same kind of call as usual also they called my employer with the same info per my credit counselor always get a statement before paying for anything

I got a message from this man. Stating I had broken the law. when I returned his call, I was prepared. I have dealt with these guys before, as they used to call for other employees at my former job. When the man asked me to verify my address, I told him he could verify it if I had broken the law. I thlen explained to this man that threatening CRIMINAL action on a CIVIL matter was the only criminal act that was being committed. He told me I was rude and asked why I was being so aggressive. I told him because I do not like people who can't speak english properly, and then try to "scam" people by "perpatrating" to being law enforcement and working for the government.

He called me back and left a message and told me he wished me luck that I would be arrested.

Could anyone please post a link to where we can report these idiots? The first guy that left a message sounded like Elmer fudd! ha haa

Same story as you guys! But this guy Nicholson had my business information and everything. I just received a phone Call July 31from the scammer. I just recently opened a beauty salon and he had all my new info. He stated that my social would be blacklisted and my business would suffer. He claimed I took out a payday loan. I knew it was a lie BC I've always been self employed and do not have direct deposit. I know for a fact in Texas you have to have direct deposit to get those payday loans. But he got mad when j start asking to many questions that he obviously couldn't answer. So he called me a smart mouth!!! And told me the cops will sieze my place of business and a warrant for my arrest.

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

Report it to FBI IC3 site.  They are crooks.

This guy continously calls looking for robert springle. I just called the little prick over 25 times in an hour posing ad different people. Basically, just harrassing him. He just called begging me to stop. Haha, guess he doesnt like it.

Hli been recievinga calls from 2532166983 saying I owe 415.00 for a loan and asked for my attorney informtion.when I didn't give it to him he hung up on me . I called back he said I had 45 minutes to pay it off otherwise ill be arrested I said where's the proof he couldn't tell me and hung up again. So I advise anyone to not pay that man anything

got call about cash advance law suit, threatening to sent my case to federal court if i don't pay 625.00 of unspecified charge.

I  just  got   several  threatening  phone  calls  from  this  number (253) 216-6983  and  left  me  this  number  to  call (. First off all they spoke  extremely  broken  English  yet  I  had  no  problem  understanding  the  threat  that  if  I  or  my  attorney  did  not  return  the  call  right  away  all  she  could  do  was  wish  me  good  luck  along  with  some  other BS!  I  called  back  using  a  diffrent  phone  and  asked  who  they  were  and  they  seemed  reluctant  to  answer  the  question. Then  they  claimed to  be  Private  Investigation  Services  yet  kept  telling  me  I  was  calling  the  wrong  number. I  have  caller ID  Mother Fu___ker's!!!! Very  Annoyed  maybe  they  should  wake  up  mute  so  they  can  stop  harassing  people  and  threatening  people's  families. If you ask me this is some b***s***  just  to  try  and  get  my  personal  information  well  f***  them!!!

These fools called me 27 times today after I called them out on their scams.
Scam #1 owe money for student loans
Scam#2  owe money for some crazy cash advance scheme
Scam#4  walmart gift card
Scam#5  your software is not working properly, they can fix the problem. They work for "windows" lol.

Oh and by the way, there is no such position as "federal Attorney" I think they were going for federal prosecutor...... And you CANNOT be arrested in the US just because you may be behind on some credit accounts.
The IRS is the only federal branch of government with arrest powers for back taxes, and only after everything has failed. And, to be sure, they would  not call and tee you they were coming. i.e., no debtors prison in America.

MRH
Former State Court Clerk (GA)

I have been getting calls from  253-216-6983.  The name given Benjamin Gates.  The warrant number he gave me the warrant department said don't exist.  The report was filed with the police today job notified letter written to social security and all three credit bureaus.  All recordings are being given to the police department. I can't wait til these guys get caught.

I got a call from 253-216-6983 saying that I had took some money and I need to pay.  He said I have a clean background but if I don't pay it will not be clean anymore. He also knew my social security number, my email address, my name and bank account number by him knowing all this scared me. He said he was going to call my employer. I pray they catch him..

this is a huge scam!!! this guy told me I was a habitual offender, and they were prosecuting unless I paid 978 dollars by western union. He will tell you he reps a cash advance company, and you defaulted on student loans. His number is 253-216-6983

Received a call from this number from an Indian male named John, who advised me to call back as soon as possible because of some criminal charges being filed against me. When I called, their mailbox was full and they claimed to be some law offices, but their names were mumbled. I knew this was bogus because you don't just get a call informing you of charges. lol

I keep getting calls from this number I dont know who they are, or care.

Just got this call. He sounded like he said he was calling from Civilian and Associates but I guess Steven Williams makes more sense. Lol. He said I have a few law suits filed against me and wanted me to verify the last four digits of my social, I didn't even though he did have it right. I asked what the call was about and he said he needed my attorney's information so he could send him my paperwork. I told him to have a good day and hung up. I filed a police report last week because of vandalism that was done to my car. I wonder if that's how they get your info.

Yeah 'db',I hear that too, folks "in Need" at some point, requesting loans(eg) are being  targeted! FTC says so as well. They are aware of what's happening. Scroll up to read what they have found. Give away... they have the accents!

Your stroy is just about identical to mine! I posted above, scroll up!!! I thought I heard McColson, everyone else says Nicholson, in any case my experience is very similar to yours. Looks like June/2012 has been a VERY busy month for them. Haven't had them contact my work place. Guess I better tell HR. My Manager is aware however... I  posted on another site as well. Hope they get posted evrywhere. I see the FTC has been on it, but still can't seem to stop them... watch ALL your accounts folks. I wouldn't be concerned of the courts, jails, taking children all that. But identity theft and monies being stolen,,be wary!!! Did anyone else get a San Diego number to call back for questions you may have? Perhaps I did due to my #.

Everyone posted here,I too received calls starting 6/22/12.I thought he said Scott McColson or sounded like. He had my name and full ss#.that's what scared me as well and said the government was suing me.} Didn't verify I was whom he said nor that that was my ss#,but he gave me a 619 768 1976 # to call for assistance which I found was nonexistence. I googled Investigation Bureau,since that was the company he named,there is one but Not for what he said. They told me what I said as well..Scam! I went to work,asked for 1hr off to try to take care of it .I bought Identity Theft Protection and called FBI. Guess after reading everyone elses notes here, I will also call FTC and local police.Thanks all,good to have these connections and sharings. By the way,after work,he had called 7 more times while I was working. Yes,my voicemails are saved and all calls sounded identical as mentioned with John Blew as a caller.voices in background sound like his too.Sounds like a call center and all with accents! I'm not giving a dime!!! Not changing my # or anything else. I too owe Nothing!

The same thing happened to me. This guy called my work and when HR wouldnt put him through.He started yelling at her. She hung up and he called back. He told her he was going  to F*** Her in the A** and then she hung up, he called back for a 3rd time and told her the same. Now she has turned it over to our corporate lawyer.

I got a message on my voicemail from a Charles Mcdaniel  at the number 253 216 6983. I could guess by his voice and accent that his name sure as h*** isn't Charles. Any way he was saying I need to call him back immediately or he wished me good luck with what he would put me through in court. I immediately looked up the number because I don't have any reason to be taken to court and found all these other files against him.  My mistake was trying to get a loan online to get a bigger vehicle because I just had a baby. I hope they catch this scum soon!

Got the same type of call this morning.  When I asked him to readh me the lawsuit he hung up.....search for Steven Williams & Associates found nothing in Kent WA

He called saying i had a warrant out n he was sendn police to my job n house

Legitimate debt collectors cannot call you at work if you ask them to stop and tell them it's your place of employment.

I got a second call this afternoon from the same guy, different number, 253-216-6983. When I called him on his scam he got very belligerent and said I was "the bi*** scamming his Madagascar clients". I have never done business or borrowed from anyone in India. I've been on the phone with the sheriff, FBI, and local police. They said right now there is nothing they can do but take an information report. So now I'm going to try the local media, we need to spread the word.

I am getting phone calls from scammers at a phone number of (253) 216-6983. He says his name is John Connor. They are insisting that I owe money to them, but I know it's a scam from India that tries to convince people to send them money without just cause. They continually call my cell phone and my place of work. Please investigate this phone number and see if you can track the down. thanks, Scott Golden

I just received a call from 253-216-6983, he said he was a Federal Atty and that I had a warrant out for my arrest, and he had my SS# regarding crimes he refused to tell me about. He said he needed my atty's contact info and when I pressed for more information and stated I don't have a atty he said I better contact his supervisor... Scott Nicholson @ 253-216-6983 or they would arrest me at work (which is oddly where they contact me...) A little freaked out by the call so I googled it and found all these similiar complaints. I *69 the call and again it was answered by the same man with the same accents in the same boiler room back ground noise! I hung up... sounds like a scam, just a little concerned he reached me at work!

Got a call from "Joe McCoy" this morning threatening to arrest ne for cyber crimes and money laundering. When I questioned what crimes I committed I was told they were related to student loans, which BTW are all in good standing. When I continued to ask probing questions like exactly what charges I was facing they got belligerent and said they'd see me in court. I called the local sheriff who put me through to the local FBI, who knows all about this scam. I was also freaking out because they are threatening my job. I have no idea how they got my SSN but I am also going to file a report with my local police. I really hope these people get caught where ever and whoever they are.

I recieved a call over the weekend and I didn't know the number so I didn't answer but, A man left a message stated that it was very important that I call back and he was laughing. When I call the number 253 216 6983, the guy said that he was a federal attorney and that i have a warrant for my arrest for a loan company that I borrowed money from in the amount of $478 and said that I need to pay it right away. I told him that I never borrowed money from that loan company and wanted to know how he got my information, he even knew the last 4 digits of my social. I hung up and called back he then told me he name was Scott Nicholson and told me never to call back and yelled at me because I kept asking him how he got my information. Does anyone know what i should do?

I just got a call from them and they said allegations against my social security number have been brought up. He then ask if the last 4 of my social was **** and i said no. Then he asked if this was my full social and i said no. Then he asked me if this was my address and i said no. Then he said then we will send someone to arrest me and i said go ahead you do not have my correct address to find me and then they hung up. Funny stuff. But i will put a hold on my credit to make sure.