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.
Caller did not state where he was calling from or who he was calling for. Said his name was Frank Murphy and that I needed to return his call the second I got his message- either myself or my attorney. Said I better not disregard his call. If I don't return his call- he would like to wish me good luck as the situation unfolds on me.
I ALSO RECEIVED A CALL FROM THIS NAME AND NUMBER AND WHEN I SPOKE WITH HIM HE STATED THAT I AM HAVING A WARRANT ISSUED BY THE STATE OF NEW YORK AND 2 OTHER CHARGES. WHEN I ASKED HIM FOR THE DOCUMENTATION REGARDING THIS HE GOT VERY ANGRY AND TOLD ME THAT ONCE I PAID HIM $298 HE WOULD SEND ME ALL OF THE DOCUMENTATION. WHEN I TOLD HIM I WOULD BE HAPPY TO TAKE CARE OF ANY ISSUES I HAVE AS SOON AS I SEE HE WISHED ME GOOD LUCK IF I WAS NOT AT THE COURT HOUSE TOMORROW MORNING ( FRIDAY ) IN NEW YORK. I LIVE IN OKLAHOMA... SO WHEN WE HUNG UP I CALLED THE COURTS TO SEE IF I HAD ANYTHING OUTSTANDING TO FIND OUT I DID NOT, THE STATE COURTS AS WELL AS THE FEDERAL COURT. BECAUSE "FRANK MURPHY " STATED THAT THE FEDERAL POLICE WOULD BE COMING TO ARREST ME. I ALSO LOOKED UP ALL THE "FRANK MURPHY " ATTORNEYS IN NEW YORK AND CONTACTED THEIR OFFICES DIRECTLY... THIS IS A SCAM TRYING TO SCARE PEOPLE OUT OF MONEY. THE FEDERAL COURT ADVISED ME TO CALL MY LOCAL POLICE AND REPORT IT SO THERE IS MORE DOCUMENTATION.. THE MAN HAD A MIDDLE EASTERN VOICE.
Hello Everyone,
Apparently, I have received the same phone call from the same number and I then got angry with the person because he had my information about be applying for a loan online. Like an idiot I did apply for a loan online. I then told him that I wanted all of his information about the law office that he worked at and he could not give me information. He then proceeded to hang up on me. So I called him back and again he hung up on me. I called once more and he then proceeded to let it go to voicemail. When it went to voicemail there was a mans voice on it and his name was Brian McAlester. I looked up the name and the number and I found this information. People must really think us Americans are that much of idiots. Sorry I hate to say it but you have been made out!!!! This man had a middle eastern voice as well. His name John
Same Guy called me. I applied for a loan online...frank Murphy told me us marshalls were coming to get me...go to the local police station and turn myself in. I called my local leo and haven't heard back from them. This is ridiculous! Since we're all posting and none of us are in jail.....where can we find out more information on this jerk?
It won't do any good. He's probably in India. The thing to remember is that debt is civil, not criminal, so you wouldn't be getting arrested. And in the US, NO ONE gets a heads up that they'll be arrested - the cops just show up.