I started getting phone calls and messages from these people August last year. They introduced themselves as Police Officer, FBI agent, Lawyer and Federal agents. They told me I owed them totalling about $100K. WOW!!!! They also added that they have already filed law suits against me and the Police are coming to pick me up. I answered them that I am ready to face them in whatever court. Until now they still calling using NO NUMBER probably not to trace them. So BEWARE and BEWARE to these people.

I received a call from a James Smith telling me that I have a case against me in my state.  My files would be forwarded to my county and picked up either at my home address or work address.  I have been a victim of these scams before and I am very careful now with any of those payday loans thru the internet.  These people doing these scams have your information including the last 4 digits of your social security number.  They really scare you to the point that if you don't know better you will fall.

My boyfriend received a threatening voicemail from a Tom, saying that I better call them back, its time sensitive and that I better get a lawyer.  And if I don't then GOOD LUCK!.  I could barely understand the guy english speaking wise and it was super statiky.  I called back and got some other dude I could barely understand and when i asked what it was for he said March 2009 I did something on the internet for 300 dollars(which i never did) and that they need my lawyers information to send the information.  I asked why they called my boyfriends phone and not mine with no avail.  When i told them since they supposedly had my information they can just send me the subpoena, they hung up on me!!!

I also am receiving phone calls just like all the ones I have read.  I get these calls almost every day for about a year they have stopped calling my cell ad started calling my work, I have told this guy not to call my business line again or I will press charges, we will see what happens.

These people have been calling me and my boyfriend nonstop. We can barely understand them speaking. They keep telling us that we either owe money or we have some kind of payment to do. But what's really distracting is the static and people talking in the background. One time a guy called and started yelling (literally yelling) at my boyfriend saying he owes them money and that some officer is going to come and arrest him. This was weird and it scared my boyfriend. He almost did send money because he got scared, but he was stupid for faxing them his signature. What I dont understand is how this happen. I just recently started getting phone calls from this number saying my boyfriend owes this and that and if not, california police are going to arrest him. I already knew this was fake because the number is odd and the people cant speak english clearly.

I got two different messages from the same guy. One time he identified himself as Roy Anderson. A few weeks later he identified himself as David Smith. He will state that you or your retained attorney should call him back ASAP. It is a scam. He will try to not let you interupt him and tell you that he needs to finish reading an affadavid against you. It seems real at first, but then you realise that something is wrong when he can't give you details about the charges he claims are against you.

I recieved several calls from an man who called himself Officer Max Green saying I owed someone money and that he was going to have me picked up from the police tomorrow if I didnt pay him the money. He asked me to have a letter notarized with my credit card information and my authorization to charge my debit card.  When I told my husband he said not to do so and he would call the police first and see if they can find out who these people are. The police department here in our town said it sounded like a scam and forwarded my husband to speak with secret service. They looked up the telephone number and said it is a known scam out of India and that they are doing their best to stop them. They said you can ask for a bill in writting or the mailing address and they wont give it to you becuase it is a scam. They also said to ignore them and they will stop in a while. My husband called and talked to Max Green and asked him or a copy of what I owed and the mailing address and they laughed and hung up on him. They started calling again today and the mans name this time was Steven. This is not real......anyone that you owe money to should be able to show you what you owe and they can not. Oh by the way they always end the call with God Bless You!

I just received the call as well from 320-051-786 but with a call back number of 315-238-5025. One to my house phone and then my cell phone. How did they obtain our numbers? He said his name was Marcus and its critical that I call him back, if not I will regret it and he feels sorry for me?? LOL this does not make sense. I tried calling back just to see what this is all about, no answer. It went directly to voicemail.

I received two calls from the number. the caller was looking for my relative, and promised to remove my number from their list after I said I don't have any contact with them.

Foriegner with ALOT of background noise. He said his name was Shawn Macke and that there was a legal case against me that is extremely time sensitive. I was to have myself or my attorney call him back ASAP. He called me 4 times in 10 minutes and left me 2 messages. I ignored them for the simple fact that the phone number that showed up on my caller ID was 320-051-786. Why does that number not have 10 digits when the call back number he left me was 315-238-5025? Can anyone make any sense out of that one?

A man with a foreign accent called with a lot of background noise and clicking, which usually means the call is being routed through several call centers to prevent you from knowing exactly where is is coming from.  Said I needed to call back immediately as I was named in a lawsuit that would be going to a judge tomorrow and I need to have my attorney contact them.  Would not tell me who I was being suided by or for what or even for what amount of money, just kept saying that it was really serious and I needed to make sure I was ready to go before the juge tomorrow.  Please be aware that this is a scam.  I am an attorney myself and when I identified that fact to them, they hung up on me.  I called back and asked to speak with their lead counselor and they would not transfer me or give me a name.  They are a group of scam artist who have somehow hacked into internet applications either of a pay day loan nature or a credit card application.  Beware and don't give them any information or pay them any money, they will only call again in a few weeks.

I just received a phone call on my work phone said his name was Markus.  This people have called my daugher and son-in-law.  He left me a message and said I needed to call or my attorney to call.  I am not returning the phone call.  They are a bunch of scam artists.

THE SAME AS ALL THE REST. I CAN NOT SAY IT ANY BETTER. BUT MY CALLER WAS NAMED BRAD SMITH.

a person with foreign accent stated i need to come up wth 1500 dollars in 2 hours or county would pick me up in am and take me to jail..they wanted me to fax them a letter stating who i was, my cc number and to be sure the money was on that card,also adress....i hung up and called my attorney

I received a phone call from 2 men, though they both sounded the same. He claimed I took out a payday cash advanced and never paid it back. They threatened to arrest me, prosecute me with 3 federal felony charges and they threatened my job. At a minimum, they know the last 4 of my social security number, my email, my cell phone number and my work number. They have been calling and harrassing for weeks. Now that I know this is a scam, I am filing every complaint against them I can. They told me "may God bless you as the situation unfolds on you". I wish the same to them!!

This just happened to me today.  I am so glad that I got on here and read what everyone had to say.  I have never taken out a payday loan, but I did apply for one that I didnt follow through with.  I did Marcus Williams to bite me.  I contacted my bank and closed the acct info they had and opened a new one.  I reported these scammers to the FBI, FTC, locl police and BBB.  However, as you probably have heard they are not most likely located in this country.  Make sure and mention this scam to everyone! Scary people can get their nasty hands on our personal info. God Bless!

Same thing happened to me today! I told them I thought it was a scam and they threatened arrest. I told them we had proof that no money was ever deposited into my account and they had all my info also. They even called my work! I called them back and told them I had the proof and they said ok no problem then I told them I had reported them to the FTC and the FBI and they hung up on me! I closed mychecking account and have placed fraud alerts on all the credit bureaus on my banks advice! THey were very pushy and very threatening on the phone until I told them all the above.

Same exact name with me too.  They have been trying to fraud all over the country.  I closed the bank acct to be safe and opened a new one.  Good call on your part not fall for it.

Same thing happened to me today. if they had bank acct info. You need to close that acct and open a new one. alert the SS office if they had your social.  also you need to report this to the FTC and the FBI. They are fairly sure these scam artists are not even located in this country. DO NOT FALL FOR IT!! get the word out

I've been getting the same calls off and on since 2009 different name and telephone number.  I threaten and do report them and the calls stop. For the last couple of days I've been getting calls from the 315-238-5025 and it sounds like the same person.  I will report them again.

Per NY Attorney General's Office:
LLC LAW OFFICE
68 Wolcott Road
Levittown, NY 11756  
315-238-5025
This is a COMPLETE SCAM OP.  DO NOT PAY THEM!!

Consumer Alert: Attorney General warns Kansans of debt collection scam

January 29, 2010 -- Attorney General Steve Six is cautioning Kansas consumers about telephone calls from apparent fake debt collectors who are impersonating law enforcement officers in an effort to extort money from consumers.   Consumers are warned to not submit payments to these fraudulent debt collectors.

When calling, the scammers most often state they are attempting to collect a debt related to an internet payday loan obtained by the consumer, but which the consumer never repaid.  Consumers state they have never obtained such a loan or paid off the loan years ago.  The scam artists have most recently identified themselves as ACS, National Affidavit Processing Department and United Financial Crime Division, but may use additional phony names.  It appears the phone numbers used by the scammers are ?spoofed? numbers, so that the number appearing on a consumer?s caller ID is not the actual number of where the call originated. It appears the calls in question may be originating from outside the United States.

When questioned, the individual calling refuses to disclose the full name or address of the collection agency they claim to represent.  These scammers have been able to provide consumers with identifying information, such as the consumer?s social security number, home address, e-mail address, names of family members and the consumer?s computer IP address.  Since the callers are able to provide valid personal information, consumers may become confused and believe they are being contacted in regard to a legitimate debt.

If the initial debt collection scam is unsuccessful, consumers have been re-contacted months later with the scammers posing as law enforcement officers or officers of the court.  Typically, the consumer is threatened with arrest for fraud or some other fictitious crime unless the consumer agrees to immediately wire money via Western Union.  The fictitious officers strive to frighten and confuse consumers into compliance by using legal sounding terms such as ?We?re filing an affidavit against you? or by stating a lawsuit has been or is in the process of being filed against the consumer.

A hallmark of each scam has been calling consumers repeatedly at their place of employment.  This scam hit home when an employee of the Kansas Attorney General?s Office was repeatedly called both on her cell phone and at work.  Despite the employee?s repeated verbal disputes, the caller refused to provide any identifying information to allow her to send a written dispute. The scammer also continued to call her numerous times a day regarding a payday loan she denied obtaining. Two months later, she was again contacted by telephone by an individual identifying himself as an ?officer?.

?I denied owing the debt and refused to pay without being provided validation of the debt. I was then told, ?If that?s the case, I will have local law enforcement come to your place of business and drag you out kicking and screaming?,? stated the employee.

?It is important for consumers to know their rights under the law,? Attorney General Six said. ?If a consumer is receiving calls from a debt collection company and believe it is a scam, I encourage them to contact our office immediately.?

Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), collectors are required to send consumers a written notice within five days of the initial contact.  The notification should contain  information such as the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed and a statement informing the consumer they have thirty days to contact the debtor in writing to dispute the debt or request validation of the debt. In addition, legitimate debt collectors are prohibited by the FDCPA from making false or misleading representations, such as the consumer has committed a crime, implying nonpayment will result in the consumer?s arrest, or using the threat of violence.

More information is available on the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf.

To register a complaint with the Kansas Attorney General?s Consumer Protection Division, call 1(800) 432-2310 or visit www.ksag.org.

http://www.ksag.org/page/consumer-alert-attor ... collection-scam

I received a call from someone named Charles, also with a foreign and hard to understand accent, saying it was extremely time sensitive that I call back the second I received the message and if I chose to ignore the call, then "God help you, and good luck."  I called back and was told I was being charged with internet fraud and would be arrested at 11 am the next day.  After reading the posts, I am comforted that that will not happen.  While I had taken a few online payday loans in the past year, I did not recognize the name of the company, Advance Cash America.   However, I was still upset as I know that these payday loan companies often go by different names.  I am currently in the process of working with a company called Destination Debt Solutions to resolve my payday loan problems.  They are great and are helping me get back on my financial feet.  They are listed with the Better Business Bureau and are legit.

If these scammers call again, I will let them know that I now understand that they are the ones committing fraud and I intend to report them to the Secret Service, the FBI, the Better Business Bureau, and my state Attorney General.

received a call/message from a guy named Marcus williams, who claims to be a attorney with an indian accent demanding to speak to me or my attorney. Called my place of work and my friend saying i am being sued for a payday loan i did not pay back, which is funny because i never borrowed money from the payday loan he mentioned.  He called several times and left a message, SAME EXACT message like reading from a script saying "do not disregard this message, its time sensitive and if i do not respond may it unfold on me...blah blah...god bless you!"  Then the day after I receive the EXACT SAME message with the same voice but different name. Definitely FRAUD!  Please stop this man from calling and leaving threatening and persistent messages.  I will be reporting you and have you prosecuted!

received a call from a man who says his name is shawn (couldn't understand last name) who is an attorney for llc attorney association stating he represented a client who is sueing me over a payday loan from back  in 2008 that i supposidly didnt pay back!!  he was trying to read me an affidavit over phone and saying if i didn't take care of this immediately i will be served with papers the next day to go to court . next day didnt see any paper work of course but he called again stating if i did not take care of this immediately i would be arrested for fraud charges !!! i called him a fraud ( he did not like that at all) ,he didnt call back so i guess he knew i wasnt falling for his scam. He had all my personal information. so i reported this to bbb, federal trade commission, local authorities and put a security block on my social security number . I pray to God these people are found and prosecuted !!!!

PROTECT YOURSELF!  IMPORTANT INFORMATION YOU MUST READ ? HOW THE SCAM WORKS AND WHAT AGENCIES TO REPORT THEM TO

LONG RUNNING AND KNOWN SCAM ? ALL OVER INTERNET AND NEWS FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS NOW

Fake Debt Collectors ? Terrorizing Consumers

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5621205&page=1


MORE ON FAKE DEBT COLLECTORS
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-904-425-9141
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/call4action/17285785/detail.html
http://www.800helpfla.com/newsletter/2008/092008.html

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/01/ks_debt_collection.html   latest release of information on this scam

http://www.wvago.gov/internetloanscam.cfm
Attorney General Darrell McGraw took the extraordinary step today of warning the public about a band of scam artists making threats to consumers who allegedly obtained Internet payday loans in West Virginia and across the nation. The consumers they threaten never obtained a loan at all or paid it off years ago.

Internet payday loans are short-term loans or cash advances, usually for 14 days, made over the Internet via interactive web sites and secured by an agreement authorizing debits of the loan and all fees owed from the consumer?s checking account. These loans typically charge interest rates ranging from 600-800 APR and are unlawful in West Virginia.

The scam artists, who speak English with a foreign accent, call themselves ?U.S. National Bank,? ?Federal Investigation Bureau,? ?United Legal Processing? and numerous other phony names. They refuse to disclose real names and addresses and are believed to be operating ?off the grid? from homes, automobiles, or from off shore locations or foreign countries, including India. Since the scammers have kept themselves purposely well hidden, thus far no law enforcement agencies have succeeded in locating or shutting them down.

The scammers typically pose as law enforcement officers, investigators, lawyers, and bankers and threaten consumers that they will be arrested for ?bank fraud? or other fictitious crimes unless money is wired immediately. They simultaneously scare and confuse consumers by using meaningless legalese gobbledygook phrases such as, ?We are downloading warrants against you? or ?We are filing an affidavit against you.? Consumers who don?t immediately fall for the scam are warned, ?Only God can help you now.?

The scammers almost always call consumers at work several times a day, and tell their supervisors, ?Your employee has committed fraud and is about to be arrested.? Such threats have proven unsettling even to the most savvy consumers and employers who suspect the calls are fraudulent.

Attorney General McGraw stated, ?Ordinarily my office protects consumers from fraudulent activities by seeking injunctions in court. But legal action cannot be taken until the scam artists can be located. Even then, it is unlikely that the persons behind the fraudulent calls and extortionist threats would obey a court order. In this case, the consumer?s best defense is to be armed with the knowledge of the scam so that all demands for money can be resisted, despite the false but scarey threats of arrest.?

McGraw added, ?Because the fraudsters make a special point of calling consumers repeatedly at work, employers must understand that the consumers are innocent victims of a criminal enterprise and cannot stop the calls from coming. I also wish to assure the citizens of West Virginia that my office will continue to do everything possible to locate and shut down the outlaw debt collectors.?

More information about this fraudulent debt collection scheme is available at the Attorney General?s website, www.wvago.gov/internetloanscam. Any consumers who have been threatened by these persons or wish to file a complaint about another consumer matter may do so by calling the Consumer Protection Hot Line, 1-800-368-8808, or by obtaining a complaint form from the Attorney General?s web site.

It's a debt collection scam. And all their threats are false and illegal.
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 gobblygook 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, Hopkins Law Office, 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.)
The bottom line is, these are criminals trying to steal your money.
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 (Read 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.wvago.gov
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/1-925-262-1327
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/1-949-743-1156
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
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-954-678-9724
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-610-571-3252
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-310-909-8245
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-310-499-9983
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-771-9249   Scammer posting here as GARY and GARRY JONES
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-860-4509   Scammer posting here as Mike Henderson
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-212-500-0839   Scammer posting here as Ricky
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-201-244-7722   Scammer posting as Carole, David Brown and Amanda
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-626-200-4646   Scammer placing false postings at this new number as silshan kanniue and Tina ? preparing a new number to use.
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-424-354-4270   Scammer placing false postings as Rose
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-785-4479   Scammer posting as Robert
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-909-327-4870   Scammer placing false postings as Marry
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-646-274-1143   Scammer placing false postings as Karen Miller


Scam alert: Bogus debt collectors
By Leslie McFadden ? Bankrate.com
Monday, Aug. 3
Posted 2 p.m.
Bankrate reporter Leslie McFadden contributed this entry.
This scam isn't technically about credit cards, but it is scary enough to post a warning. The Better Business Bureau issued an alert today saying consumers across the country are getting phone calls from bogus debt collectors claiming default on a payday loan. Of course, the consumer needs to pay a large fee to avoid arrest -- as much as $1,000.
The caller poses as a lawyer, and may threaten extradition to face trial if the consumer doesn't pay up immediately.
What makes these calls alarming -- and perhaps convincing -- is that the perpetrators reference the consumer's personal information, such as the person's Social Security number, driver's license number, previous bank account numbers, home address -- even personal references.
"The amount of information they have is really troubling," says BBB spokeswoman Alison Southwick. She adds that the amount of data points to a possible security breach.
Spread the word to your friends and family: Don't give out personal or financial information to an unknown caller. Scammers can spoof Caller ID to display different numbers, so trust your instincts over technology.
The BBB offers these tips:
?    Ask the debt collector to provide official documentation which substantiates the debt.
?    Do not provide or confirm any bank account, credit card or other personal information over the phone until you have confirmed the legitimacy of the call.
?    File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission online if the caller is abusive, uses threats or otherwise violates federal telemarketing laws or the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
?    File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau online if you believe a debt collector is trying to scam you.

These people called me and left an  urgent message to call them.  I did and they told me that was going to be charged with 3 felonies for not paying back money I have never borrowed. It is very disturbing because they knew my SS# and my address, phone number and my bank info.

Ive gotten a call from someone who calls himself Mark Smith he ask for your name and phone number but will not give info on them that is so fake!!!!! Never give out any info to hackers!!!!

i've gotten two calls from this individual named mark smith, one yesterday and one today. both calls were aggressive and threatening in nature. they are looking for a friend of mine, they say there is some sort of lawsuit pending against her. i told them that i am not her and to stop calling me. i believe they are some sort of debt collectors, and they have called me in the past with matters pertaining to her. i told them to take me off their list and to stop calling me. we'll see if they comply.