202-239-2148

I received a call from this number saying that there is a fraud suit against me.  They were calling me on behalf of a cash advance that I applied for in the past. They said that I owe a balance of $398.00. My question to this person was how come this is the first time hearing about this. Since the company has my address, why didn't the contact me by mail and I would have resolved it at that time. I am not handing over any money until I can verify the information. This is not the first time that I have received calls about this. I check my bank statements frequently and the cash advances that I applied for have been deducted from my account. I would appreciate an investigation into this matter.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, is warning consumers to be on the alert for scam artists posing as debt collectors. It may be hard to tell the difference between a legitimate debt collector and a fake one. Sometimes a fake collector may even have some of your personal information, like a bank account number. A caller may be a fake debt collector if he:

is seeking payment on a debt for a loan you do not recognize;
refuses to give you a mailing address or phone number;
asks you for personal financial or sensitive information; or
exerts high pressure to try to scare you into paying, such as threatening to have you arrested or to report you to a law enforcement agency.

If you think that a caller may be a fake debt collector:
Ask the caller for his name, company, street address, and telephone number. Tell the caller that you refuse to discuss any debt until you get a written "validation notice." The notice must include the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor you owe, and your rights under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
If a caller refuses to give you all of this information, do not pay! Paying a fake debt collector will not always make them go away. They may make up another debt to try to get more money from you.

Stop speaking with the caller. If you have the caller's address, send a letter demanding that the caller stop contacting you, and keep a copy for your files. By law, real debt collectors must stop calling you if you ask them to in writing.

Do not give the caller personal financial or other sensitive information. Never give out or confirm personal financial or other sensitive information like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number unless you know whom you're dealing with. Scam artists, like fake debt collectors, can use your information to commit identity theft – charging your existing credit cards, opening new credit card, checking, or savings accounts, writing fraudulent checks, or taking out loans in your name.

Contact your creditor. If the debt is legitimate – but you think the collector may not be – contact your creditor about the calls. Share the information you have about the suspicious calls and find out who, if anyone, the creditor has authorized to collect the debt.

Report the call. Contact the FTC and your state Attorney General's office with information about suspicious callers. Many states have their own debt collection laws in addition to the federal FDCPA. Your Attorney General's office can help you determine your rights under your state's law.>

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt076.shtm

The person actually called back impersonating a police officer stating that he can have arrested for fraud.  But when I called the number back which connected me to the police station, They said that they didn't have a person by the name that was given to me on the roles. Oh did I mention that he had an indian accent.

Same Number, same deal.  I called them back a number of times and they won't answer now.  They attempted to impersonate a lawyer in a law firm, Edelson and Associates.  You can call the number and if you speak with anyone, it's clear they are not too intelligent.  After refusing to give them any information and repeatedly asking them for some information, the person got spooked and hung up.

This number called me today - says he is a attorney - who is going to procecute me for fraud check on payday loans.    Just dont make since.


Must be a fake lawyer.

I've gotten calls from this guy threatening me for the past two months!  Today was the last straw he called and threatened my job and has threatened me multiple times and has cussed my boyfriend out!!!  I don't know how to put this to a stop but this is awful!  He has told me I will go to prison for the rest of my life if I don't pay them seems a little sketchy especially since I have zero debt!

They have been calling me with the same threats.  Saying I will be arrested and go to jail if I do not pay this pay loan, which never occurred.  The same thing person talking to can hardly speak English and if they do speak it pretty good then the phone fades and can not understand them.  I am going to consult my lawyer and see what he has to say.

I just received a call from this number.  I was pretty much told the same as the others.  Only difference is he gave me my mailing adress and ssn#.  This scares me that someone has my ssn# and knows the name of the bank I bank with.

I just got a call at work and they wanted to talk to my boss. They wouldn't tell me what it was about and I said to call my home phone. He had an accent and it was difficult to understand. When I kept hanging up, he kept calling. When I finally laughed and said this is a joke, right? he hung up. He told me I was under state investigation and asked about my social security number.

These people keep calling me. They do have my S.S #. I did not confirm it but they do have it. I have asked them to put it in writing and they refuse to do it. They just keep calling.

This person called me 5 times today with voice mails,  this is harassment. Stating that has a legal case filed against me & that he is going to call my job & I am going to lose my job & that he is going to filed a warrant with the courts so the police can arrest me. when I called back he told me the same thing but would not tell me who I owe or what this is in regards to, he also refuses to put it in writing. I have no clue what this person is talking about therefore I told them not to call my phone again because they are harassing me.

This place called me again at 6:43am at home. They called our times. They won't tell you what it's about, just that I'm going to jail. They wanted to know if I had a man in my life. If you hang up, they call back. I told them to put whatever it is in writing. He told me to shut my mouth. I'm reporting them to www.fcc.gov. I urge others to do it to

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 from unscrupulous websites like the one you may have filled out an application with, 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.

ABC News released an investigative report on this scam in June. The FTC has indicted one of its ringleaders for criminal fraud:

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/phantom-debt-co ... 16512428&page=1

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/08/bgm.shtm

Called me while im at work. Had a thick accent. Said I was in a ssn lawsuit where I owe them money for a payday loan for a website that I never took a loan out said they are lawyers from edelson and associates. Harrasing me that they are going to send documentation on 3 charges against me including check fraud? to the state gov. local police. and my job and said my job may terminate my employement upon recieving these documents. I told them I would call them back when I decide on what to do. They kept saying I have to pay them or they are filing the paperwork right away. supposedly they transfer me to different people everytime i call but they all sound the same.

Who cares who they transfer to, just block their number and report them. Before that ask them whats the last 4 numbers of your SS is. If they know it, that means they somehow got it. Most probably through hacking or some inside fraud gave it to them. I've seen people here saying scammers got their SS numbers without them even giving it away.

scam caller trying to threaten legal action and having a "warrant" served in 2 days time.  Not going to fall for it - this phone number was just activated a few days ago and is a VOIP number from overseas.

I on the other hand just gave away $778.38 by getting scammed. Its funny, the things they tell you seem impossible but just on the off 1% chance that it could be true, when it is you it is pretty frightening and I did the most irrational thing possible for the most irrational request.

They told me I owed money $778.38 for a loan and court fees, the even called me with a "911" number. Embarrassingly, I took out some payday loans and this was for one of them. I was so worried that I let one go to default by accident and they threatened to "drag me in to court" and get me fired from my job and even told me I would never be able to take out a loan for the rest of my life.

So they gave me 30 minutes to run to a Wal-Mart and purchase a Greendot Moneygram for this amount so I rushed to get it in fear of being arrested and losing my job. I paid them, they said they would call me back once the funds went through. An hour later, I called them since I never heard from them and they said, "they talked to their client and the State Attorney General and since I had other debt, I would have to pay all of my debts in order to keep them from 'dragging me to the court house'." They said I would have to pay an additional $1,900 to get out of everything. At that point, I really didn't have the money to pay them so I begged for an extra day to try to gather the funds. They begrudgingly agreed and in the meantime I sought legal advise and I was told of the scam.

Now I am out $778.38 and maybe I deserve it but hopefully someone will read this and I can at least save someone else the money.

Wow, all of this information that others have posted is exactly what just happened to me.  What was interesting to me was the caller Michael Steven Davis (is what he identified himself as) put me on hold to talk to an Officer Jeff Foster supposedly....and when I asked for the telephone number of the officer, he gave me the exact phone number that is being reported here as 202-239-2148 (the officer has an extension 144).  So I asked why would the officer of my state be located in your office?  Didn't make sense...yes, this is a scam.

Corsey,  I regret that you were one of the many victims taken in by these low lifes.  Hopefully your post will help others to realize that this can happen to anyone who is frightened into acting in haste and will encourage them to educate themselves in these matters as opposed to depending on the honesty of strangers.  
Thank you for your post.

Peg,  these calls are obviously coming from overseas,  probably India.   Do not let them scare you into acting in haste.  It is without a doubt a scam and no one is going to be arrested or go to jail....