The "good luck as this situation unfolds" line and the vanilla-sounding alias names for the reps strongly suggest a South Asian fake debt collector. If you really want to know how they've found you and Gramma and the neighbor's pet ferret, think back to when you or someone related gave away a pile of sensitive data to strangers through an online application form.
To be clear, this is extortion dressed as debt collection. The agents' horrid threats are empty and their conduct is illegal. As early as possible it's critical to determine if your collector is domestic or yet another South Asian faker. The former you can sue into submission; the latter tend to be out of reach.
My notes from October 2011 on payday loan and "hot check" collectors are linked below.
http://800notes.com/forum/ta-429fb24ec2162e3/ ... -numbers-here-2
See also this FTC alert: "Fake Debt Collectors"
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0258-fake-debt-collectors
(former title: ''Who's Calling? That Debt Collector Could Be a Fake'')
The following will be useful if you have a US domestic collector calling, and will in general help you sniff out the frauds:
official FTC guidance and staff opinions on the FDCPA, PDF copy of the Act
http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpajump.shtm
CFPB Q&A on debt collection practices
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/search ... bt%20Collection
When I got home and listenened to my messages there was one from some scammer named Dale Smith in California. Yesterday I got the same script read on another message from someone named Miller in Baton Rouge I believe that number was 225-360-3576. The thing is, the person they are calling from does not live here and never has. I am going to ignore these foreign pests, just like the cockroaches they are. Both of these guys were foreigners and were in some sort of boiler room setting...their English was broken.
The calls are not from California or Louisiana. They are originating from a boiler room in India, where hardcore criminals are using VOIP to spoof numbers in order to make the calls impossible to trace and appear as if they are originating from within the US.
Update: My husband got through this morning twice. Once with "Tracy" and told her what she could do with the scams and that I turned them into the FTC. She said, "I'm so scared" and laughed at him. He then went off on her and hung up. He then got through to "David Miller" and asked if it was a true statement that he called and threatened to have me arrested. "David" said yes he called and threatened to have me arrested. When my husband comfronted him more, "David" amittted that I was NOT going to be arrested. My husband then called him a few choice names and told him not to call again and hung up. I hope that will be the end of it. I guess we will see....
I got a call today on this. Guy (with heavy Indian accent) called looking for my attorny info. I said for what? He said the Sheriffs office didnt contact you last week? I said no, he said oh you need to call Mike Carter at 415-952-5630 and he can explain. I said why cant you, he said cause I dont have your file, he does. Im just calling for your attorney's info. I look at the caller ID and its the SAME NUMBER he's calling from. So I call it back. Mike said he would appreciate it if I didnt interupt him, so I didnt. He said blah blah, check fraud and deception and I will be arrested. Then he said, I'm done. So I replied with my defense and then he interupted me, I said I did not interupt you, I appreciate you didnt interupt me, he then stated that letters will be going out to my job and home tomorrow and I will be arrested as well.
I too have had these calls. I just reported them to the FTC at www.ftc.gov and used the automated complaint assistant. Very quick and easy and produces a report number for your records.