I don't know who these people are, they called my former job asking for my phone number and everything. Man with a heavy Indian accent, telling me I need to get a lawyer. Yeah right, I will get a lawyer and sue his a** for harassment.

This same clown (who calls himself Harry Brown this time) called me a week later and I told him "I know who you are, I know this is a scam. Don't ever call me again." We'll see how many more times I have to tell him this before he'll leave me alone.

Caller ID came in as "Unknown" this time.

I forgot to mention - the jerk on the phone left me the following number on my voicemail and the number worked: 347-602-5446.

I received a call today (11/18/09) from a man with an Indian accent who told me that he is from ACS Financial Consolidation (or some such) and that ?a financial company? is going to sue me for an unpaid payday loan (NSF in my account he says). While I have taken out online payday loans before, I knew I'd paid them all back in full. When he wouldn't tell me who the lender was, when the loan took place or how much I owed I became suspicious. He finally tells me I owe his agency $550 and that I'm going to be charged with misappropriation of funds and some other hocus pocus if I don't pay TODAY via credit card. Each time I tried to get any more information out of him he would only say "do you want to pay this, or do you want to fight this company in court?" I eventually hung up on him with a sick feeling in my stomach. I'm so glad I found this website - now I know he?s a bogus collector and if he calls back I'll know what to do. The caller ID showed 496-909-8001.  He really had me going ? I even went through all of my checking transactions for the past year to see if I had bounced this non-existent loan payment!

"Legal Restitution"

Their imagination is only exceeded by their stupidity...

They are obviously running out of names to call themselves...typical of scammers.

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-646-520-0833#pk1GHa8xFCAAgdgjLzhZQZQ

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.

US National Bank Scammers Still Extorting Hapless Consumers

"US National Bank" is still at it, calling up people and threatening them with jail time unless they pay up for debts they never took out and USNB doesn't own.

http://consumerist.com/5086468/us-national-ba ... pless-consumers

I STARTING GETTING MESSAGES IN JUNE 2009 THAT I HAD TAKEN OUT A PAYDAY LOAN AND DIDN'T PAY IT BACK.  THIS SUPPOSEDLY HAPPENED IN DECEMBER OF 2006. HE COULD NOT GIVE ME THE NAME OF THE COMPANY THAT I SUPPOSEDLY GOT THIS LOAN FROM EXCEPT FOR "FIRST ADVANCE" WHO HANDLE THESE SITUATIONS FOR PAYDAY LOAN COMPANIES. HE COULD NOT OR WOULD NOT GIVE ME AN ACCOUNT NUMBER OF LOAN.  HE HAD ALL MY INFORMATION, SS, BIRTHDATE, BANK, ROUTING NUMBER AND ACCOUNT NUMBER. HIS NAME WAS JIMMIE WALKER.  HE HAD A VERY HEAVY INDIAN ACCENT. I SUPPOSEDLY OWE THEM $829.00, THE ORIGINAL LEANDER SUPPOSEDLY HAS WRITTEN OFF THE LOAN, BUT ARE SUEING FOR LATE CHARGES, PROCESSES, COURT FEES, ETC. THEY READ ME THE CHARGES THERE ARE THREE (3) AND ADVISED THAT I NEEDED TO GET AN ATTORNEY.  IF I WOULD AGREE TO PAY THE AMOUNT OWNED THEY COULD HELP ME, BUT IF I COULD SHOW PROOF I DID NOT OWE THIS MONEY THEY COULD NOT HELP ME I WOULD HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE COURTS AFTER THE PAPERWORK WAS FILED.  HE ADVISED ME THAT I HAD A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE THEY FILED THE PAPERWORK TO THE COURT HOUSE.  HE TOLD ME THAT WARRANT WOULD ISSUED FOR FRAUD AND THEFT BECAUSE I STILL OWED FIRST ADVANCE.  HE HAD ME FAX A LETTER TO 888-501-5854 STATING MY INTENTIONS TO REPAY.  HE CALLED ME FROM: 858-384-9663.

Your scenario is exactly the same as mine.  You even have the exact amount of $829 that was quoted to me.

Isn't there something that can be done to stop these people?

I STARTING GETTING MESSAGES ON JUNE 10, 2009 THAT I HAD TAKEN OUT A PAYDAY LOAN AND DIDN'T PAY IT BACK.  THIS SUPPOSEDLY HAPPENED IN DECEMBER OF 2006. HE COULD NOT GIVE ME THE NAME OF THE COMPANY THAT I SUPPOSEDLY GOT THIS LOAN FROM EXCEPT FOR "FIRST ADVANCE" WHO HANDLE THESE SITUATIONS FOR PAYDAY LOAN COMPANIES. HE COULD NOT OR WOULD NOT GIVE ME AN ACCOUNT NUMBER OF LOAN.  HE HAD ALL MY INFORMATION, SS, BIRTHDATE, BANK, ROUTING NUMBER AND ACCOUNT NUMBER. THE NAME THE WOMEN GIVE ME WAS: CLARA WALKER AND SHE GAVE ME HER SUPERVISOR WHOSE GIVE ME HIS NAME: JIMMIE WALKER.  THEY BOTH HAD A VERY HEAVY INDIAN ACCENT. IT WAS VERY HARD TO UNDERSTAND EITHER ONE OF THEM. I SUPPOSEDLY OWE THEM $829.00, THE ORIGINAL LEANDER SUPPOSEDLY HAS WRITTEN OFF THE LOAN, BUT ARE SUEING FOR LATE CHARGES, PROCESSES, COURT FEES, ETC. THEY READ ME THE CHARGES THERE ARE THREE (3) AND ADVISED THAT I NEEDED TO GET AN ATTORNEY.  IF I WOULD AGREE TO PAY THE AMOUNT OWNED THEY COULD HELP ME, BUT IF I COULD SHOW PROOF I DID NOT OWE THIS MONEY THEY COULD NOT HELP ME I WOULD HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE COURTS AFTER THE PAPERWORK WAS FILED.  HE ADVISED ME THAT I HAD A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE THEY FILED THE PAPERWORK TO THE COURT HOUSE.  AS THE CONVERSATION WENT ON HE BASICALLY READ ME MY RIGHTS AND COME TO THINK ABOUT IT HE MADE THE STATEMENT THAT IF I COULDN'T AFFORD AN ATTORNEY ONE WOULD BE APPOINTED FOR ME.  I DON'T BELEIVE THAT IS HOW OUR LEGAL SYSTEM WORKS IN REFERENCE TO AN OUTSTANDING LOAN, IS IT???  I AM IN TOTAL AGREEMENT SURELY THIS IS A SCAM....WHAT COMPANY WAITS THREE YEARS TO CONTACT YOU, HE SAID THEY CONTACTED ME VIA MY EMAIL, HA HA, I NEVER RECEIVED ANY TYPE OF COORESPONDENCE FROM THEM, BY PHONE, EMAIL, US MAIL, ETC.  WHAT CAN BE DONE TO STOP THESE PEOPLE, I WAS SO UPSET AND SPENT ALOT OF TIME TALKING WITH THESE PEOPLE TO TRY AND GET ANSWERS AND WORRIED ALL EVENING AND NIGHT.  THEY CALLED ME FROM: 858-384-9663.

It is a bogus collection company - heavy Indian accent - claiming they are from the Federal Restituion Division of your federal government.

Asked for a federal Id number - all government employees that make calls have one -FYI

They called an old employer - and told them I was being sued - and to call back before Saturday at noon or they would forward my case to the courthouse.

I called back and told them my cellphone number as they had called it - and demanded to know which government body they worked for - they said your federal govmnt.  I said the US? Guy said yes, I demanded his ID - said he didn't have one.  Totally bogus.