310-742-7377

I don't know who they are but I told them to stop calling me.

I saw this article because they are calling me.


Posted on June 21, 2012 Phantom Debt Collectors from India Harass Americans, Demand Money
Brian Ross et al., ABC News, 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.


“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.

I received a very threatening call from this number, they had my bank account info, they spoke of a previous bill that we had owed, but we just paid off.  He said that we were bing sued and that if we did not pay that day we would have the funds taken from our account.  When I asked about the payment arrangements, I was told the only way that I could pay was through a walmart prepaid debit card, that to use a bank account or credit or debit card was illegal. I knew then something was not right.

I get about 5 calls a day saying they are from a law firm trying to collect money that they say I owe.  I hang up on them tell them to quit calling but it continues.

Two calls to collect loans, ofcourse I did not get ' Either seem to know even who it was with !!!!

I just received a voicemail stating that they would have a warrant out for my arrest. The man on the message did not indicate why but insisted i call him back immediately. He had a very apparent Indian accent.

"officer blackhawk" called and left me a message. when i called back said he would put a warrant for my arrest if i didn't make a payment or court date for a loan from payday advanced. i told him i didn't get a loan and i wasn't paying so he hung up on me. when i called back again i told them i wasn't paying money or going to court and to stop calling me. claimed to be from some law enforcment office

I received all call at work threatening to put a warrant out for my arrest if I do not pay something I do not owe. So tired of getting these phone calls everyday. What shall I do?

Ignore them-   call them back and tell them that they are a scam and that the harassment must stop.  Tell them in no uncertain terms that you know who they are and what they do and that they will not get a penny out of you.  I did this after the 2nd call I received because I googled the phone number and learned what others are experiencing.  I also referenced the ABC News piece and the names contained in that article.  I have not received a call since.

They called me today saying that I had offenses against my social security number that pertain to bank fraud.  They said that if I wanted to settle it that I would either have to hire an attorney and settle it in court or I could pay the amount I owed on a payday loan that I supposedly had taken out.  The only way I could pay it off was to go to Walgreen's and get a greendot money pak and I could only use cash.  I asked them more specific information about where they were located and the company they were from and when this "loan" occurred and they had trouble telling me.  Along with that the guy who called had a very thick middle eastern accent and I could sometimes not understand him.  He said that he was with the Financial Criminal Investigation Service and that his name was Officer Williams.  On a side note they not only called me but they called my place of employment as well.

The person with the indian accent identifying himself Officer Jeff Anderson is at it once again. He has been calling me for the past couple of days with the same tricks that he has used on all of you. However he may have bitten off more than he can chew this time around as I have an uncle whom is one of the top prosecutorial corporate lawyers in the united states. I also have a sister whom is a retired federal agent along with a brother whom works closely with the federal government. I intend to pull out all the stops and use everything at my disposal and then some to stop this man. If the person whom is doing all of these fraudulent activities is reading this I have located the origin of that number being an unpublished number or cell phone in Compton, California. Heed this as a warning your days of scamming people are numbered. I have told you what my resources are and I have already contacted the U.S. Federal District Courts. So much for your intimidating me with a warrant. This same scam hes also been reported under the phone number 908-988-4266.

Well I got the call from Officer Williams and he tild me that if i didnt send him a fax by noon that i woyld be facing fraud and i needed to hi. re me a lawyer because I woyld be in jail. I was frighten a little but then I was thinking about it because he tild me he was from the attorney general office and I qould be arrested at my job. So I fillowed my first mind to look the number upon google and ran across this article. All I can say is Thank God for the internet.

A person using this phone number called our company to reach an employee.  He claimed to be Officer Douglas Black from the LA Police Department who had an urgent matter with our employee.  We took a message and gave the name and phone number to the employee.

got a call at work saying there is a warrant - report them immediately they are scam artists -

They called me and said they were from the attorney generals office. If i didnt pay them a debt that was already taken care of they would arrest me. I was advised by the sherriffs office to call after the second call to report it.

Has figured out how to get rid of them?

This number calls my phone to speak with my husband daily! We ask who we are speaking to and they hang up. They say the same thing that they will send police to our home and place of business if they don't get their money. Funny thing is we filled out the payday loan stuff online but never actually got the loan. We knew from the begining that it was bs. But they won't stop calling. If we block one number they call from another. Saying "we are located AT Texas" and a woman has even gone so far as to curse me out saying "you are a cu*t and fu*k you" before hanging up. Idk how to make the calls stop! Can I file harrassment charges?

They continue to call my place of employment for my husband who is in jail. They have called myself a b**** and they have called my manager and said f*** you f***ck you and just call and completely cuss us out. I called our local police department and they told the officer he was drunk and not a real officer. They aren't even from here you can tell by their Indian accents. The officer said they were posing as police enforcement and then the Indian said I NEVER TOLD YOU TO BELIEVE ME. I need this to stop what do I do?

Just got a call from this number-he asked for 1 of my ex-employee. He said he is from LA PD and that my ex employee has a warrant for his arrest and asked how they can contact him. I was abit suprise, because
my ex employee was not that type of person that be in any type of trouble. So I asked for his name..he said he was sergant Douglas Black, but his accent was more like Spanish . I just had a fishy feeling and Google this number and now found out it is all a scam...! Why are they still doing this...cant REAL authority
do something about this?

I got several calls from this number,saying he was with the LAPD crime unit. He was demanding money from me for an on line loan,and if payment was received, not only did he threaten me,but also two of my family members as well.Can't something be done about these scams?