How a Fake Debt Collector Took $420K From 500 Victims

The debts weren’t real, but the money victims sent certainly was.

Nicholas Janes took more than $420,000 by posing as a debt collector. His undoing began with a stream of suspicious envelopes.

In May 2023, investigators learned that overnight mail was arriving at his Buffalo address under variations of his name and the names of supposed law offices. The western New York man was convicted of mail fraud and sentenced to five years of probation.

Janes also received mail through business mailboxes he controlled in Ann Arbor, Mich. Those envelopes were then forwarded to his Buffalo residence. The mail included money orders from victims.

Posing as a Debt Collector

Janes phoned people around the country and told them they owed money on unpaid loans, according to prosecutors. He posed as a sheriff’s deputy and threatened victims with criminal charges if they did not immediately pay.

Janes posed as an attorney for fictitious law firms and told victims to overnight USPS money orders made payable to him to addresses under his control.

All told, Janes victimized more than 500 people and took $420,812.92, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.

How to Spot a Phony Debt Collector

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau offers several tips that can help you protect yourself and your family from debt collection scams.

If you’re unsure whether a debt collector is on the up and up, ask for information. Real debt collectors should tell you who they are, where they work, and what debt they’re collecting. Evasive answers, threats, and requests for financial information should raise red flags.

Other red flags include inconvenient calls, demands involving an unfamiliar debt, threats of arrest, and requests for sensitive financial information. Suspected misconduct can be reported to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.