This is a criminal extortion scam operating out of India. They are making the calls utilizing VOIP and the names of legitimate firms to make it appear the calls are originating from within the US. There is NO "company" or "debt" and you will NOT be arrested. They are harvesting and/or buying consumers' personal identifying information and you need to do whatever you can to protect yourself. This includes: Notifying the FTC: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/, placing fraud alerts with all three credit bureaus, notifying your bank and employer and letting these criminals know you are aware they are attempting to extort money for a non-existent debt and have alerted the authorities.

Read this investigative report ABC News did on this scam:

Hundreds of thousands of cash-strapped Americans have been targeted by abusive debt collectors operating out of overseas call centers suspected of links to organized crime in India, law enforcement officials told ABC News.

The calls are part of a massive scam, one that appears to target struggling Americans -- especially those who have gone online to apply for payday loans. Armed with personal information from those pilfered applications, the threatening callers, who claim to be debt collectors poised to initiate legal action, have managed to pry loose millions of dollars from their victims -- even when the victims never owed money in the first place.

"This is what we call a phantom debt collection scam," said Jon Leibowitz, the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. "It's a very pernicious and innovative new fraud."

Working through call centers in India, the commission estimates that the criminals have dialed at least 2.5 million calls, persuading already cash-strapped victims to send them more than $5 million. Some have reported receiving dozens of calls per hour. They are victims like Cindy Gervais, of New Orleans, who went online for a quick loan when her husband's car was hit by a driver who didn't have insurance.

Even though she paid the loan off, the so-called "phantom" debt collectors with Indian accents began calling to say she still owed money.

"He more or less told me that if I didn't pay, they were going to have someone on my doorstep to arrest me," she told ABC News. "And that they were going to contact my place of business, and tell them what kind of person I am."

At first, she said she resisted. Then the calls became more frequent, and started to ring on her cell phone, and at the grocery distribution company where she had worked for 27 years.

"I was more or less in panic mode because he told me there would be someone before noon at my place of business to arrest me and take me to jail," she said tearfully. "So I agreed to pay him."

After receiving scores of complaints, investigators with the FTC said they began tracking the calls, and following the payments. They alleged the payments led them to a California company run by an Indian-American named Kirit Patel, and that such scams would not be possible without American front men.

"I would say that all roads of this scam, or many of the roads of this scam, lead back to Mr. Patel," said the FTC's Leibowitz.

ABC News tracked Patel for weeks, from the suburbs of San Francisco to Austin, Texas.

Patel refused to talk. But his lawyer, Mark Ellis, said he believes it is far too early to pass judgment on his client. Ellis, a Sacramento-based attorney, told ABC News that Patel was hired for a nominal fee to set up an American shell company, and had no idea what the call centers in India were doing.

"I can tell you, he was as snookered by the people in India as anybody," Ellis said. "He's a 69-year-old man who is nearing his retirement who thought all he had to do was set up some corporations and everything was on the up and up. He's completely dismayed that he has become the lightning rod of this entire problem."

A close friend of Patel's also defended him in a brief interview at his home, saying Patel was not trying to defraud anyone -- he was just an unwitting, bit player in a larger scheme.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/phantom-debt-co ... ory?id=16512428

"Johnathan Hayward" and " Brandon Schallmer" among myriads of voices and accents have harassed me at work over multiple lines mid april for two years straight now.  This year they eventually quit asking for me and just began to harass anyone who would pick up the phone. Local police can not do anything. There are too many phone numbers coming in to block it. Not looking forward to April this year! If anyone comes up with a solution I would love to know!

Being Harrassed

This gentlemen has been calling a place of business 40 to 50 times a day. We are blocking his number from our phone. He screams obscenities at me and calls me names i have never been called before. He is middle eastern, probably indian. I have never dealt with sucha rude debt collector in all my years of working the front desk at any location. Someone does have to stop this man. I have asked for his supervisor which eh refuses to put on the phone. I have transferred him to my general manager and my IT manager to track his number. Good luck getting rid of this guy!

This is my second experience with this "company." They call my employer several times a day, demanding to speak with me. They refuse to leave contact information--except for yesterday. I was told to return a call to Marcus Wilson at 978-595-5257.
The last time I dealt with these scammer, I told them to send all their claims to my attorney via certified mail. That stopped the harassing calls.
This time (and last time), I filed fraud reports with the three credit bureaus, and filed a complaint with the FTC. I would encourage anyone else to do the same.

I work at a local store , and same thing calls FROM LENARD SCOTT over an over asking for another employee YELLING at us to put her on the phone..........called police --NOTHING ....called phone company -they say we cant block the number....REALLY !! THIS IS OUR COUNTRY AND NOTHING CAN BE DONE  REALLY ????????????????

He calls my work place the secretary says he harassed her tied up the phone lines ,rang 4 lines at once he's threatened her I tried calling the number and this guys name is randy the guy that called name was david miller he works with fraud dept he told me he needed my workplace number so he can tell David miller not to call here anymore my place of work wants to prosecute him anyone with information addresses or anything I'd like to know she says he harnessed her and threatened her and he called me back on my cell phone and left a message I'm taking to the authorities

This guy has been calling my girlfriends cell, when she tells him I'm not there he makes rude sexual comments to her.  I called the number back and when he answers he said  Mark O'bannon legal??? I think. He better hope I don't find out where he is located!

We had our business phones hijacked 2/26/2013 for 4 hours, by this number.  Police, FBI and phone company can't seem to stop this, it started at 9am and finally stopped at 1pm... we don't know if our phone company was able to block the number.. or what. The police officer said this was legal, I find that hard to believe. Harassing a business and taking control of their phone lines, can't be legal. I made a report to the Federal Trade Commission @ 877-382-4357 everyone should do the same.

OteThis idiot is a scam, they are really identity theft, they try to scam u, they go into people information and try to hacked you. Don't beleieve a thing they say...they is a ssam, a guy call me and talking about that I wrote bounced check and I owe the bank...I swear for 38  years of my life never have a check book...really, and they want me to pay them 300 dollars or I'm going to jail in 3 hours, and the police will come and arrest me at work, and take me to jail, talking nasty to me, having the cops spank me on my a** and my body will be bruised up and I will be bleading to death..stupid fu$%. And I told him to come now at my job and arrest me, cause u is a idiot..and he got mad and call me names..and he told me to suck his d%&$. Really, I made him pist I told he can kiss my happy a$$ and go to hell, and get a life...he got so mad he srarted screaming on the phone talking about I hate u, r u for real...look as$ u is very luck u on the phone, cause I'm glad u ain't in the front of my face talking to me like that cause u will never see the day of light in ur life... he got real mad and started screaming again....I told him my lawey is on the other line, he hung up.well haven't heard from hi no more so still waiting if he will call me at my job or at home, so I can record all his scam nonsense and repor his sorry a$$

Going through the same thing. My company is attempting to trace the call for what good it will do. Got calls this afternoon on my cell phone, I played nice and they told me to send 500 some dollars (wire it)...I told them I could only mail it.........of course they won't give out addresses.....

A man claiming he is Jonathan Hayward called my job several times.  Making threats to my employer * claiming I owe money.  They won't provide any information.  They threatened to keep harassing if I did not send money.

No intention of sending them any money, our employee was trying to get who they were supposedly who they were collecting for.  I think the laws on this may be different from state to state, not sure we can file a police report because other than a phone number we dont know who this guy is, and the phone number is for Broadwing Communications which was bought by another company in 2007

Please do not send these people any money. They have been harassing me at home and especially at work.  Calling my job over and over again demanding money that I don't even owe.  I called the co. they say I owed money too and they told me they don't know who these people are and are not affiliated with this phone number.  These people are preying on people, and getting our information illegally.  They are extremely rude and nasty. Please file a police report if they are harassing you, we need to stop these people from taking advantage of hard working citizens.  If you ask them for an account # or information they get mad and get very rude.  THIS IS A SCAMMMMMM!

We have been getting the same calls since 2/15. He asked for an employee, I told him that he doesnt work in the office and I would pass on the message. Took the info and within 2 minutes he was calling again demanding to talk to the employee.  I tried to tell him I would give him the message but he just kept saying I want to talk to XXXX. He call continually tying up all our lines for 2-1/2 hrs.  We put a block on the number and got thru Monday with no calls.  Tuesday 2/19 it all started again. Our employee called him back and asked where to send the money & he said I will call you tomorrow and tell you, that was the icing on the cake to prove it was a scam, collectors dont let you off the phone without payment plan in place.  He calls daily tying our lines up for an hour or more, then it goes quite for a few hours and it all starts again. We have called the Attorney General, no help, The phone company, No help...Annoyance call dept, no help...she said to block the number, told her we did that, now he has the number blocked or it says it is our number calling in.  I cringe ever time the phone rings now

Man with Indian accent and stating his name is Eric Turner called me at least 12 times today.   Told him  the person he's trying to reach is not available, I took a message. He hung up and called back 5 minutes later asking why he hasn't herard from them.  Told them the person is literally flying on an airplane, he wants to know where they're going?  When I asked why, he said he's from the State Attorney General Office. Pressed him with questions for more info. He said he's in Boston, MA and if I don't forward his number to the person he's trying to reach, he "will make it difficult for the school  (we represent) and will blast (the school)".   Told him that threatning behavior doesn't sound like a government official. He wants to know what country the perosn is flying to because he will have them picked up/arrested at the airport.  Sounds like he's trying different tactics. And yes he's a total jerk!

Fraud Detection From India Harass Americans, Demand Money
fruaud officer Leonard Scott and Jeffrey Scott


The calls are part of a massive scam, one that appears to target struggling Americans -- especially those who have gone online to apply for payday loans. Armed with personal information from those pilfered applications, the threatening callers, who claim to be debt collectors poised to initiate legal action, have managed to pry loose millions of dollars from their victims -- even when the victims never owed money in the first place.

I am being harrassed by a man with middle east or indian accent stating his name is Leonard Scott and he works for the fraud detection center in Massachusetts.  He says I am under investigation and in a very serious legal mess.  This guy is a total jerk and he continues to call my office atleast 10 times a day.  He is making my boss very upset as our receptionist has to answer his numerous phone calls.  There must be someone out there that can stop this madness!!!!!  This is a total scam and don't fall into believing anything they say to you.

He has been calling our office today 38 calls per minute did filing a police report help?

Samething man keeps calling saying I owe some money and they are gonna arrest me and when I hang up he calls all the other numbers in my department. I had to call the police and do a harrassment report also notified the security officers on my job I work with nearly 2500 people in my job setting and the calls are annoying I dont owe anyone. He calls hisself Jeffrey Scott.

A indian descent or similar accent man who calls himself - Leonard Scott continues to harass me at my office place of employment stating he is with a fraud department.  He will not stop calling my office!!!! My employer has a phone for his business not for this guy who continues to harass me and my office staff!