I got a similar call about a supposed payday loan that wasn't paid back, I took the info & will do some research because I haven't taken any loans anytime, yet they have an old email address I seldom use.

THIS IS A COLLECTION AGENCY FROM AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT INDIA , HE IS A FRAUD PERSON. DO NOT PAY THEM MONEY. DO NOT ATTEND THIS PHONE NUMBER. THIS IS A SCAM.

THIS IS A CRIMINAL OPERATION!

ABCNews says that the West Virginia Attorney General is warning people about fake debt collectors who will call you repeatedly at home and at work, threatening you with arrest for not paying a debt... that doesn't even exist.

The scammers operate under names such as U.S. National Bank, Federal Investigation Bureau and United Legal Processing, said West Virginia Assistant Attorney General Norman Googel.

The callers also have invoked the names of actors Denzel Washington and Steve Martin, people who've received calls tell ABCNews.com.

Googel said that the scammers have been impossible to track down, but ABCNews.com spoke to one man who claimed to be associated with U.S. National Bank. The man said he works for Financial Crime Division, a company he said provides services for USNB.

The man refused to give his name and gave little information about his company.

Steve Martin? What? When ABC tried to get the fake debt collector to tell them about his company, he responded in a thick accent: "It's not necessary that each and everyone knows about Financial Crime Division, and probably one of them is you." Yep. Definitely one of them is us. (To hear a clip of this conversation, click here.)

ABC says the scammers are targeting people who took out payday loans and have access to lots of personal information that may have been stolen from payday lending websites. One consumer who was interviewed for the report said that he was intimidated into sending the scammers $800. They claimed he still owed the money on some loans he took out in 2005. He had paid the loans off last year, but threats of arrest scared him.

"I was scared to death," he said. "Everything they said literally just stressed me out to the max."

The scammers like to use scary-sounding terms that are meaningless such as "downloading affidavits," identify themselves as "Denzel Washington," and say they are calling from "Steve Martin's office."

ABC says consumers with complaints about U.S. National Bank are encouraged to contact the FTC, and their state attorney general's office.

http://consumerist.com/5039903/fake-debt-coll ... t-of-your-money

http://www.wvago.gov/press.cfm?ID=444&fx=more

The following is an excerpt from ec's post:

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-718-831-7157

It's a scam.  There's no such thing as a Federal Investigation Bureau or United Legal Processing.

This is a very active group of overseas scammers who attempt to extort money from Americans with a myriad of false and illegal threats. They alternately pose as debt collectors, federal and state law enforcement officers, lawyers and bankers. 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, White Collar Crime Unit and many more.  These crooks often use caller-id spoofing software and/or VoIP to disguise their real location and to make it appear that they are calling from American area codes.

(By the way, 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* 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 )

The main thing to remember is that anytime someone calls you demanding money to prevent your arrest, it is ALWAYS a scam. No debt collector (let alone criminals posing as debt collectors) have 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. I suggest you do all the following (most of which you can do online):

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 who are posing as federal law enforcement. Be sure to give as many details as you can.

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://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01

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/1-706-955-4267

Hope this helps.

Rec'd call on my cell pone.  Person calling asked to speak with  "Sholondra" ( Not Me) I told them they had the wrong number and he said" I know it's you . I talked to you before I recognize your voice"   Then I was told I needed to take care of my debts or I would be arrested w/in 10 business days.    I hung up.   I rec'd 9 more calls from the same # in 24 hrs.

I received a phone call from a Officer Mark Gleeno, said he was from the United States Bureau of Investigations and that there is a lawsuit pending against me for banking violations and fraud.  Named a bank I haven't used in years, had my SSN and address (so scary).  Gave me a claim number and everything, stated that if I didn't pay him $1000 by close of business he would have officers come arrest me within 2 business days - i hung up on him.  Called my attorney and she stated he was pulling a scam.  This was scary - should I notify my local law enforcement?  and my social security office?  Said this was on behalf of a powerfunding inc.?  never heard of it.

I got a call from William Jacbos he said that he was wtih united states federal Burea Investagation. I had a lawsuit against me that was turned into the buruea. he wanted me to make a payment of 820.00 on my debt card. I told him that I didn't have one then he said that I could do a prepaid card. I also could make payments on my acoount. I told him that I would call him back to let him know what I would do.

I received a call from 561-948-8260 at my work from a guy who said his name was Officer William Jacobs of the United States Bureau of Investigation with a foreign accent and that I have a matter that needs to be taken care of. And like the rest of the replies on this site I see he told the people the same thing about being arrested and the I needed to take care of this matter today. He tried to get my bank info and my cell # and I would not give him either one. I am contacting my lawyer about this cause when he clled me at work. He also had my SSN and my address of where I used to live. This is a scam. They need to be stopped.

They are fraud!!
If you did any type of check advance EVER, they get your information that way.
I had a company scam me out of 350.00 one time and I tracked them down with the help of my bank.
They use scare tactics to get your money...like threatening jail....
They change names all the time and set up phone numbers so they can't be caught..

I got a call from this number about a lawsuit. The gentleman who called said his name was Alec Nelson, talked with a foreign accent, and gave me a case number along with a phone number to return his call. He would not give me much information when I asked what this was all about before we even begin. He talked really fast that I couldn't understand what he was trying to ask. He had my Social Security number and called me at work. He also asked if I had ever been arrested. I refered him to a company I had dealt with concerning a debt from the company he claimed was suing me.

A got a call at work this morning from Officer William Jacobs. He also had a mid western accent. He told me that he was calling in behalf of a company and that I had to appear in court with my attorney. He had my SSN and my address! He asked me if i wanted to settle it with him or if I wanted to settle it in court. Is this guy real???

I also got a call from this number with all the same information as above.  When I asked the name of the debtor, he provided one but refused to provide me a number to contact them.  I advised him I had proof the debt was paid off and demanded to talk to a supervisor.  He told me he had to call the company to discuss this - I told him to call me back in 20 mins.  I also called the company who advised they have been receiving complaints about calls like this.  I have called him 3 more times demanding a return call from a supervisor with no response.

He claimed to be Officer William with the United States Bureau of Investigations and said he had a complaint against me.  He had the last 4 of my SSN and wanted either me or my attorney to call him.

They seem to call me at work and also stated that they were calling about a lawsuit. This gentlemen did not identify himself but also had a middle eastern accent. When asked where it was filed or provide a copy of same he could not.

I also got a call from this so called Officer of the United States Investigations Bureau.  He said there was a complaint against me also, for what I don't know.  If I call, he will tell me the charges against me and said something about fraud.  ?????????  He did have the last four of my SS number-kind of scary!

I got a call from this number at 7 am on monday morning. The guy had a an mid eastern accent and said his name was William and I could not catch his last name , he said that I had a lawsuit complaint against me and to contact him  immediately. I am not not going to call it back until I have contacted an attorney. Has anyone else recieved a call from this number?