310-742-7377

I would like for someone within the LA- PD to call me reference the above listed number contact a employee of our company , trying to collect money.

This number just called me with a heavy Middle Eastern accent.  They said that I owed money, which I don't. This is another one of those scams trying to scare you into giving them money.

This number called my cell I didnt answer, then they persisted to call my work numerous times. Mr Johnny Brown (I think thats what hos name was) left me voicemail that I had a warrent for my arrest & 2 of my family memebers would be arrested as well. This is a total scam!!!! Im ferious with these people!

I also recived a call today frm this number. I did not answer but a man with a middle easterern accent by the name of " Shawn Good" stated that I and two of my family members would be arrested. Also stated that the FBI had been monitoring my activities online. I called the number back and just got a voicemail. Glad o googled the number and read similar comments regarding calls from this number cause it scared me! Lol damn scam artist! How did they get my number and my name?

Recieved back to back calls from this number.  Same as the above, a thick middle eastern accent who tried to threaten me with an "officer so and so".  I quickly informed the caller I do have the number and promptly hung up.

they called and threatened me as well looking for someone i dont even know what [***]..

This number also called me and my job stating i have a warren for my arrest and im being accused of fraud not meeeeeeeeeee.. and wouldn't give me any other information.

As with all the other post this person called my cell phone 10 times and then my job stating that he is the police and i need to contact his office or else..

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.Call Type: Debt Collector

I just recieved a call fromt this number saying i have a warrant out for my arrest due to me owing money that was deposited in my account, which never was and last month i was recently involved in a scam saying that the state of california for being a good citizen and paying my taxes on time Obama was isuing grants to people for 7,500 dollars. it was tax free and i wouldn't have to pay anything, but they lied they said i had to pay a transaction fee between banks of $300 and wire it to an idian bank. Then they say ok the process will go through it will be in your account by midnight, if not call us back in the morning. So once its not there you call back and they give you another reason that you have to pay $800 now for the tax on the amount. they just keep trying to get more and more money.

Got a call today from a heavy middle eastern accent from 310-742-7377. Said his name was Officer Robbie William. He said he was with the attorney generals office and that the FBI was monitoring me and my family for wire fraud. He wanted me to call him back which I did and got a voice recorder. I left the message to remove my number from their data base.

have received 3 calls from this number in the last 10 minutes.  i don't answer calls from unknown numbers and i have no known business with this number.  Same message, Officer Robbie Williams, claiming they have warrant for my arrest and they were from the attorney general's office blaise, blaise, blaise.   I really wish there were some kind of way that these type folks could be prosecuted to the full extent of the law for harassing law abiding citizens.  called my cell and my job somehow.

This is a criminal extortion ring operating out of India. ABC News released an investigative report on it 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

I recieved 2 voicemails from this number and they both said the samething. He said that his name is Officer Robbie Williams and he has an warrent out for my arrest along with 2 of my family members and if i dont call him within 24 hours they will have to send a cop to my home to come get me. He was even laughing at the beginning before he started to talk. I would like to know if anyone is planning on stopping these harrassing calls to everyone because it is bad enough people are struggling in this country without being harrassed by phoney phone calls.

The man has a mideastern accent. The phone message said his name was Officer Mark. Then he called back and said his name was Kevin Thomas. He is collecting a loan from Cash Advance America. I do not know what loan he is talking about. I told him to not call me again on my cell phone or at work.

This low life scum bag called me threatening me with jail.  Then when I tried to give him my lawyer's number he yelled at me, calling me "stupid American girl"!

This guy just call me today and say i owe some money and if i dont Pay he's gone to arrest me

One of my co-workers has been getting calls from them for a few days a few times in a row and calling the receptionist; Saying he is going to be arrested if he doesnt pay $500 on his card right now; he woudlnt give any information on what the debt was. I called him back and said that I was his attorney and he was fumbling and didnt know what to say to that!! Hopefully he will STOP calling!

got the same call from some middle eastern jerk. said his name was officer mark johnson. i hung up the first time and then called back. told him i was going to go to the police and call the ftc. he informed me that he knew i didnt owe anyone any money and to go to my police and to suck their _____! i hung up

Same call only mine was from an officer mark brown , not so heavy middle eastern accent stated he was waiting on the attorney general to sign a warrant for my arrest  told him ok and hung up, trouble is he called my job and told them the same thing . How do we stop this