I AM IN AN ONLINE RELATIONSHIP WITH "ERIC PARKER". HE DOES HAVE A HEAVY ACCENT AND HE TELLS ME HE IS IN THE "CONTRACT" BUSINESS.    HIS LANDLINE IS TRACED TO BAYONNE NJ.  BUT IT ALWAYS GOES TO VOICEMAIL. HE NEVER ANSWERS.  DOES ANYONE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIM?

Phantom Debt Collectors From India Harass Americans, Demand Money

By BRIAN ROSS (@brianross) , CINDY GALLI and MATTHEW MOSK (@mattmosk)
June 7, 2012

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 was 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.

"If Mr. Patel was just a cog in the wheel he seems to have been a pretty big cog," Leibowitz said. "It is clear that Patel was integrally involved with this scam."

Leibowitz points to thousands of pages of financial and phone records gathered by the FTC and filed as part of a civil case brought against him in the U.S. District Court in Sacramento last month. When FTC lawyers sought to freeze his assets and prevent his business from continuing to operate, Patel responded by invoking his rights against self-incrimination. His lawyer told ABC News he has had to be careful in how he responds to the allegations in civil court "because there is a potential criminal action," but that Patel maintains the allegations against him are false.

Federal investigators said the phantom debt collection operation that allegedly benefitted from Patel's assistance was one of several that all trace back to the same small town in Western India called Ahmedabad. Callers use technology to make it appear that the calls originate inside the U.S. Victims provided ABC News with recordings of dozens of the calls, and many of the thickly accented callers appear to be reading off a script.

"Subpoenas have been readied, and Monday morning you're going to be picked up from your home," one caller says on a victim's voicemail. "And you have children. Don't worry about your children. We have a childcare department to take care of the children."

"You will be behind bars for six months," said another caller. "And once you go behind bars, you will lose your job. Once you are behind the bars, you won't get a single drop of water."

William Peerce Howard, a Tampa attorney who represents victims of harassment from debt collectors, said it takes an especially twisted criminal to use threats and coercion to pry money from someone who is already struggling financially

"These guys really are the most visible villains in America today," he said. "They make a living scaring people."

Mark Merola, of Florida, said he just panicked when the caller told him he might be arrested at the deli where he works in a Florida retirement community.

"I was nervous. I didn't want to embarrass myself, my family," he said. He used his debit card to pay the collector $576.

Afterwards, he says he realized "how stupid I was."

"It just happened so fast," he said. "I got scared."

Leibowitz said he hopes with more attention, future potential targets of the scam will recognize red flags before they turn over any money.

If callers say they are from the police, consumers should know that law enforcement officers do not collect debt for private parties. If the caller is speaking with a thick Indian accent, but calls themselves by a names such as Officer Mike Johnson, that should be a tip off. And if they're calling 40 times in two hours, that's another red flag. "Legitimate debt collectors, legitimate pay day lenders don't do those sorts of things," he said.

Merola said he would like to see anyone involved in the scam prosecuted aggressively.

"There's no place in society for these people," he said.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/phantom-debt-co ... 16512428&page=2

We've had the same thing here at our work. Paul, one of the various names used, has called appr. 8 times here to our office (work office) asking for one of our employees. He has threatened to have him arrested and is very insistent that we have our employee call him back. When I instructed him this was a business line and he was to stop calling this number immediately, he was still very insistent and has continued to call back many times even though we've threatened to call the authorities. I have even told them that I have been recording the calls to turn them in and it still isn't stopping them from calling back.

Got a call from David at this number also....Just for all you guys I had a little fun with this. I knew this was a scam, so I played along, ( I work for a bank in fraud protection credit cards) I was told iI owed $5562.00. I was told that i needed to pay this today, to avoid charges. When I offered to pay, Mr David said they would drop all charges for only $355.00. I was asked if there was a CVS, Rite Aid, or Walgreens. Then I was to buy a Green Dot, PayPal, Ebay money Pak card, I was instructed to call him back when i got to CVS, the call was to make sure I purchased the right money card. I played along called him back advised him I was having problems with the $355.00, he asked how much I had, I told him $200.00, He told me they would drop everything, but I had 15 min to call back. I waited 20 min, he called me back ( now 4th phone call back)
He wanted to make sure I was at CVS purchasing the card, I advised him I had, at this time he wanted me to read him the card #'s and scratch off the authorization numbers on the back of the card and read it to him.
I then advised him who I worked for and told him I was recording the calls, had all the neccesary information to locate him and advised him he was scamming me. Mr David was very Irrate, began using profanity, called me an idiot and a lot of words I do not want to print here. FYI, This is a SCAM, do not pay attention, they threaten to charge you with felony's, and file lawsuits, and federal charges. It is a violation of the Fair credit collections act, violation of all state regulations for collection activities in my state. They are looking for people who are not savy and trying to scare you into paying. REPORT TO YOUR BANK AND AUTHORITIES! The information they have as confidential is information that is public record and freely available. PROTECT YOURSELVES, DONT LET THEM SCREW WITH YOU!!!

this guy paul and marvin or melvin just keep calling me and asking me to pay or they are going to sue me they won't leave me alone what can i do

I got calls also stating I owed an amount of money for a payday loan and it would go to court if I didn't pay via a money card that day! I didn't think I owed anything, but it scared me so bad, I almost sent the money. Decided to call the police instead and they told me to check it out---so glad I did!!! The operator I talked to also had a heavy foreign accent!!

Tell him that you talked to an attorney and let hi know you will be recording the call usually bthat stops the calls!!! They are very persistant though I recieved calls several months ago and they stopped then they called my work!! he threatened with 30 to 40 calls a day I havnt got them yet.

recieved a call at work from guy with heavy Hindu accent stated I had payday loan that I defaulted on and demanded money!!! Not happening called local Sheriff and Prosecuting Attorney these people are a fraud!!!

this person keeps calling me at home and work!  how do i get him to stop?

Got a call at my job today, from (201) 205-2919.  Guy on the other end has "Heavy Foreign Accent"....Claims his name is ERIC PARKER....Claims to represent the back office of a law firm named ....CLIFTON GROUP...
Claims I have a "Legal Case" against me.  He would not give me a physical address to his company.  Nor would he send any documentation.  He tried to scare me into giviing him money on an old Internet Payday Loan............Which by the way...I have paid....!!!!! .....  THIS IS ANOTHER GREAT...BIG....SCAM....!!!!  BEWARE !!!!!!!

This person named Paul called said warrent for arrest and to call back the number is nonworking this is a scam