646-527-9240

I received a voice mail from a company.  I cannot google any information on the company phone number.  They called for a person who used to have my home phone (I have received over 100 collection calls directed to this person).  When I called I was told that I called a "law firm" representing Cashnet USA.  I have never borrowed a cent from Cashnetusa -- ever.  I called these people to tell them to stop harassing me at home.

I was transferred to a man with a distinct East Indian accent who represented himself to be "Sean Williams," an attorney, and that I was being called from a law firm.  When I asked him where he was license to practice law, he answered, "New Jer -- New York."  He then demanded $370 on pain of suing me for $4000.  He said that they called the number asking for Theresa but they were actually looking for me and that I had defaulted on a payday loan from this CashnetUSA place.  Again I have never borrowed anything from CashNetUSA.

I repeatedly tried to get a FAX number, law firm name or mailing address.  However, I was unable to do so.  The "Sean Williams" person directly stated that he was "threatening" me and also that he was working in a law firm.  No FDCPA notices of any kind in the voice mail or in the phone call.

I don't know if this is a scam or if this is an abuse of the laws or if the culprits are reachable.

These guys are straight up scam artists. First, one of them claimed to be with NYC law enforcement claiming they were about to come and arrest one of our employees for failure to pay a debt. After transferring this guy to my boss, I decided to call the company back, and see what was going on. The guy my boss was talking to claimed to be named Shawn. When I called, I got transferred, and while my boss was still on the phone, I also started talking to a guy named shawn. Keep in mind, every person I spoke with had a thick indian accent.

I asked over and over for a street address or anything that I could use against them. I finally told them that I was from the FBI and that we would be coming to arrest them all for the calls they have been making.

I've called them back about 500 times to harass them, and it's been entirely worth it. I'm not sure where they are, but I will be submitting a complaint to the FTC.

I have received call from a man with a strong indian accent by the name of Sean Williams. He has called my job numerous times harrassing me. He even cursed out a fellow coworker.  He sent me a settlement closure letter, not on a corporate letter head and his email was a gmail account.  He threatened to speak to my boss and get me fired and to have the police come arrest me.  How do i get these people to leave me alone. I don't even know what they are talking about.

>>> How do i get these people to leave me alone. <<<

Take away his magicJack.

Seriously.

Calling place of employment over 100 times in a day. Tying up all phone lines for 2 hours at a time.verbally and sexually  abusive language to me and coworkers. Demanding I send them money thru money gram only. Stating I owe a debt from 2008. Very heavy accents, possibly from India.using American names, posing as police and attorneys. Names like Sean Williams, William Scott, Adrian Walker, Gary Parker.Need help stopping them before I lose my job.

Print off this thread and give it to your employer.

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 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.

Read this investigative report ABC News did on this scam:

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 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.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/phantom-debt-co ... ory?id=16512428

called me at work
threatening me
that i owed money to his client
i owe no money
have reported to police 2 weeks ago
gave me 6465279240  he called my cell with 7147883566
says name was officer william scott

Recd annoying call saying I had federal collection bureau debt in manhattan.  Spam. Very rude

Would not give name nor address.  I advised I would report and he laughed and said, " haha, remember 9/11. "