415-376-1474

I received a call from this company stating that they are working for the Federal Government. No matter how many times I stated that I am not the person that they are looking for and that they need to remove my number from their list, the guy continued to try to get information from me and asking me what my name was. And when I asked for his information he told me that he does not have to give me that. So I told him to send a official letter and then we can talk. This is most likely a scam. Do not fall into this. These people try to scare you thinking that you may have did something wrong just so that they can get money from you or access to your bank accounts. I have worked in fraud prevention and this is not the proper process.

Call stating I had a criminal charges against me for unpaid loans.

Yes, these people call me saying the same thing which was Attorney Alex Copper that that charge was being made.

Some guy called my house at 6:45am this morning.  3 times in a row!  I guess he thought his long, monotonous, Indian-Pakistani-Sri Lankan-hard-to-understand voiced message wasn't long enough.  [***].  Anyway, he said, "This message is for [my husband's name].  The reason for my call is because your name and social security number are being sued.  The attorney needs to get in touch with you as soon as possible about this law suit as soon as possible at (415) 376-1474.  If you do not contact us immediately, then we can only wish you good luck in your life."

Sam Scott calling saying I have criminal charges against me by Attorney Alex Cooper and Johnny Best Law Offices. Thye have the last 4 digits of my SS#! I have no unpaid loans...this must be a scam! I am concerned that they have my SS #!!!!

They keep calling me at work saying there going to sue me this is a scam please stop the calls

Update, my husband called the number back and told the guy to stop calling our house, and he told my husband, "[***] You."  Nice and professional, huh?

Hi, I received a phone call from this company too saying he was from the law office of John Best. Said I had paid w/ a bad check and they were going to arrest me if I did not pay $645.00 by 11 am. It was a middle eastern accented man. He also said they were going to submit charges to my local Court house and have the sherrifs arrest me.

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

Threatened me. I told.them I knew they were not legitimate and that I reported them to.FBI and.attorney general and they told.me to $$$$ off and.to "come under his table and.suck his.$$$$"

The person called me 5 times saying it was a legal matter but wouldnt tell me what it was about and that I needed to contact his attorney or they would turn it over to mny local court and I have not done anything wrong and wish they would stop bugging me and they are calling me on my cell. I could hardly understand the guy

I recieved  the same call from a forgiener  I could not understand  him.  He said I would be in jail tomorrow  and I would lose my job.  He sqid the same thing to me as he said them too Alaalfa.  But  I am not scare.@

I've had several calls myself. This made identified himself as Attorney Alex Cooper, by the way, there is no such atty in California Bar...he stated that within an hour, sheriff's office would be at my place of work to arrest me. I asked for his casenumber. He said, "I am an attorney, I do not have such things." This is criminal. Needs to be stopped.

This have happen to me today and he called my place of employment 16 time and cell 25. I know i have did anything wrong so I told him to call the officer because he just got caught my husband works there as and my mother so he Hung up in my face and wouldn't answer the phone. Have no idea how they have all if my information.

I told them if they call me again Im reporting theyre azz. I dont have time for 6 in the morning bs calls.

Just got yet ANOTHER call from this same idiot!!  No words from me, just an immediate transfer to the Police Department.  I have had enough -- no more of this nonsense.  They haven't called back yet (it's been 5 whole minutes now), but I don't doubt that they will -- and I will keep repeating the transfer over and over.

i got a call from someone name dax something i cannot really understand him he is saying police will be at my job to arrest me and that i need to send them a prepaid card of 400 for my loan he spoke to me rude and called me at 8 in the morning yelling saying he is trying to help me if i dont want help thats fine he's just sent the police to me i do have a payday loan out but i have documentation for the loan as well as payday dates and the company he saying i dont even have a loan with them!!!!

I have received this multple times the last 3 days. Now they call my work..name was daniel hunter. Asked for my supervisor....who do I call to report?

I have had the same issue with this man calling me saying I'm being sued. He gave me the number to a so called lawyer named Alex Cooper(415)376-1474. I don't understand how they have gotten my information and I am a bit worried about what other personal stuff they may know since he knew the last four of my social.

This phone number has called me several times saying that I have an unpaid payday loan. The so-called attorney (John Brooks) tells me that I need to pay certain amounts of money or I will be arrested at my place of employment or the local police will arrest me at my home. I went to out local police/sheriff's office today as well as the State's Attorney's Office. Unfortunately, I have been scammed out of several pay pal payments totaling over $5000. I'm sick over this, I have never been taken advantage of like this before. I should have been smarter. Tomorrow I am going to the Illinois Attorney General's Office in Springfield to file a formal complaint. This so-called John Brooks has indicated to me that my original 2 payments will be sent back to me in the mail tomorrow (cashiers checks). I'm not holding my breath!! DO NOT BE SCAMMED BY THESE SO-CALLED DEBT COLLECTORS!!!!!