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AVOID THESE
AGENCIES
A
collector wrote in once and said "big deal - you've listed every
agency in the US." Nope. There are over 6500 collection
agencies in the United States according to a CNN count.
Our list is under 300. We think
if an agency violates the law enough times to bring it to our
attention, they should be spotlighted and held accountable.
The collectors, bottom feeders, scavengers and junk debt collectors
found on this list probably purchased your account for pennies
on the dollar. The law holds that they must be able to provide legal
validation if you are sued. When you don’t show up in court, or fail
to respond to a summons you give them FREE money in the form of a
default judgment. It is my opinion, based on thousands of cases that
the vast majority of these junk debt collectors NEVER have the legal
documents that meet most court requirements. That fact will only
help you if you challenge them and the papers they use to file court
cases. If you are contacted by anyone on this list, get in touch
with me for advice and referral to a local consumer law professional
who may be able to assist you in beating these bogus claims and
saving you a LOT of money.
The
federal law governing collection agencies is the Fair Debt
Collection Practices Act. (FDCPA). This law was designed to protect
you from illegal debt collection practices. Debt collectors,
especially junk debt buyers, those who purchase portfolios for
pennies, then come after consumers have been known to file thousands
of cases in courts using bogus affidavits and pleadings. NEVER
assume that just because a Junk Debt Buyer sues you that you will
lose. Most courts have rules about the types of documents that can
be filed and they can be challenged if you know how to raise such
issues. The rate of default judgments in America is astonishing
because many consumers are not aware of their rights. You can change
that by using your rights and the legal system to challenge these
bogus filings and the phony documents used by junk debt buyers. It
costs a lot less to retain an attorney and defeat a junk debt buyer
than paying off a judgment or having your bank account and wages
garnished on an account that you may not legally owe. Fight back by
contacting us for assistance, we can refer you to a local consumer
law professional who may be able to defeat these bottom feeder
scavengers and protect your money.
Under Provisions of Federal Law,
The
Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
It
is Illegal for Debt Collectors
to:
-
Imply that failure to pay the
debt could result in arrest,
imprisonment, or garnishment of
wages;
-
Call consumers at work when
they knew the consumers' employers
prohibited such calls;
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Talk with third parties,
including neighbors, children, and
employers, for purposes other than
acquiring location information about
consumers, without consumers'
consent;
-
Cause the telephone to ring,
or engage a person in telephone
conversations, repeatedly or
continuously, with the intent to
annoy, abuse, or harass a consumer;
-
Threaten to take action -- such as
filing a lawsuit -- when they did
not intend to do so;
-
Call consumers at times or
places that they knew or should have
known were inconvenient;
-
Fail to notify consumers of
their right to dispute and obtain
verification of their debts, and to
obtain the name of the original
creditor
-
Continue to try to collect
debts after consumers disputed them
in writing, and before verifying the
debts.
-
Use obscene or profane
language
ATTENTION CONSUMERS!
If you are
CONTACTED
by a Debt Collector:
NEVER
give them
your banking or credit card
information. They will take
much more than you authorize.
NEVER
do 'checks by phone' as debt collectors could
empty your bank account, you have no recourse.
NEVER
send them
money via Western Union.
REMEMBER:
Debt Collectors have NO power and NO
authority and should NEVER be trusted.
They will lie and cheat you to get at your
money. If it’s NOT in writing, it’s NOT a deal.
BEWARE:
Paying a debt collector will NOT get an account
removed from your credit. They do NOT have that ability.
RECORD
conversations with debt collectors (where legal)
so they can be held accountable for breaking the
law. State taping laws:
Can We Tape
For more education
on debt collection,
your rights and what
not to do,
FIRST
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