"Debt Collector" Scam Reported

A Napa man says he has been targeted by a widespread scam in which callers demand payment for nonexistent payday loans based on financial information they may have received through identity theft.

"I said, 'mail us some proof,'" said real estate broker Frank Trozzo, who contacted Napa Patch Monday to report he has been receiving monthly calls from a man with an Indian accent who uses abusive, threatening language on the phone.

"He'll yell at me and hang up," continued Trozzo, who said he's baffled as to how the caller got personal information about the family member whose financial affairs Trozzo manages.

There's no documentation of the $350 loan the caller is seeking, Trozzo said.

F-bomb dropped

On his second call, in December, the man identifying himself as Austin White dropped an angry F-bomb on Trozzo and told him law enforcement authorities would be "coming tomorrow to my house," Trozzo said.

In his third contact, Monday, White again grew angry and threatened to call authorities, said Trozzo, who did some research after hanging up and found a warning from the Better Business Bureau:

According to reports received by BBB, the scammers accuse the victim of defaulting on a payday loan and claim they are being sued.

The phony debt collector threatens that, if the victim doesn’t pay as much as $1,000 immediately via wire or by providing bank account or credit card numbers, he or she will be arrested.

The scammers often have the victim’s Social Security, old bank account numbers or driver’s license numbers as well as home addresses, employer information and even the names of personal friends and professional references.

Trozzo said when he asked White to furnish some documentation of the alleged loan, he was told "We can't give you that."

On websites like scambook.com, where consumers report suspicious phone calls, there are many other reports like Trozzo's of bullying calls from men who often have accents.

A voicemail, requesting comment, from Napa Patch to the phone number White gave Trozzo was not returned Monday or Tuesday. The outgoing message at the toll-free number did not give a name.

The Better Business Bureau recommends that consumers

• ask for official documentation from callers who claim to be debt collectors;
• don't provide or confirm any personal or financial information over the phone
• file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission if the caller is abusive and/or uses threats, both violations of federal telemarketing laws.