murray
Frank Johnson
Chuck Rogers
Danny Jones
Jake Wood
Jimmy Carter
Joe Anderson
Shawn Michaels
Harry Wilson
Louis Martin
Patrick Wilson
Eddie Wilson

They claim to be from:

United Investigation Bureau Department
United Legal Investigations
United Fraud Investigations
United Legal Investigation Department
United Legal Investigation Bureau
United Stated Legal Department

It should be possible for authorities to trace them to this FAX Number:

646-786-4334

They are running scared, and they keep changing their callback number, including:

212-461-1163
937-664-5824
347-844-6701
718-766-7919
607-330-0158
818-688-7216
727-803-9802
713-568-4627
513-754-1987
904-239-3968
718-673-6146
303-968-1170

Also, they were featured on ABC News:



READ THIS:

http://abcnews.go.com/ http://abcnews.go.com/
Fake Debt Collectors Terrify Consumers
Alleged Debt Scam Calls Threaten Consumers: 'Only God Can Help You Now'
By ALICE GOMSTYN
ABC NEWS Business Unit
Aug. 21, 2008 ?

Scammers masquerading as debt collectors and law enforcement officials have terrified consumers with threatening phone calls and bilked them out of thousands of dollars, officials with the West Virginia Attorney General's Office say.

Prosecutors said that the scammers, who speak with heavy foreign accents, are known for repeatedly calling people at home and at work and threatening them with arrest if they don't repay supposed debts -- debts that, according to West Virginia officials, don't actually exist.
Sign Up for Our RSS Feed and Get the Latest Business Headlines From ABC News

The scammers operate under names such as U.S. National Bank, Federal Investigation Bureau and United Legal Processing, said West Virginia Assistant Attorney General Norman Googel.

The callers also have invoked the names of actors Denzel Washington and Steve Martin, people who've received calls tell ABCNews.com.
Googel said that the scammers have been impossible to track down, but ABCNews.com spoke to one man who claimed to be associated with U.S. National Bank. The man said he works for Financial Crime Division, a company he said provides services for USNB.

The man refused to give his name and gave little information about his company.
'It's not necessary that each and everyone knows about Financial Crime Division, and probably one of them is you,' he said. (To hear an excerpt of this interview, click here. Links to more interview excerpts are included on the second and third pages of this story.)
The man also denied that consumers had been threatened with arrests.

But Mark Feury, a 35-year-old assistant manager at a hotel cafe, said it was the threat of an arrest that drove him to wire nearly $800 to U.S. National Bank in January. The Lewisberg, W.Va., resident said that he took out several payday loans -- short-term loans -- in 2005 to help pay for Christmas presents and medical treatments for his son, who suffers from autism.
Feury said he paid his loans back in 2007, but the scammers' phone calls -- at least 35 in all, he said -- and their threats made him doubt himself.
'I was scared to death,' he said. 'Everything they said literally just stressed me out to the max.'

The group has targeted consumers who took out payday loans through Web sites years ago, Googel said.
The group has secured consumers' Social Security numbers and other personal information, which may have been stolen from Internet payday lending sites, Googel said.
What has made the group especially intimidating, Googel said, is its use of phrases that sound like legal terms -- such as 'downloading affidavits' -- but, in reality, are meaningless.

The alleged scammers have also invoked God, Googel said, telling victims that 'only God can help you now.'
Some of the scammers' tactics are downright puzzling.
One West Virginia woman, who asked that her name not be revealed, told ABCNews.com that a scammer once called her and identified himself as 'Denzel Washington.'
Feury said that one of the scammers who called him said he was calling from 'Steve Martin's office.'
Collection and Money Fraud

Googel said that the scammers' use of celebrity names may indicate a lack of familiarity with American names. Some, he said, suspect that the scammers are based in India.

Since July 2007, Googel said, the West Virginia Attorney General's Office has heard from nearly 20 consumers who have complained about the scam.
West Virginia residents aren't the only ones complaining. The Florida Attorney General's Office said it has heard more than three dozen complaints related to U.S. National Bank.

Thus far, Googel said, the scammers have been impossible to trace, using a multitude of phone numbers and fake addresses.
'The way they've hidden themselves is pretty slick,' he said.

ABCNews.com called a phone number associated with U.S. National Bank -- Feury listed the number in a complaint against the company -- and was transferred to the man who claimed to work for Financial Crime Division.
The man, who spoke to an ABC News reporter for about five minutes, said that U.S. National Bank owns Internet payday lending Web sites and that Financial Crime Division is a 'legal affidavit processor' -- a term that Googel also has dismissed as meaningless -- that works to notify borrowers that they still owe money to USNB. (The man refused to provide ABC News with contact information for U.S. National Bank.)
'They have taken so many loans they have forgotten that one to pay back and we are calling them about this legal matter,' the man on the phone said. 'That's not our problem that they have forgotten.'

The man argued against the complaint that his company had called people about nonexistent or repaid debts. Consumers, he said, have failed to provide the company with proof that their debts have been repaid.
'When we are asking the information, they are not ready to give to us,' he said. 'If they have paid it, they must have something in writing, some kind of receipt, but they are not going to give it to us, so how can we trust them?'

Loan Scams and Fake Address
When asked where Financial Crime Division was based, the man hung up.
Googel said that he has been on the phone with the suspected scammers many times and that each time they refuse to provide identifying information such as valid addresses or a licensing number, which collections agencies operating in West Virginia are required to have.
'I yell and scream at them, but it doesn't do any good. It's sort of high drama in a way,' he said.
Googel said that he has notified the Federal Trade Commission about the scam, but the FTC would not confirm whether it had launched an investigation. An FTC official told ABCNews.com that it does not disclose whether it is investigating a company unless it takes the company to court.

The official said that consumers with complaints about U.S. National Bank are encouraged to contact the FTC, the Better Business Bureau or their state attorney general's office. Read a statement by the West Virginia Attorney General's Office's office on the issue here.
ABC News' Gerard Middleton contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-714-333-2981

This is just another one of hundreds (and perhaps even thousands) of numbers these overseas payday loan debt collection scammers are calling from:

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-904-425-9141:

It's a scam, and all their threats are false and illegal.  The bottom line is, these are criminals trying to steal consumers' money.

Here are a few news reports and government advisories warning consumers about this scam:

ABC News:  http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5621205&page=1
West Virginia Attorney General:  http://www.wvago.gov/internetloanscam.cfm
WTAE TV4, Pittsburgh:  http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/call4action/17285785/detail.html
Florida Commissioner of Consumer Services:  http://www.800helpfla.com/newsletter/2008/092008.html

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 gobbylgook 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, Christian Nicholas & Associates, US Federal Bank, Sonic Bank, Hopkins Law Office, CashNet, 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.)

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 (
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.naag.org

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/1-336-553-3965
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-909-6789
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/1-310-909-8245
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

...and, many, MANY more.

This is the smae thing that what stated to me it is a huge scam. I have no idea what they are talking about. But they even went as fart  call me an idiot woman and i told them to stop calling and under fair debt that they had to they said you stupid woman i wam going to harass you. I said stopor i will call the police. I hung up and they called me back and said now call the police. It is horrible what do we do about this?

I have been getting calls from this acs collection agency for a month now. They somtimes cxall in 1 day 5 times.They say I owe this money for a cash advance I took out in July 2008 and the totsl was 300.00. Now they claim I owe them 600.00. They have threaten to send a inspector or police if I dont pay this immediately. The caller ID says unavalable and the number shown is 052497347. They leave a number 813-749-9950. They are very rude. I have asked for documents claiming this but they said I should of printed them when I took out this advance. WHAT DO I DO?????

Has some advadavit in their position of a serious matter ...... to respond before something serious happens to you ....... no other details .......