951-537-5323

Weird arab man who says me and my attorney need to call asap or watch my things unfold. Was looking to do a loan but changed my mind.

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

Some man with a thick Indian accent keeps callling me and leaving messages on my cell phone saying I or my lawyer need to contact them immeadiatly or the matter will escalate. I also gave out my information online to a company professing to do pay day loans.  I really regret that decision now.  These jerks are relentless.

They've been calling me too. And said that the police will arrest me tomorrow morning at work. Are te police really gonna arrest me? Are they scam?

You cannot be arrested for a CIVIL debt.
Nothing but a scam.
Ignore the calls.

I have these people calling me too! I too have applied for a loan online since I couldn't make it to a store before the end of work. I asked to speak to a manager when they called my phone twice and they proceeded to harrass me! told me i was a c*cksucker and asked how many i would take. then they have continued to call again!!!! Going to change my number asap!

Got similar calls on my cell phone and at work.  When I tried to call back, there was no answer.

Just got a couple calls from these folks.  I also had submitted a payday loan application a few weeks ago, so that's likely where they got my number & name.  First few were early in the morning (7AM & earlier) and did not leave messages.  I finally picked up one at 9 AM.

After the typical auto-dialer pause, the man (with a heavy Indian accent) said he was calling to get my legal information, because charges had been filed against me.  I told him I had not been served with any papers, and he stumbled a bit before telling me to call a number (the same # he called from) and ask for "Alex Watson", a lawyer handling the case.  Fortunately, my phone runs Android software, so I can just block it.  Annoying, though.

I don't know who these people think they are but I know better! First of all no debt collector talks to you the way the person on the phone spoke to me and apparently to countless others. I saw this quote in the above new story and this EXACTLY what the guy on the phone said to me word for word! And he said his name was Alex Watson. NO ONE with that thick of an Indian accent is going to be named Alex Watson. These people need to be stopped.

"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."

I got a call from some man with a thick Indian accent as well on my cell a couple of time then he finally left 2 messages saying that I or my lawyer needed to call him back. He wished me "good luck" because what was about to fall on me would be horrible. He then called my work asking for my lawyer's name and number and I told him I wanted to know what this was about and he told me I needed to contact Alex Watson at the same number that appeared when I missed the 4 calls. He said that he was a paralegal and didn't have the information on my case and that Alex Watson was the Senior Attorney. I tried to call back and everytime the call would give me a beep beep sound as if no such number existed. On my cell the phone, the call would ring then hang up after the first ring. Super scary stuff! I have just recently experienced a forgery on my bank account and another fraud from companies online. I have also received calls telling me that I have been approved for a car loan and that they have all my info. I don't know where they got my information from, but I am freaked out. DON'T GIVE ANY INFORMATION OUT!

I've been receiving the same calls with the same guy saying the same thing he is telling everyone else. "your going to jail tomorrow the police is coming to your job and you are going to lose your job'. I got my fiancee to call back because he is a paralegal. They told him they don't talk to 3rd party and hung up on him. We then called back several times and were hung up on repeatedly. These ppl are scammers and i don't know how they received my information.  My lawyer will be contacting them in the morning.

same call i told my bf to call back and he hung up on him and when i called from a different number he cursedme out when i asked for alex watson yea my bf cursed his wack ass out !

same call i told my bf to call back and he hung up on him and when i called from a different number he cursedme out when i asked for alex watson yea my bf cursed his wack ass out !

when u do anything for quick payday loan dont do it all that payday loan [***] is scams even montell williams someone should sue money mutual. there's no payday loan its bull [***].

They called me also today saying that I was being sued but never went through with the loan.I canceled out and never did any e-signing or furthered anything. What can I do to block their number from calling my work? It was an Indian accented man...I owe nothing and they keep calling my phone. I dont want anymore phone calls...

he called saying im from student services investigation department and asked for my case number then asked for my phone number said ok scott some one will be there to arrest you shortly alex watson 951-537-5323 he  is an attorney and will help you with your legal matters i told him i knew he was a scam and i had contacted the local police department and the fbi and he hung up the phone right away

It's a scam tell them to [***]!!!!!!!!!!

Got a call today from this Indian a$$ hole.  Except he said he was an attorney for the people suing me and his name is Hollis Jackson.  He read me my ssn and address.  He then said it was a debt from 7 years ago.  After arguing with him he hung up and with in 5 minutes I received a call from 310-742-5736 claiming she was with the LA sheriff dept and they would transfer my warrant to my local state sheriff dept.  It freaked me out pretty bad.  Literally almost past out from my bp.  These guys are ruthless.  I wish there was a way to catch them and hold them accountable.

"Alex Watson"  has been calling my phone for the past two days and he even left me a voice mail. He says that me and my lawyer need to call him and that the police would be to my job tomorrow on the 24th of August to arrest me and i would b locked up for six months.

these people need to be a in jail they call me on that same
Mess saying he was calling from jared and jackson ass.
They wanted me to send them money through green dot
Or paypal for a loan they been calling my job just
Crazy