Five people have been arrested in what prosecutors say was a fraudulent debt collection ring based in Ventura County.
Investigators say the ring ran businesses with multiple names, including Nationwide Debt Busters and Financial Services Bureau. Victims would pay upfront fees, and in some cases no collection services were provided, and in others members of the operation pocketed what they collected.
Prosecutors say the ring was in business for about four years, and had victims around the country. The arrests came after an investigation by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation, and the FBI.