877-601-5871

I too got a message from my work answering service today from Ms. Scott telling me I had a wage garnishment that was going to happen if I didn't pay a payday loan from March 2010 that was supposedly 200 dollars now was in the amount of 2000 dollars but they would take a hardship settlement for 500 dollars.  I did not take a payday loan.  What can we do to stop these people?

FOLKS.. EASE up... It's all a bogus scam... READ on

How to deal with collection calls:

1.) If you receive a call from a collection agency, DO NOT admit to owing the debt over the phone, as far as you are concerned it's only a voice over the phone and should be treated as such until you are certain (documentation) they are legitimate and following the law!

2.) You are protected by the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act), these laws are designed to protect you from scams, therefore you should exercise your rights.

3.) Ask the voice on the phone; their name, the full name of the business (ask them to spell it), their address, and a direct telephone where THEY can be reached, next, proceed below.

4.) Tell the alleged debt collector they have 5 days to send you a dunning letter (also known as a letter of collection)
through the mail, tell them you are counting the days and keeping a record of all communication to make sure they are complying with the federal law (FDCPA).

5.) If the debt collector refuses to give you any information that is a BIG RED FLAG. Do not give them any of your personal information, do not admit to owing any debt, and do not discuss anything over the phone.
File a complaint immediately with your state attorney general and the FTC.

6.) If and when you receive a letter of collection, you will send them a debt validation letter, certified, return receipt requested, it is extremely important that you send the debt validation request certified. You can obtain sample debt validation letters in the DIY section of this forum.

7.) It is VERY important that you respond and dispute a letter of collection within the 30 days of receipt, don't take any chances, send the debt validation letter immediately, make sure you date it and keep a copy. Again, keep a record of all communication a collection agency attempts to make with you.

8.) Educate yourself on the FDCPA.


This is a sample debt validation request letter for a collection agency of illegal online payday lenders. This letter should be sent after you receive a dunning letter (letter of collection) in the mail. Anytime you receive a telephone call demanding payment for a payday lender (3rd party collector) you should tell them you will not discuss this matter to a voice on the phone, instead, tell them to send you a letter of collection through the mail within five days of their first initial contact, or you will file complaints against them with the FTC for non compliance of the FDCPA laws.

Quote:
Your Name :
Your Address :
Your Phone # :
Creditor's Name :
Department :
Creditor's Address :
Date :
Dear (Insert Name Of Creditor)
I received your letter of collection dated (insert date). Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 USC 1692g, I hereby inform you that I dispute the alleged debt associated with account # (insert account number), (insert name of creditor) being the original holder of this debt.
Per the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) I am officially requesting that you properly validate this debt, I am entitled to receiving the following documentation:
1.) Explain the nature of the alleged debt - that is, what the money I allegedly owe is for;
2.) Please provide an explanation of how you calculated what you allege that I owe;
3.)Please provide me with copies of any contracts or documents which form a basis for the alleged debt; and
4.)Please provide me with the name and address of the original creditor.
I further request that you take the following actions:
Please contact any credit agencies to whom you have reported this alleged debt, and inform them that I am disputing the debt.
Under the FDCPA laws, you are required to cease ALL collection efforts with me until this debt is properly validated, if you fail to follow the law, non-compliance of my requests could result in serious legal suits and hefty fines. I WILL file complaints with the following organizations; Federal Trade Commission, the my State Attorney General, Better Business Bureau, and the (Insert you state regulator for collection agencies), I will be keeping a written record of all communication attempts made by your company and report it promptly if you do not adhere to the law.
Except as specifically outlined herein, I am requesting that you cease all contact with me about the alleged debt. Any further contact should be strictly in conformity with the FDCPA: It should be limited to providing me with the documentation requested in this letter, informing me that you have ceased collection efforts on the alleged debt, or stating that you are taking a specific action in relation to the debt such as commencing a collection lawsuit. Any further contact should be made in writing, and should be submitted to my home address by mail.
Sincerely,
Your Name

More info FYI folks (-:  READ!!!!!!!


This is another IP-phone or offshore payday loan debt collection extortion scam that has been going on for at least five years. The FBI is aware of it but is unable to go after those involved due to lack of money and manpower. I looked back and found some old information which may prove to be helpful:

They obtained your information through Teletrack or payday loan illeagal sales for information or even 'garbage surfing' (GET A Paper Shedder!!).

Kudos to "Sam" for giving the most intelligent and informative posts on this scam. READ, Bookmark and use as needed:

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-631-456-4041/2

As others have stated, the callers are difficult to understand.  Generally, their speaking  command of the English language is quite poor and their accents are hard to follow. Dead Give-away. At times they will get certain words or phrases mixed up. They may even be 'reading'
right off a piece of paper as they're talking to you. It would be funny if it wasn't for the fact that they had:

a) Your SSN
b) Your home address
c) Your work address
d) Your banking info
e) Names, numbers and potentially the addresses of "references"
f) A complete and total lack of ethics and a basic understanding of the FDCPA.  

I have personally filed reports with the following agencies, often with limited (if any) success:

Local Police
my state's Attorney General's office
FTC
FBI
Secret Service

Generally the local police won't be able to help much.  The callers are using a combination of prepaid cell phones and VoIP, making them difficult to trace.  Also at their disposal are various spoofing tactics being implemented to catch people off guard - meaning the number that appears on your Caller ID isn't the number that is calling you for starters.  Without gaining a subpoena for the billing information for the numbers in question, the local police won't be able to get very far.  

My state's Attorney General's office couldn't offer much assistance either.  I received a form letter in the mail that my complaint was received and I would be contacted if they needed additional info.  It was more or less the same information I obtained from the FTC.  They each advised me not to give the individuals over the phone any account information or to authorize payment.  That's just common sense, though.

I never got anything from the FBI, either.  There is a good chance that since I haven't suffered a monetary loss that my concerns are low on the totem pole.  I hate to say this, but that is truly the case. Unless you were in the hole for a $1,000 (or more) you aren't going to get much more than "sorry to hear about your situation, change your phone number and move on".  I seemed to get some activity from the Secret Service.  I spoke with agent Doug Zloto. (Google him), referencing threads like these plus his name and you'll find his number also)  He seemed to care a bit more than the average person, but after giving him access to my Google Voice account, there has been no further activity from him that I'm aware of.

In the meantime I changed the wireless number the fraudsters had access to, they have no direct way to get a hold of me.  (Calls at work have ceased for some reason)  That in turn resulted in my "references" getting phone calls from the crooks.  Here is a word of caution for women that have been getting these calls - don't say anything and just hang up.  The callers are quite abusive towards women callers.  Why?  Possibly the culture.  If they are Indian / Pakistani, women are second class citizens there.  You will be treated like garbage.  This happened to a family member when she was trying her best to be extremely nice over the phone.  

The callers currently attempt to reach me through the female family member and an unused Google Voice number that they managed to find of mine.  I keep the Google Voice number open because, well, I can't delete it yet.  So, about every day, 4-5 times a day for the last week, I get voice messages from them.  It's usually just two full messages though - the other calls are broken up with static or they are attempts to read the script until the callers then screw up.  Really, they are that adamant on getting the script 100% that they will hang up mid-sentence and call back 30 seconds later.  

At this point it's a stalemate with these people.  

1) While they have the lion's share of information on us, they can't really do anything with this information.  

Why?  Think about it.

If they were to ever take funds out of your account without authorization, it's fraud and worse (for them) it is traceable.  That's why they won't do anything with your information, contrary to threats they make.  The money from your account has to go somewhere, and either your bank or a law enforcement agency can determine where the money was routed.  As a bank customer you are protected - you'd get the stolen money back in your account after 7-10 business days and the bank would be temporarily out the funds deducted from your account while they conducted their investigation.  The bank, along with law enforcement, would track down the fraudsters and apprehend them.  The fraudsters do not want to incur the wrath of a bank, just extort money out of you.  Remember that.    

Your authorization would absolve the bank from any and all liability, leaving you holding the bag.  Never give them authorization for anything - for all you know the call is recorded.  

2) We have no information on them.

Seriously, this has been going on at least since 2008, possibly longer than that based on some accounts. (6 years??? Holy crap!)  You would think someone would have slipped up by now.  Sadly, they haven't.  We can continue to grow our own intel on them and compile lists of aliases and phone numbers used, along with paraphrases of scripts used in order to educate other victims.  I'm actually putting together a site now in the meantime where I'll host audio files and lists of previous numbers used.  800notes.com is great, but no two calls are exactly the same.  It would be nice to have a site dedicated to the scam and how it works.

So that's where I am with these calls.  I have suffered no monetary loss, though I have been harassed both at home and at work.  They threaten me with arrest and other "fun" things in order to get me convinced I have to pay them.  My friends and family have been targeted and local and federal law enforcement agencies haven't been able to put a stop to things.  So, it is what it is.  I am out a wireless phone number I had for roughly six years, which is terrible since I was using that line when looking for a new job.  

Whenever I'm bored I spoof my number using Google Voice and return the calls.  I've called them the poster children for birth control, etc.  Basically a lot of nasty things that I'm sure the moderators here wouldn't appreciate me repeating - bottom line nothing nice.  I always like to close saying their parents must be real proud knowing their sons weren't man enough to get real jobs.  That usually gets a decent response.  

Way I see it - they can't do anything to me. (Despite a threat yesterday that my life would be f'ed up)  They can threaten all they want but my credit is protected and my bank information has changed.  I've changed the only number they could really access me directly on and I've instructed my employer and family to not answer the calls.  I just call and harass them now when I find a few extra seconds.  What's the worst they can do to me?  Charge me with harassment?  

Nope, then they would have to identify themselves.

Oh, and don't bother contacting Cashnet USA about the calls.  Their "fraud" department could honestly care less.  Their "investigation" is merely a means of buerocratic "CYA". I would even be surprised at this point if actual law enforcement is involved in any shape, way or form at this time.  

There is a good chance that the information these crooks have on us was obtained from Cashnet USA - either from a database leak or from a collector that was once authorized by Cashnet to call on delinquent customers.  The other chance is they have access to Teletrack, and pulled all of our information off of there.

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-646-274-1143/3

For at least the last four years, possibly longer, a group has been calling former payday loan applicants advising them that they have defrauded a bank and are now being sued for non-payment of a loan.  The callers will claim to be calling on behalf of an attorney's office (name varies), the Dept. of Law and Investigation, ACS, or other similar combinations below:

HBA or HBC
United Legal Processing Division
Midline Marketing
Crime Monitoring Services
Monetary Crime Division
U.S. National Bank
Attorney General’s Office (usually in California)
American Legal Services
Affidavit Consolidation Services (ACS)
False name "Mrs. Bolton" (and many more)

You will be threatened with arrest, a costly trial and possibly worse.  In no shape, way or form can you be arrested for non-payment on a consumer debt.  Do not believe these threats, as they are without merit and cannot be carried out in the manner they allege.  

Who are they?

In the past when pressed by law enforcement for an address, the callers have provided the following information:

HBA
McKenzie Law Firm
David Morgan and Associates
Morgan & Associates
Morgan Associates
954-727-8481
1155 Northwest 85th Street
Wintergarden, Florida  33150
(Address is likely invalid)
631-982-3006
678-999-7370

The collector's MO matches a once legit collections agency called Ellis Crosby & Associates.  Here are some links on them:

http://www.budhibbs.com/collectorpages/ellis_crosby_and_associates.htm
http://www.budhibbs.com/collectorpages/EllisCrosbyJudgment.pdf

They have been previously fined over $1.3 million for various violations!! They have been known to use phone banks in India to make their calls, which more or less coincides with the difficult to understand accent many of us detect when we are contacted.  

The last time this group went by any "official" name was back in 2008:

Ellis Crosby & Associates / Douglas & Morgan Associates
4494 Southside Boulevard Suite #200
Jacksonville Florida 32216
Phone:  800-928-3536 / (904) 928-3536
(Address is likely invalid)

There are NUMEROUS consumer alerts out against this group of individuals:

Florida:
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/061107/met_176207561.shtml

Kansas:  
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/01/ks_debt_collection.html

Colorado:  
http://www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov/press/ ... lls_likely_orig

Rhode Island:  
http://www.collectionscreditrisk.com/news/rho ... -3002135-1.html

West Virginia:
http://www.wvago.gov/internetloanscam.cfm

Missouri:
On July 15th, 2010 a Public Awareness Bulletin was sent out by Missouri Information Analysis Center.  

"..received reports from individuals in Ohio and Illinois reference suspicious telephone calls they received. In both instances, the callers are reporting that a voicemail is received from a man, with a Middle Eastern accent, identifying himself as an officer working with the Financial Crimes Unit.  The message indicates that the reason for the call concerns a loan made by the receiver or someone in the receiver's family. The voicemail requests that a return call be made and a telephone number is provided. When a return call is made, the caller is asked to provide personal identifying information such as their date of birth and social security number.

Reports indicate that the calls are frequent and persistent and that they even threaten arrest or legal action if information or money is not provided. It appears that the individuals making these calls may have access to some records connecting individuals and their relatives.  Missouri does not have a Financial Crimes Unit and all indications are that this is a fictitious agency. If you receive a similar phone call, please be advised that it is a scam and please contact your local law enforcement agency or the Missouri Information Analysis Center at 866-362-6422."

Bottom line:

Do not supply the callers with any additional information.  Inform them you have reported them to law enforcement and hang up.  If you haven't already, go ahead and report the calls to local law enforcement, your state's Attorney General and beyond.  Look up the local Secret Service branch's information in your area and get in contact with an agent there.  

If you ever applied for a cash advance online, your information is out there.  
Possible sources for the breach of your privacy are:

* The scammers obtained your information from Teletrack - a reporting agency used by many cash advance lenders to determine their risk lending to you.  The service is able to tell cash advance lenders if you have existing loans with other companies, for example.  Many state laws prohibit borrowers from having more than two cash advances out at the same time.

* The scammers created their own fake payday loan application site.  People looking for a cash advance went to the site and applied, thus freely providing the scammers with their information for malicious use at a later time.  

* The scammers were able to get into the database(s) of cash advance lenders - probable targets being Sonic Payday and Cashnet USA.  


How to protect yourself:

* Inform your employer.  You are likely getting calls at home and/or at work, so make sure your employer is aware the calls are part of a scam and to not take them seriously.  Advise the callers that they are no longer allowed to call you at work.  If they continue to call, document the date and time of the calls you received.  Save voice mails left if at all possible.  

* Change your number(s).  For some this may not be an option, for others a one-time number change can be done free of charge.

Be advised - any references you listed on your payday loan application will be contacted.  Let those people know that this is a scam, and they can disregard.

* Use Google Voice.  Google Voice is a great replacement voice mail system for just about any phone number you use.  Messages can be transcribed and voice mail recordings can be saved as mp3 files.  

Pro Tip - call the scammers with a Google Voice number before turning off your old phone numbers.  Make sure when you call you identify yourself so they can start up their script.  At any point after they have your information pulled up just hang up.  They will then start religiously calling your Google Voice number.  At this point, you are free to change your regular phone number(s) and enjoy not having these people ever call you again.  (And laugh at the fact these people are basically talking to a brick wall several times a day)

The scammers change their numbers frequently.  Law enforcement used to think it was because the callers ran out of minutes on their prepaid wireless accounts or they were shuttered due to fraud, but now they understand it's simply to evade detection by savvy consumers online.  With the proliferation of VoIP, it's even easier for the crooks to stay a couple of steps ahead of law enforcement.  Below is just a sampling of the 30+ numbers that have been used in recent memory.

1-201-244-7722
1-209-349-7382
1-209-797-2212
1-212-500-0839
1-213-256-0408
1-213-995-3039
1-281-763-0433
1-347-289-3902
1-347-844-6817
1-347-844-6831
1-424-354-4270
1-516-232-8905
1-516-232-8935
1-518-212-0219
1-561-300-8018
1-561-210-4185
1-626-200-4646
1-631-456-4041
1-646-274-1143
1-646-810-8635
1-650-241-4604
1-707-401-4056
1-707-633-2789
1-708-401-0535
1-716-442-2824
1-717-862-4080
1-718-705-8669
1-760-514-0132
1-760-563-5384
1-772-318-4938
1-850-201-1111
1-858-777-1977
1-859-908-2281
1-866-860-4509
1-877-226-7488
1-888-706-7463
1-888-771-9249
1-888-785-4479
1-909-327-4870

So can they really do anything to you?

It's not a simple yes or no answer.  Logic dictates that, if they really wanted to take you for a ride and drain your bank accounts, they already would have.  

So, why haven't they?  

Authorization.  

Why do you think you are being called so much?  Perhaps it is because they like the sound of your voice?  No, they have to have your authorization to take any form of payment from you, period.  The callers know their audience, and that audience is typically a bunch of people that have applied for payday loans in the past.  Most of those people they call couldn't afford an attorney if they wanted one, and are so used to receiving collections calls that so long as they sound like a real collector, they will likely be perceived as one.

Furthermore, they don't even really want to talk to your attorney - that just sounds official and scary enough.  A real attorney would take the callers to task and write them off as two-bit con artists. Also the burden of prrof lies with the plaintiff. That BS line "The minute you receive this call, you or 'your attorney' must call...etc. The lawyer will NEVER call. It's quite simple. A lawyer does not defend you unless you are SUED. No paers? No credibility. So don't believe they're tough and are not afraid of a lawyer. It's BS! Get the papers! They'll NEVER send them! The callers need you, in writing, to authorize payment against the fictitious debt they claim you owe.  Go ahead, ask them for proof you owe the debt - more commonly known as verification of debt.  See what they say.  A phone authorization carries very little weight, so if they have something signed by you on file, you are done for - and the callers know that.  That authorization is the only thing these callers are doing by the book, and for good reason.  If they just went all willy nilly and made an ACH debit from your checking account, without your written approval, you could in turn report the transaction as fraudulent to your financial institution.  In about 7-10 business days, you would get the funds returned to your account.  Then the scammers would be up against a bank and their team of lawyers and investigators.  

Bottom line:

If you haven't paid the callers a dime, don't.  If you planned on paying them to shut them up, just don't.  Remember - you are not being contacted by a legally licensed, ethically owned and operated collector.  Read up on the FDCPA - http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf - and know your rights!

PS--The FBI sent out a Press Release on this scam just last week:

Extortion Scam Related to Delinquent Payday Loans

Washington, D.C.
December 07, 2010  FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691

— filed under: Press Release

The Internet Crime Complaint Center has received many complaints from victims of payday loan telephone collection scams. Callers claim the victim is delinquent in a payday loan and must repay the loan to avoid legal consequences. The callers purport to be representatives of the FBI, Federal Legislative Department, various law firms, or other legitimate-sounding agencies. They claim to be collecting debts for companies such as United Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Net, and other Internet check-cashing services.

According to complaints received from the public, the callers have accurate data about victims, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, employer information, bank account numbers, and the names and telephone numbers of relatives and friends. How the fraudsters obtained the personal information varies, but in some cases victims have reported they completed online applications for other loans or credit cards before the calls started.

The fraudsters relentlessly call the victim’s home, cell phone, and place of employment. They refuse to provide any details about the alleged payday loans and become abusive when questioned. The callers have threatened victims with legal actions, arrests, and, in some cases, physical violence if they do not pay. In many cases, the callers harass victims’ relatives, friends, and employers.

Some fraudsters have instructed victims to fax a statement agreeing to pay a certain amount, on a specific date, via a pre-paid Visa card. The statement further declares the victim will never dispute the debt.

If you receive these calls, do not follow the caller’s instructions. Rather, you should:

Notify your banking institutions.
Contact the three major credit bureaus and request an alert be put on your file.
Contact your local law enforcement agencies if you feel you are in immediate danger.
File a complaint at www.IC3.gov.
Tips to avoid becoming a victim of this scam:

Never give your Social Security number—or personal information of any kind—over the telephone or online unless you initiate the contact.
Be suspicious of any e-mail with urgent requests for personal financial information. The e-mail may include upsetting or exciting but false statements to get you to react immediately.
Avoid filling out forms in e-mail messages that request personal information.
Ensure that your browser is up-to-date and security patches have been applied.
Check your bank, credit, and debit card statements regularly to make sure that there are no unauthorized transactions. If anything looks suspicious, contact your bank and all card issuers.
When you contact companies, use numbers provided on the back of cards or statements

http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/paydayloanscam_120710

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-951-489-0227

I hope this helps.

Regards,

DTD

Never happen read my post (-:

All Bogus. SCAM! Never happen read my post (-:

Mrs. Scott, Lisa Perkins,Mrs. Jones (my how origional is that?) The butcher, the baker , the candle stick maker... yada yada yada... ALL THE SAME Bi+ch!! It's a crackhead-hoe that got so ugly, she can no loner turn turn tricks on the street anymore. To get $$ for her crack fix and medical treatments for her STD's , she has to now pose as a scammer telling all you nice folks that you will be wage garanished, you will be arrested, you will go to a Turkish prison... The only @$$hole going to prison is the druggie tar woman who uses the ficticious names Mrs. Scott and Lisa perkins. She gonna' be in a cell with a big amazon ho named Thelma who gonna' F*** her slowly with a chain saw every day and it is well deserved. DON'T fall for this!! The police. The FBI etc... ARE WELL aware about this scam. JUST call the Police, also call the district attorneys office, call and file a complaint with the FTC too. Call the BBB, call CA. The more calls the more intense they will go after this low life skank.

i just settled for 300$ so this would not go on my credit report. i have bills to pay and 3 kids im a single mother and cannot risk having my wages garnished with 50% interest i have gotten my paper work and receipt along with my paid in full letter to show SCAMMERS my debt is paid thanks so much PDLR !

I hope you truly didn't settle with these people as their threats are meaningless.  They can't garnish your wages unless they file a lawsuit suing you.  They're not going to sue you because they don't have legal standing to do so.
Laugh at their threats and tell them to bring it on.
Never give them any money

Ms Cartwright @ extension 256. Wage Garnishment. Court Order. Left on voicemail. These people don't realize these words that they're saying are illegal. And they can't get in trouble for leaving this kind of stuff on voicemail. So irritating.

I keep getting calls from these PDLR people and it's a Ms. Scott telling me to call her back at 877-601-5871, she goes on to say that she has my information on her desk and that I qualify for a one time settlement fee. If I don't contact her they will start garnishment of my check. Also that I have had my last chance to pay this payday loan. They been calling me for two days now. So what can I do to stop them from calling me

I got an email from the HR department of my job saying that a Ms. Scott called indicating that she about to start a wage garnishment if I didn't return her call. I didn't call back and explained to the HR lady that this was a scam attempting to gain access to my earnings. As I have never recieved any documents about garnishing my wages.

I got a call form these people saying that my wages will be garnished in 24 hours. I never received a payday loan from these people and I don't know why they are harassing me. I was getting call from these foreigners at first but now these people. They need to get a real job and stop trying to scam people out of their hard earned money.

called my work saying my wages would be garnished because of outstanding loan.  Scam call.

I recieved a call yesterday from this number saying the same things to return her call about wage garishment and judgement this is the first time I have recieved a call like this. Back in late I filed for bankruptcy and it was finilized in Oct. I did in fact name some payday debts in this filing and all were notified. I live in Texas and there is no wage garnishments in Texas as to the judgements they last 10 years I think if they keep refiling if I am right on this matter but my bankruptcy last at least that long it was a chapter 7

I received a call from a Mrs.Hardy today and she told me that my paycheck was about to be garnished unless I payed my debt to a loan from Aug.2010 and she knew all my info and bank routing number. The number was 877-601-5871 and when i looked up the loan site it wasn't even a real site.

Well To everyone doubting them my human resources served me the papers from the court for my garnishment for 1200$ i should have  settled now i'm through

just got paid just got the call settled for 500 on loan which was a very great considering the garnishment all you [***] can get garnished...of course people ONLY USE BLOGS TO COMPLAIN PAY YOUR DAMN BILLS BE ADULTS. IDIOTS

You would have gotten them from the court itself. And why are you even on here after all this happened and so eager to convince us (your potential victims) it not a scam?

It's a FILTHY ILLEGAL COLLECTIONS SCAM and you know it, you're one of the crooks trying to profit from it.

Does you mom know you STEAL MONEY for a living???

Keep getting calls from Ms Stephens who sounds pleasant enough over voicemail.  But she says she needs to galk to me about a "garnishment assignment"...  What happened to signing up for "NO CALL". list.  Why aren't these idiots included in the same category as telemarketers.  ?

You are an idiot.  These are people who are being scammed.  If I owe a bill and it is legitimate than I will gladly pay it.  I have been dealing with these types of [***] for over 2 years and it is tiring.  No-one on this site  has indicated that they OWE these people money...we are victims.