If you have ever conducted business online (applied for a payday loan, filed your taxes, etc.), your personal identifying information is out there to be hacked, stolen and sold on the internet black market to criminals (like these).
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 from unscrupulous websites like the one you may have filled out an application with, 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.
ABC News released an investigative report on this scam a year ago:
Mr. Achnod Urun Coloured III called and informed me I have to pay $4,900.00 or be arrested on Monday. I informed Mr. Achnod that Monday is a holiday in this country and he said he knew that, so Tuesday. So I packed a bag and prepared to go to another country to pay the IRS.
What bother's me most is HOW THE F__K did they get my information???
Is somebody selling peole's info???
But in the Mr. Achnod will be visited by someone????
I received a call from Sean Marsh posing as an IRS man, threatening legal action, this call came in on Saturday morning of a holiday weekend, This seemed ludicrous, as we are not in trouble. It is a shame that people resort to such deception.