It's a total scam and they don't abide by FDCPA or any other debt collection laws, so debt validation letters are ignored and tossed away. In other words, criminals aren't in the habit of abiding by the law; that's what makes them crooks.
The Ellis Crosby/Evelyn & Frank Jackson debt collection scam goes by many names and hides behind more than one corporation in both Florida and Georgia -- Bass Prelitigation, States Predisposition, Jackson & Phillips, Kirby & Associates and many more. Here's a news article about the Florida Attorney General's efforts to put this particular scam out of business: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/120107/met_221875639.shtml And check out my message above from April 25 for information about the Florida attorney generally successfully shutting down the Ellis Crosby & Associates incarnation of this scam.
They give the appearance of operating out of the Georgia, but the crooks behind States Predisposition are really in Jacksonville, Florida and that's probably where most, if not all, the calls are originating. Here are the addresses associated with the States Predispostion scam:
States Predisposition
1204 S 2 St
Folkston, GA 31537
(912) 496-7220
(This address is most likely just a mail drop or a phone answering service.)
States PreDisposition
6586 Highway 40 West
Ste B-7 Unit 340
Saint Mary's, GA 31558
1-800-918-3844
(This address is actually a private rented mailbox at a UPS Store location in a shopping center)
States Predisposition
6931 Lillian Road
Jacksonville, FL 32211
(904) 446-9236
(Source: http://yellowpages.superpages.com/listings.js ... edisposition&&S Not surprisingly, this is the same address as the listing for Bass Enterprises: http://www.whitepages.com/search/ReversePhone?full_phone=904-674-2482&localtime=survey And it's the same address listed for Frank Jackson and the Jackson & Phillips scam: http://www.whitepages.com/search/Replay?search_id=20281401641462731137&lower=1&more_info=1&form_mode= )
I'm not sure if the Lillian Road addresses for States Predisposition, Bass Enterprises, Jackson Phillips in Jacksonville are real offices or just another rented mailbox or some other phony front.
With that background, you may want to report these crooks to other federal and state authorities in addition to the attorney general. The more reports authorities receive, the more likely some type of civil or criminal action will be initiated against this scam. This is what happened with Ellis Crosby/Bass Prelitigation, which is the ooze from which States Predisposition crawled. Once enough people filed complaints with the Florida attorney general against Crosby/Bass, he filed a hefty lawsuit against them.
It's also a good idea to file a Better Business Bureau complaint against States Predisposition (It's hardly a shock that the Georgia BBB gives States Predisposition an "Unsatisfactory" rating: http://www.data.bbb.org/scripts/cgiip.exe/WSe ... ?zid=ZHFkGhIlOj )
Here are more federal and state law enforcement authorities with whom you can file complaints:
1) File a report about this extortion attempt with your local police.
2) File a report online with the FBI at https://tips.fbi.gov Be sure to emphasize that this is the second time these crooks used to phone in an attempt to extort money from you.
3) File a report with the Georgia Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs at http://consumer.georgia.gov/00/channel_title/0,2094,5426814_39102589,00.html
4) File a report to Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum at http://myfloridalegal.com/contact.nsf/contact?Open&Section=Attorney_General and be sure to let them know that it regards the scammers at Bass Pre-Litigation/Jackson Phillips/States Predisposition
5) Your state's attorney general. The contact information for each state's attorney general is listed at www.naag.org Just scroll down to the national map and click on your state.
6) File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission here: https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01
7) Though the Better Business Bureau has no law enforcement authority, it's helpful to other consumers and can affect an attorney general's decision to take action. The call you received was probably placed from Florida, but States Predisposition is incorporated in Georgia. So file your complaint with the Georgia BBB: https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/complaintlink.aspx
If these vermin call you again, tell them that they're not getting any money from you and that you've reported them to law enforcement. Good luck!
These guys were featured on 60 Minutes. They got their information by hacking into Internet sites, and they threaten lawsuits against the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number. They speak with an Indian accent, and they claim you will face "harsh legal action" unless you send them between $500 and $1,000. They are total idiots because their name does not even make sense: United Investigation Bureau Department.
They use names like Roger Smith and Jack Jones, but their real names are probably something like Mahamanda Yogananda. They can barely speak English.
They use various call back numbers including 347-844-6701 and 718-766-7916.
The best idea so far was what Paybackisabeatch suggested. Turn the tables on them. Call them back, ask for Habib, waste their time so that they cannot make money with scam calls to extort money from honest people who may get frightened or confused.