The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, is warning consumers to be on the alert for scam artists posing as debt collectors. It may be hard to tell the difference between a legitimate debt collector and a fake one. Sometimes a fake collector may even have some of your personal information, like a bank account number. A caller may be a fake debt collector if he:

?is seeking payment on a debt for a loan you do not recognize;
?refuses to give you a mailing address or phone number;
?asks you for personal financial or sensitive information; or
?exerts high pressure to try to scare you into paying, such as threatening to have you arrested or to report you to a law enforcement agency.

If you think that a caller may be a fake debt collector:

?Ask the caller for his name, company, street address, and telephone number. Tell the caller that you refuse to discuss any debt until you get a written "validation notice." The notice must include the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor you owe, and your rights under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
If a caller refuses to give you all of this information, do not pay! Paying a fake debt collector will not always make them go away. They may make up another debt to try to get more money from you.?Stop speaking with the caller. If you have the caller's address, send a letter demanding that the caller stop contacting you, and keep a copy for your files. By law, real debt collectors must stop calling you if you ask them to in writing.
?Do not give the caller personal financial or other sensitive information. Never give out or confirm personal financial or other sensitive information like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number unless you know whom you're dealing with. Scam artists, like fake debt collectors, can use your information to commit identity theft ? charging your existing credit cards, opening new credit card, checking, or savings accounts, writing fraudulent checks, or taking out loans in your name.
?Contact your creditor. If the debt is legitimate ? but you think the collector may not be ? contact your creditor about the calls. Share the information you have about the suspicious calls and find out who, if anyone, the creditor has authorized to collect the debt.
?Report the call. Contact the FTC and your state Attorney General's office with information about suspicious callers. Many states have their own debt collection laws in addition to the federal FDCPA. Your Attorney General's office can help you determine your rights under your state's law.

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0258-fake-debt-collectorsReply !

This jerk keeps calling me saying he is from the FBI. What he doesnt understand is I have been arrested by the FBI before the y have no problem when it comes to finding me I have completley changed my life. But it is people like this that make me want to change back to the person I was. How do I get this piece of s*** to stop calling .

I keep getting the same messages all of you are getting! I called Verizon to block his number... how did he get our information and why does he call 20 times??!?!

They just called me and admitted that they were in Irac. This was after I told them I knew it was a scam and they told I i should have never been born nor should have any Americans because we were poor excuses for humans.

got a call saying i would be arrested and i saked for his number and he cussed me and hung up. I called back and ripped the dot head a new one. i live in wv the state some years ago filed suit against us payday loans and sent me a letter stating i owed them nothing

I received a call from this Indian guy @ work  introduce himself as Brad Nelson & he said I owed $900.00 & demanding me to pay in full , if not he will bring me to court ,which I didn't loan money or owed any kind of loan for them. He keep on calling me back @ work every hour & every minute.This is ridiculous,it's a HUGE SCAM.So I will file a police report & report to FBI to protect my privacy & for security-protect your credit from identity theft.

Its crazy stuff, I have no clue how they got any of my info, but hell u call them every nmae in the book and they still call usong different names ridiculous

Don't talk to him.  Make your employer aware of the situation and hang up on him. Once he finds that he isn't going to score,  he'll move on to the next target.

For the last week or so I have had guy named Raymond Scott call  me, obviously of a foreign accent, he has called my cell phone, my job numermous times, will not send me any legal informaation , tells me that I took out a loan 6 months ago and that I needed to pay now before.a warrant was issued, scam,scam, scam have reported him but still get the harrassing phone calls what can I do

This guy called said his name was Howard Jones and asked to speak with one of my co-workers.  He kept calling and we would hang up and he called would ask me to speak with her and I told him she was on the phone with a patient....soo rude and he would just keep calling about 35 times. I told him that he was calling a Dr Office and he said he didn't care just wanted to speak with her.  He asked her for information that you wouldn't give over the phone to a stranger.  If he calls again tomorrow we will be ready for him.

Absolutely one of the MOST rudest non english speaking harassing person I have ever received.  His supervisor is just as rude and non-english speaking.  I have told them I am at work and have repeatedly called me over 26 times within the hour.  I told them to call me at work, number given to them....the Police Department phone number. SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM

this indian guy called and said his name was brad nelson and he was an invetigator.

It is illegal to impersonate a officer and I imagine that is same with FBI and federal agents also.  This is a scam, extortion scam..  

Extortion Scam Related to Delinquent Payday Loans

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

? filed under: Press Release

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

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

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

Please do file reports with the FBI, your state attorney general and Department Of Justice,FTC & FCC..

http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
http://www.fbi.gov/
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
https://esupport.fcc.gov/ccmsforms/form1088.action
https://complaints.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx?panel=2

Also read up on the laws and your rights:

http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpajump.shtm
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/search ...
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0096-fair-credit-reporting-act.pdf

And see:

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0258-fake-debt-collectors
************
http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/pressreleases/extortion_scam.htm

How did you all understand the caller?!? I got a message from a women with an Indian accent so thick all I could understand was my name!!!

did anyone open up a credit card at home depot or JC Penny lately?  I wondering how these yahoo's got my information.

This is a huge scam!   First do not give them any information. Try to get as much info about them as you can.  Submit a police report, call the Federal Trade Commision and file a complaint, and protect your credit from ID theft.

call your phone company and block the phone number.  Thats what i did.

Have you got this guy to quit calling you he is a pain in the rear.

I have been getting calls from this guy for weeks threatening me that he will have me arrested if I don't talk to him. And yes it is a scary thing he has the last 4 digits of my ssn. This guy needs to be stopped.

A foriegn male claiming to be the Federal Bureua of Investigation and told me I owed 10,000 from a loan I took out.  This is a scam people!  I called and filed a police report and also called and filed a complaint with the federal trade comission because they had my personal information including my social security number.

Have received ten or more calls from this Raymond guy of Indian or some foreign decent. Changes his name constantly, Has constantly called my work ( Place of business asking for my supervisor) Threating to have me arrested and taken to jail. From ten oclock this morning he has continued to call saying im not returning the calls. Thinking he is speaking to my employer.
I informed him that I would be having my lawyer handle this matter, and he may stop for a bit but then returns the the call, either to my phone or work. How do i stop him this crazy person from harassin g me at my job.
Are these demons forreal!!!

Where is the FCC to deal with these criminals? Maybe the NSA could redirect their spying efforts to stopping this kind of crap. These azzholes are the reason I don't answer ANY unknown number, and this has been added to those blocked.

I keep on receiving phone calls at work from the above number saying that I owe 650 dollars immediately or I will go to court.  It is man who has a accent(prob Inadian).    He threatened to take me to court and call my employer but then asked me for the number to my employer.  Really? He must think that I am  stupid!  I told him to go and get a job and make money the legal way and not off the working class people!

Hi. I just got off the phone with "Raymond" the Indian accent. He froze up when I asked him for his address and stated that my father was a police officer and wanted to speak with him (lie). All he kept saying was, what is your employers phone number??? I said that it was against the law for him to contact them about the situation. He said not to tell him what to do:) first of all a professional does not get angry like that with a "customer").

I received 2 calls within 15 minutes from a man who was threatening me.  He said there was a warrant for my arrest for nonpayment of a loan; said he was sending people to arrest me.  He said I was being sued for $20,000.  I called my local police and filed a complaint also filed a complaint with the FTC.  It was scary because he knew my home address, even the bank I use.

Please do not pay these people any money.   They are thieves.

Received a call from this number claiming legal actions pending against me.....threatened to call my employer......and so on. Says his name is Freddy Cooper....had an Indian accent.....gave him my lawyers name and number....hung up and they called back again....by this time I was steaming hot....I hung up and they called back again....I was extremely upset yelled at them to never call my house again or my place of business, which is against the law, seems to me these people do not study American Law.....or they would know this is harassment. Please do not fall for this BS!!!!!

This guy with an Indian accent called and told me I owed money from a payday loan.  I told him I paid every single one of those off back in March!  I told him it was bull**** and he threatened to take me to court and call my employer.  I told him " I AM MY EMPLOYER."  He said he would get me through the court system and I told him to go to hell!  He told me to shut my mouth and I hung up on him.  He tried to call back but I did not answer.  This is ridiculous!!!!!!!