No - because you're being contacted by foreign extortionist scammers. They can't do zip to you. Debt is civil, not criminal, so no, you cannot be jailed for defaulting on a loan or credit card debt.
The language used - to "govern yourself accordingly" is from overseas. per the FDCPA, you should not pay any caller who refuses to mail - do not accept email or fax - proof of debt/proof your caller has the legal right to collect said debt. Refusal to mail this documentation within five days of their initial contact with you is a violation of federal law, as is threatening you with jail if you don't pay an alleged debt.
Consumers across the country report that they're getting telephone calls from people trying to collect on loans the consumers never received or on loans they did receive but for amounts they do not owe. Others are receiving calls from people seeking to recover on loans consumers received but where the creditors never authorized the callers to collect for them. So what's the story?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, is warning consumers to be on the alert for scam artists posing as debt collectors. It may be hard to tell the difference between a legitimate debt collector and a fake one. Sometimes a fake collector may even have some of your personal information, like a bank account number. A caller may be a fake debt collector if he:
is seeking payment on a debt for a loan you do not recognize;
refuses to give you a mailing address or phone number;
asks you for personal financial or sensitive information; or
exerts high pressure to try to scare you into paying, such as threatening to have you arrested or to report you to a law enforcement agency.
If you think that a caller may be a fake debt collector:
Ask the caller for his name, company, street address, and telephone number. Tell the caller that you refuse to discuss any debt until you get a written "validation notice." The notice must include the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor you owe, and your rights under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
If a caller refuses to give you all of this information, do not pay! Paying a fake debt collector will not always make them go away. They may make up another debt to try to get more money from you.
Stop speaking with the caller. If you have the caller's address, send a letter demanding that the caller stop contacting you, and keep a copy for your files. By law, real debt collectors must stop calling you if you ask them to in writing.
Do not give the caller personal financial or other sensitive information. Never give out or confirm personal financial or other sensitive information like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number unless you know whom you're dealing with. Scam artists, like fake debt collectors, can use your information to commit identity theft – charging your existing credit cards, opening new credit card, checking, or savings accounts, writing fraudulent checks, or taking out loans in your name.
Contact your creditor. If the debt is legitimate – but you think the collector may not be – contact your creditor about the calls. Share the information you have about the suspicious calls and find out who, if anyone, the creditor has authorized to collect the debt.
Report the call. Contact the FTC and your state Attorney General's office with information about suspicious callers. Many states have their own debt collection laws in addition to the federal FDCPA. Your Attorney General's office can help you determine your rights under your state's law.
Pre-trail intervention. At least that's what they call themselves. The term "govern myself accordingly" is a stock term used by a scammer who works a similar scam in the Texas area under various phone numbers. They all claim to be some kind of pre-legal something-or-other. Total scam. But I don't think these are Indian scammers.
It's that stupid phrase and it gives this scammer away. On other phone numbers he goes by the name of Dickins, or Dickerson or Dickinson, or a similar name. A real [***] and stupid too. Ignore this guy.
Fraudulent or Zombie Debt Collectors—Things to Know
If you have received a call stating:
1. You have defrauded a financial institution
2. You owe an unpaid payday loan
3. You have a warrant due to an unpaid loan
5. You will receive a court summons
6. Authorities are coming to arrest you
7. Anything similar to above,
a. Do not give them any information or verify any information for them
b. Tell them you know they are a scam operating illegally and that you are filing a complaint with the appropriate authorities
* File a complaint with the FBI on their Internet Crime webpage http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
* File a complaint with the Attorney General for the state you live in
The more information and complaints there are, the better the chance of getting these criminals to stop (or at least reduce the frequency). [abstracted from another site]
If you are properly served and don't respond in the required time, you can get a default judgment against you. But you can't be arrested for ordinary civil debt. But if you are ordered to show up for a hearing and don't appear, you can be arrested for contempt of court. Also you can be arrested if you owe child support and refuse to pay. But those situations are rare. As a general rule you can't be arrested for ordinary civil debt.
These people are tyring to scare you. Ignore them.
Fraudulent or Zombie Debt Collectors—Things to Know
If you have received a call stating:
1. You have defrauded a financial institution
2. You owe an unpaid payday loan
3. You have a warrant due to an unpaid loan
5. You will receive a court summons
6. Authorities are coming to arrest you
7. Anything similar to above,
a. Do not give them any information or verify any information for them
b. Tell them you know they are a scam operating illegally and that you are filing a complaint with the appropriate authorities
* File a complaint with the FBI on their Internet Crime webpage http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
* File a complaint with the Attorney General for the state you live in
The more information and complaints there are, the better the chance of getting these criminals to stop (or at least reduce the frequency). [abstracted from another site]
I not only got the same call from jason at pti who said the same thing but I also got an email the day before from anderson law group trying to collect the same debt. They say it's for an online loan from advance cash service on the phone and from adavane cash services in emails (such a company doesn't even exist) Try to get as much info about them as possible and then Tell them your husband or dad is a police officer and they can call back to speak with them cause you're already aware it's a scam, it worked well with the previous time this happened last year and then be sure to report them.