November 2008 This agency is trying to collect a debt which is past the statute of limitations & is lying in order to get the money. It is from an account over 10 years old, & they told us that our state has no statute of limitations so they could still come after us. Such a crock
October 2008 AFNI, Inc. is stating that I owe the sum of $142.00, to Qwest. I have not received any collections letters from AFNI, Inc. The way I had found out about AFNI, Inc, was a mark on my credit report, which I had pulled over the weekend. I have attempted to dispute this negative account with Experian, on Saturday night. This morning, I received an e-mail back from Experian that they claimed 'they have verified the account was mine'. You would think an investigation should take much longer and from all that I have read, AFNI, Inc, does not have enough information regarding the account to prove the account does in fact belong to the person which name is attached. The account they are claiming, was first reported June 2008. I have not had Qwest service, since 1999 and my account with Qwest was Paid In Full, upon closing the account. I also know for a fact that my Qwest bill was no where close to the amount they are claiming I owe, as I was receiving disability at the time and was on a telephone assistance plan, which is less than $20.00/month. This account, which they claim I owe, which I do not owe on, is certainly past the SOL. Thanks to your site, I have learned a lot when it comes to credit and collections and that many collection agencies have incomplete information of a person. I will continue to fight and get AFNI off my credit report and out of my life for good.
October 2008 After pulling my credit report and credit score, last evening, I noticed a suspicious negative account on my report, from AFNI. I remember finding Bud Hibbs site and the listings of collection agencies to watch out for, a while back, while investigating a collection agency (Aurora Gold), who contacted my husband, earlier this year. I found this item on my account to be odd, as I had just recently checked my credit report and it did not have any negative marks on it, until I re-checked it yesterday, after watching a Clark Howard special on TV. AFNI is trying to collect on a Qwest account. I have not had Qwest phone service (formerly US West), since 2000. I found this to be rather odd that AFNI is claiming I owe $142.00 and according to my credit report, AFNI states Date Opened 7/2008 and date last reported is 9/2008. According to the SOL, after 4 years the debt cannot be collected. I got onto Bud Hibbs' site to look up this collection agency, again, because I was suspicious since all of a sudden this is NOW showing up on my credit report. After reading the entries posted from other people, who also have AFNI attempting to collect such debt and also posted on there credit report. I am pleased to read the following suggestions on how to fight back and get this scam artist collection agency, hopefully off my back. I have worked so hard to get my credit report clean, as we are trying for a house loan and this certainly is the last thing I need listed on my account. I just wish there was a way to prevent such companies from fraudulently posting inaccurate information on peoples credit reports. I have not received any collection letters. I have not lived in the area, where Qwest has service, since 2003 and I have not had Qwest service, since 2000. I had switched to a competitor company, in 2000 and I owe nothing to that company. My husband will be writing AFNI a Cease and Desist letter and we will also be taking the advice to contact the Illinois BBB and Attorney General. Thank you for such a wonderful, informative site!
September 2008 This company approached me a few years ago wanting money for a Charter Comm, account at an address I never resided.. I asked for verification of the debt in writing and never heard from them again. Just in the last couple of weeks though they have started calling me daily looking for someone with a totally different name. I've asked them to quit calling now several times and continue to be harassed. I've also filed complaints with the state business bureau in regards to this company..
September 2008 After many letters, and Pub. about AFNI on other sites; and with the help of the IL. Att. Gen. office. AFNI has sent me a letter that they are removing their bogus entry from my credit report. Thanks Bud for giving us consumers the info. and the strength to fight these scumbags.
September 2008
This is the intent to file suit letter I faxed to the
knuckleheads @ AFNI, Inc. a.k.a. Anderson Financial Network,
Inc on August 28. I'm just waiting until Sept 12, 2008 to
see whether or not they'll respond. I'm hoping they do and
hoping they don't.
NOTICE OF INTENT TO FILE SUIT
IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, COUNTY OF BEXAR
SMALL CLAIMS
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE COURT
PRECINCT #1, PLACE #1
Plaintiff: XXXXXX X. XXXX, an individual resident in San
Antonio, Bexar County Texas
Vs
Defendant(s): wholly and individually having and doing
business in the State of Texas;
AFNI, Inc.,
Aka Anderson Financial Network, Inc.
and
The “executive officers” of AFNI, Inc, aka Anderson
Financial Network, Inc.
Bruce F. Griffin-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Ronald L. Green-President
Gregory J. Donovan-Vice President/Secretary
V. Curtis Oyer-Treasurer
(Sent via FACSIMILE to AFNI, Inc, aka/Anderson Financial
Network, Inc to 309-828-0931)
AFNI, Inc.
Aka Anderson Financial Network, Inc.
Bruce F. Griffin-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Ronald L. Green-President
Gregory J. Donovan-Vice President/Secretary
V. Curtis Oyer-Treasurer
404 Brock Drive
Bloomington, IL 61702-3097
Re: AFNI Account # XXXXXXXXXXXXX NEXTEL Account # XXXXXXXXXX
For: $752.69
Greetings and salutations:
I received your letter today, dated August 25, 2008
concerning the above referenced account. As I stated in my
official CEASE COMMUNICATION letter to you dated July 26,
2008 concerning this alleged debt, I am not responsible for
this alleged debt and I did not ask to have this alleged
debt validated or investigated by AFNI, Inc., aka Anderson
Financial Network, Inc. and/or its “executive officers” as
it is NOT MY DEBT! AFNI, Inc., aka Anderson Financial
Network, Inc., and its “executive officers” are now
harassing me.
I sent AFNI, Inc., aka Anderson Financial Network, Inc., and
its “executive officers” a letter, Saturday, June 26, 2008
via FACSIMILE stating that I do not owe this alleged debt as
it was awarded to XXXXXXX XXXX, my now ex-husband, in our
final decree of divorce (see attached divorce decree) and
how you may contact him as he is “temporarily” residing at
the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Garza-West Unit,
4250 Highway 202, Beeville, Texas 78102 (see Judgment of
Conviction by Court-Waiver of Jury Trial and TDCJ Offender
sheets) for the next 12 years. I also stated that I did not
want to be contacted or harassed by your company any further
concerning this alleged debt awarded to XXXXXXX XXXX and
that AFNI, Inc. aka Anderson Financial Network, Inc., and
its “executive officers” had 5 business days from the date
of your receipt of my facsimile to release me from any
further obligations concerning XXXXXXX XXXX’s outstanding
debt and report such to my credit bureau repositories.
Since you have violated the terms of my CEASE COMMUNICATION
letter/facsimile that you received Saturday July 26, 2008,
and by acknowledging said receipt of facsimile transmission
with a letter addressed to me by AFNI, Inc., aka Anderson
Financial Network, Inc. and its “executive officers,” I have
no choice but to bring suit against AFNI, Inc., aka Anderson
Financial Network, Inc. and its “executive officers” for
harassment and violations of the Fair Debt Collection
Practices Act (FDCPA) in the amount of $10,000 (Ten thousand
dollars), the maximum allowable amount in small claims court
in the State of Texas, County of Bexar.
I have also filed formal complaints with the Federal Trade
Commission who is responsible for enforcement of FDCPA laws,
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office, The United
States Postal Service for harassment via USPS service, The
American Collector’s Association and the Better Business
Bureau’s of San Antonio, Texas and Bloomington, Illinois. I
also am sending a copy of this letter and my original letter
to AFNI, Inc., aka Anderson Financial Network, Inc., to
Nextel, the original creditor, as I am sure they would like
to know of your harassing tactics in attempting to collect
debts on their “behalf.”
Since I have receipt of the facsimile transmission stating
that AFNI, Inc received my CEASE COMMUNICATION letter on
Saturday July 26, 2008, I intend to use that and the
original letter your company received as evidence against
AFNI, Inc, and its “executive officers” as well as the final
divorce decree showing the award of this debt to Mr. XXXX.
If you wish to resolve this matter immediately without any
further legal proceedings by me, prior to AFNI, Inc and its
“executive officers” being served with civil citation to
appear in small claims court in the State of Texas, County
of Bexar, you will remit to me via certified mail/return
receipt request, a cashier’s or banker’s check, in the
amount of $1,500 (One thousand five hundred dollars-less
than double of the amount owed in this alleged debt) payable
to me, XXXXXX X. XXXX, 1704 XXXXXX, San Antonio, TX XXXXX
within 10 business days of the receipt of this
letter/facsimile.
Also, AFNI, Inc., aka Anderson Financial Network, Inc. and
its “executive officers” will immediately convey to
Experian, Trans Union and Equifax that I, XXXXXX X. XXXX, am
no longer responsible for this alleged debt. AFNI, Inc., aka
Anderson Financial Network, Inc., and its “executive
officers” will permanently remove my name and any other
personal information from your records and any and all
databases. AFNI, Inc., aka Anderson Financial Network, Inc.,
and its “executive officers”, will not sell, assign,
transfer or convey any information about me to any other
collection agencies or anyone else. AFNI, Inc., aka Anderson
Financial Network, Inc., and its “executive officers” will
issue a signed, notarized statement that I am no longer
responsible for this debt and that the above requests have
been completed.
Once I have received your cashier’s check in the above
listed amount and a signed notarized letter from AFNI, Inc.,
aka Anderson Financial Network, Inc. and its “executive
officers” removal of my name from your records, releasing me
from any and all further obligations and the conveyances to
Experian, Trans Union and Equifax, I will cease any further
legal proceedings against AFNI, Inc, aka Anderson Financial
Network, Inc. and it’s “executive officers” and issue a
signed, notarized statement as to such within 5 business
days of such receipt of the above listed items from AFNI,
Inc., aka Anderson Financial Network, Inc., and its
“executive officers.” I will also cease my pursuit of
charges and complaints filed with the FTC, Texas Attorney
General Greg Abbott, The USPS, The American Collectors
Association, and Better Business Bureaus of San Antonio,
Texas and Bloomington, Illinois against AFNI, Inc., aka
Anderson Financial Network, Inc, and its “executive
officers” if all of the above conditions are met.
This is the only way I am willing to resolve this matter out
of court. I will not settle for any other remedies or
bargain with AFNI, Inc., aka Anderson Financial Network,
Inc., its “executive officers” or attorneys.
If you wish further legal action by me, then by all means
ignore this letter/facsimile. It is my understanding, AFNI,
Inc., aka Anderson Financial Network, Inc. and its
“executive officers” are already embroiled in several class
actions lawsuits across the country at this moment, and/or
are being investigated by other State’s Attorney General’s
for this very type of violation of FDCPA laws and other
state laws. It will be much cheaper and in the best interest
for AFNI, Inc., aka Anderson Financial Network, Inc. and its
“executive officers” to heed my simple requests, rather than
risk the reality of another lawsuit in the State of Texas,
County of Bexar.
If within 10 business days of Friday August 29, 2008 (I will
make it easy for you…the 10 days will expire Friday
September 12, 2008), I do not receive a cashiers or bankers
check in the amount of $1,500 (One thousand five hundred
dollars), your conveyances to Experian, Trans Union and
Equifax and the notarized release of any further obligations
by me and deletion of my name from your records, I will
proceed with the lawsuit for the full $10,000 amount, plus
court costs and any other fees and/or expenses incurred by
me to bring this suit against AFNI, Inc. aka Anderson
Financial Network Inc., and its “executive officers.”
Please give this matter the attention that it rightly
deserves.
Respectfully,
XXXXXX X. XXXX
Mini Miranda WARNING: This is an attempt to make a debt
collection agency obey the law. Any information obtained
will be used for that purpose
THIS FACSIMILE CONSTITUTES DUE NOTICE OF INTENT TO FILE
LAWSUIT
-----------------------------------------------------------
I sure do hope they will take this to heart. It will be so
much cheaper for them in the end.
Thanks, Bud. For helping to educate us about our rights
concerning dect collection practices.
August 2008 Ten yrs ago, I had an account with Verizon. Now I see this account on my credit reports as "Account opened June 2008. I've tried disputing it with the credit companies. They're verifying it as my account. I did ask them to verify as my account. I told them it was old, barred, outdated! What's wrong with the credit companies? Are they short of brain cells? How can I remove this from my reports?
August 2008
Are these people bozo's or what? I faxed them a cease comm
letter on July 26, 2008 and what do I get in the mail today?
A letter from them dated August 25, 2008, asking for more
information about my ex husband who is responsible for this
debt. I explained to them in my earlier fax that he's
currently a resident of TDCJ and good luck in getting
anything out of him while he serving 12 years and to cease
communicating with me. I've had it with these AFNI, Inc
idiots!!! I just faxed them an intent to file suit letter.
Hopefully, they'll take me serious this time since they're
are being sued in a few class action lawsuits or I'll go
after them for the maximum allowable amount in small claims
court here in Bexar County, Tx.
July 2008 Bud - look what I found when I was searching for AFNI on the Federal District Court Docket. It looks like a class action suit, (or three, or four!) but I wasn't able to follow up (it may have been my browser) If I can get more information, or if anyone else can, they should post it here. If there's really a case coming against these idiots, I'm gonna want aboard and I bet thousands will.
Patton v. AFNI, Inc. MD Bennett
Consumer Credit Federal Question
Plaintiff: Arleaver C. Patton; Defendant: AFNI, Inc.
July 15, 2008
White v. AFNI, Inc. NY Eastern Korman Consumer Credit
Federal Question
Plaintiff: Henna White; Defendant: AFNI, Inc.
July 11, 2008
CUNNINGHAM v. AFNI, INC. PA Eastern ROBRENO Consumer Credit
Federal Question
Plaintiff: ELISA CUNNINGHAM; Defendant: AFNI, INC.
July 10, 2008 Hale et al v. AFNI,
Inc. IL Northern Coar Consumer Credit Federal Question
Plaintiff: Bouke Hale; Defendant: AFNI, Inc.
July 2008 Received a letter from AFNI, Inc for an over 10 year old debt from GTE Southwest, Inc. I called AFNI and spoke to "Mallory" about this alleged time barred debt. She went on to state that they could come after me anytime they want and that I had to pay this debt. This went on for about 6 minutes (lucky for them I recorded the entire conversation). She said I was being abusive to her. HA HA!!! She even went on to state that she had to go through "collectors training" and that she knew the laws...funny, she doesn't know the laws in Texas. Due to her feelings getting hurt during this conversation...I guess I am a mean ol' consumer...she placed me on hold for a supervisor. About 3 minutes after being placed on hold, a "Jim Shepherd" came on the line. I advised him, just as I advised "Sensitive Mallory" that I refused to pay this debt as it is time barred AND that GTE Southwest, Inc, is no longer in business. He said thank you, mumbled something as he hung up. So today, July 25th, I am sending them a fax stating to them I am refusing to pay them as well as sending them the time barred letter. What a bunch of idiots!
July 2008
While checking my TransUnion, credit report in April, 2008,
I noticed a negative item on the report that I did not
recognize. It was two accounts one with Sprint and the other
with MCI, phone companies I have never had an accounts with.
I wrote to TransUnion to alert them about these fraudulent
accounts and requested to conduct an investigation. Both
accounts were held with a collection agency by the name of
AFNI, Inc.
After TrasUnion conducted their investigations the Sprint
bill was taken off but the MCI bill was not. Then in May of
this year, I received a collections notice from AFNI, Inc.
regarding this fake MCI account in the amount of $1,077.00.
I contacted AFNI to let them know that I had no knowledge of
this account. I told them that I had never received a single
bill from MCI regarding this phone line. AFNI told me 'good
luck' trying to prove it wasn't me who opened the account.
They claim that because the account was opened with my SSN,
name and date of birth, it is my responsibility. They also
claim to have proof that I 'Okayed' this phone line via a
phone call with MCI. This is a falsified account and I
believe they were trying to use scare tactics with me.
AFNI sent me the fraud dispute form but I am hesitant to
fill it out because they told me if I prove that I lived at
my address back when this account was opened I will be
proving I am responsible for the phone line, even though I
did not approve this line.
Could it be that TransUnion and Experian are down with this
scam! How could that be!
July 2008
Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson filed a lawsuit in
Hennepin County District Court against AFNI, Inc., an
Illinois debt collection agency, for attempting to collect
debts from Minnesota citizens who stated they did not
actually owe the debts and for failing to substantiate debt
that consumers stated they did not owe.
The lawsuit alleges that AFNI used unfair collection
techniques to attempt to collect debts that Minnesota
consumers stated they did not believe they owe, and that
AFNI did not adequately verify the validity of debts to
ensure it was collecting the debt from the right people. As
a result, AFNI repeatedly contacted Minnesota consumers in
an attempt to collect debts, some up to ten years old, that
in some cases were not actually owed by the citizens.
“In this troubled economy, many people are struggling to pay
their bills. Debt collectors are entitled to pursue payment
of legitimate debts, but they must do so fairly and in
compliance with the law,” Swanson said.
The lawsuit alleges that AFNI continued collection efforts,
rather than verify the legitimacy of the debt, after
citizens informed AFNI that it was attempting to collect the
debt from the wrong person. In response to AFNI’s
requests, Minnesota consumers sometimes provided private
information, including social security numbers and police
reports of identity theft, to prove that AFNI was collecting
the debt from the wrong person, but that even
after being provided with this requested information, AFNI
sometimes continued its collection efforts.
AFNI also sometimes reported invalid “debts” to credit
bureaus without verifying that the debts were actually owed
by the citizen and did not take the action necessary to
remove the debts from consumers’ credit reports.
The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office has published a Debt
Collection Fact Sheet which offers tips for consumers who
are contacted by collection agencies. The Attorney General’s
Office provides the following tips in dealing with debt
collectors:
* Consumers have the right to dispute all or part of a debt
if they believe that it is not owed. Once the debt is
disputed, collectors must stop trying to collect the debt
until the debt collector provides proof of the debt;
* Collectors must inform consumers of their right to request
verification of a given debt in writing within 30 days;
* If a consumer tells a collector it has the wrong person
and he/she does not owe the debt, the burden of proof shifts
back on the collector to verify the debt; and
* Collectors may not use false,
deceptive, or misleading statements to collect a debt;
AFNI, Inc. is a private debt collector headquartered in
Illinois that has operations throughout the country and is
engaged in the business of debt collection.
Consumers who believe that they were taken advantage of by
AFNI, or another debt collector, may file a complaint with
the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office by calling
1-800-657-3787 or 651-296-3353. Consumers may also
download a Consumer Complaint Form by clicking here <http://www.ag.state.mn.us/Consumer/Complaint.asp>
and returning the completed form to the Attorney General’s
Office at: 1400 Bremer Tower, 445 Minnesota Street, St.
Paul, MN 55101-2131.
June 2008 Debt collectors go
after expired Verizon bills
This post comes from Joseph S. Enoch at partner bog
ConsumerAffairs.com.
Consumers around the country are complaining that Afni Inc.,
a debt-collection agency, has been calling and mailing,
demanding that consumers pay old Verizon telephone debts,
some of them as much as 10 years old.
But consumer advocates say that many of the debts are so old
that, under the statute of limitations, consumers are not
required to pay and the debt should not be reported to
credit agencies.
"I have just received a bill from Afni stating I owe on an
old Verizon account in the amount of $90.86 and that they
will settle for $45.43," wrote Diana of Madera, Calif. "The
account number they claim is for a Verizon phone number.
"This is very interesting because I have never had Verizon,"
Diana said. "I have never had this bill show up on any past
credit reports. So I checked my current credit reports and
found them listing that I owe them. I paid for a search on
the phone number they listed and I am not connected to that
number. I called Verizon California Inc. and spoke to Eric.
He said that it wasn't even a Verizon number and they had no
records of me on any account!"
Diana's complaint is similar to the others
ConsumerAffairs.com has received in a little over a year. In
almost every case the debts are many years old, while
consumers say they never had the accounts in question and
have never been a Verizon customer.
But Verizon and Afni spokespeople say the debts are real and
that if people don't pay up, their credit could be damaged.
The reason most consumers say they never were a Verizon
customer is likely because they weren't, but they may have
been a customer with one of the many companies that became
Verizon, said Bill Kula, Verizon spokesman. Verizon took
over many companies through mergers and acquisitions,
including Bell Atlantic, MCI, Nynex, GTE and other
companies.
Along with those mergers came millions of delinquent
accounts, which Verizon sold to Afni over the past year and
a half. And even though the acquired companies no longer
exist, Afni insists the debts have survived intact.
Both Kula and Deborah Ciskey, Afni's director of compliance,
said consumers are probably "confused" because the debts are
from a service with an older carrier. Kula said many people
who purchased dial-up Internet many years ago from their old
phone company may be getting these bills and just forgot
that that they had a delinquent account with MCI, for
example.
However, some consumers say there is no mistake and they
have no debt with any phone company.
"I received a collection notice from Afni Inc., stating I
owe them $280.05 for a disconnected phone service ...,"
wrote Pamela of Danbury, Conn. "I have never owned that
telephone number. Also, on the notice, it states that the
original creditor is Bell Atlantic. I never had phone
service with Bell Atlantic."
Consumers say that despite their protestations, Afni posts
the debt to credit agencies.
Joe Mullaney, an attorney who successfully sued Afni for
using potentially illegal means to collect on a debt, said
consumers should not pay these debts if they believe they
are not legitimate, no matter how insistent Afni is.
"People are paying these debts and they don't even owe it,"
Mullaney said.
Although Kula said the vast majority of the debts are two to
three years old, some consumers say they are as old as 13
years, yet the company appears to be persistent no matter
how old the debt.
If the debts are seven years old or older, the statute of
limitations on the debt has expired, meaning Afni has very
limited enforcement capabilities to collect on those old
debts, Mullaney said.
"Federal courts ... have opined that generally a debt
collector may ask you to pay a debt if it is time-barred by
the statute of limitations," Mullaney said.
All the collector can do is politely ask consumers to pay,
he said. There is no requirement that they do so.
Similar time limitations exist for debt reporting, Mullaney
said. A debt that is seven years old or older cannot
negatively affect a consumer's credit score.
Mullaney said Afni threatened to report his client's
eight-year-old debt to the credit bureaus, and his client
went ahead and paid for fear of damaging her credit even
though there was no way a credit bureau could post that to
her report.
"Debt collectors know that one of the most powerful tools of
wrenching payment out of consumers is to report them to the
credit bureaus," Mullaney said. "The reason for that is
because people have an irrational protection of their credit
report, when in fact they should be protecting their
rights."
Mullaney and his client won their case and received a
settlement of about $4,300, he said.
"I take the position under the Fair Debt Collection
Practices Act, which says that the debt collector cannot
make deceptive statements or false statements," Mullaney
said.
The Illinois Attorney General's Office has an active
investigation into Afni, said office spokeswoman Natalie
Bauer. She could give no further details but said the office
has received "around 900" complaints over the past eight
years.
Consumers who wish to take legal action against Afni should
find a local attorney through the National Association of
Consumer Advocates Web site, Mullaney said. Consumers should
also file complaints with the Illinois attorney general.
June 2008 In May 2007 My wife and I received a phone call from AFNI, INC, Attempting to collect on a $527.00 Verizion Wireless bill. The bill in question was from 1998, it was for $3000.00 for one month of service. ( Billing error!!) we never had any problems with Verizon, the realized this, and never bothered us about this again. Then AFNI, Inc called attempting to settle this Bill. I asked them Validate this debt. At which time they asked me if I was refusing to pay this debt, I said "no, I want proof from you about that this is legal to collect on after 7 years. (Never heard or received anything) I attempted to go and purchase a new vehicle this year, guess what was on my credit bureau? AFNI, INC it shows that they reported it 1 months after I spoke with them Jun 07 as a Bad Debt Write Off.
June 2008 i got a email today from the Illinois BBB. i had sent a letter to them, The FTC and the attorney General about the horrible collection practices they have and the fact that they have failed to verify anything in writing. The email states they will be stopping all collection efforts and deleting all information off my credit files. i just wanted to thank you for all your help. without this site i would never have known how to get these idiots to stop. keep on them, the law will always win
May 2008 got my credit pulled to try and qualify for a mortgage to buy a new house. imagine my surprise when i see a collection account fro Afni Inc saying i owe 224.56 for a charter communications account which according to my credit reports was originally opened in jan 2008. fun, seeing as Nevada doesn't have charter...and i have not lived in a town that does since aug 2006. so even if this debt is mine (which according to charter when i called is not, as my accounts were closed and left in excellent standings) they have violated the law by changing the date on the account. i have contacted the BBB about this, but I'm not sure what else to do. i have a credit repair person working to fix my credit at no charge to me so I can get the mortgage, but these people are so back handed it's not even funny. what do i do if they refuse to remove it? I know it isn't mine...but I'm just stuck as to what else can be done to stop these jerks
May 2008 add me to the endless list of people being harassed by the lowlifes of AFNI collections. They've been sending me letters trying to collect $91.80 from a phone bill with verizon,i have told them repeatedly that I did not live in Florida in 1999,they request all kinds of information from you including filling out a DECLARATION OF FRAUD. I have tried to explain to them that I did not live in Florida at that time and their response is that I could have co-signed for somebody else, I am following the entire process and will go the distance if necessary, I also understand that the statute of limitations expired long time ago. These are roaches roaming around pestering people with their scams. I mean the only thing I can think of all of these nonsense is CHUTZPAH!!!!!
April 2008 Just wanted to share my latest
Letter to them with you.
To Whom it May Concern:
Re: AFNI Account #xxxxxxxx
This will serve as your legal notice under provisions of
federal law, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA),
to cease all communication with me in regard to the debt
referenced above.
This notification is also formal notice to you that any
filing of such action by you, or your representatives or
assigns, is therefore Time-Barred.
As I am sure your legal department is aware, there exists a
statute of limitations in each of the 50 states for a junk
debt buyer or collection agency such as yourselves to
report, collect debts and/or bring suit against debtors for
alleged debts.
In my home state of California, the statute of limitations
is as follows:
Open accounts – 4 years from date of first delinquency
Written contracts – 4 years from date of first delinquency
Oral agreements – 2 years from date of first delinquency
Promissory notes – 4 years from date of first delinquency
As you can plainly see from the date on the “billing
statement” you provided to others but never validated to me,
you are far beyond the statute of limitations for collection
and or obtaining a judgment/bringing suit. Since this
alleged debt is clearly past the legal time frame for
continued collection activity, you will cease any further
contact with me.
As a result I must insist that you:
-Delete any and all records of this alleged debt from your
system
-Do not contact me any further by any means whatsoever
-Do not sell, transfer, assign, or share any information
about me or this alleged debt with anyone else
-Do not provide me with a IRS form 1099-C
-Do not report this false information to any of my credit
bureau repositories
-Send me a signed letter that releases me from further
obligations
Thank you kindly for your “attempt to collect a debt.” I
trust that I will not be hearing from you any further. If
you do not comply with my requests listed above, I will have
no choice but to bring suit against your company in the
State of California, County of Madera.
Being the reasonable people that you are, I will assume that
you will realize that a Time-Barred debt that your company
probably paid less than $9.00 for is not worth the time and
expense of a court case, and you will comply with my
requests.
Thank you very much,
Concerned Consumer
NOTE: This is an attempt to make a debt collector obey the
law. Any information obtained, will be used for that
purpose.
March 2008 I have been getting letters from an old Cingular Wireless account from 2002 - stating I owe $2,000+ ??? What nerve - I get voice messages harassing me constantly. I do not believe I owe this money - claiming they want to settle for 1/2. I got several letters, about 1 per month...one letter stating 25% off!.. then another...40% off...then advertising TAX TIME! 50% off! SAVE MONEY - PAY TODAY! How on earth am I saving money if I do not owe this to begin with? Now they are reporting this on my credit report - and I am furious. I am seeking legal action!!! I am so glad I am not the only one being harassed!!!!
August 14, 2007 This agency recently attempted to recover a 10 year old phone company debt that actually belonged to my ex-wife. Statute of limitation in WA is 6 years.
Just another warning about AFNI.
After disputing the debt with them that they contacted me
about and disputing multiple times with the credit reporting
agencies and reporting them to the FTC, BBB, and MD Attorney
general, they still refuse to send me proof of the debt that
they say I owe. I am now pursuing litigation.
The twist this time is that they are asking for information
from me in order to validate this debt. This information
seems VERY suspicious at the surface.
They want photocopies of my driver's license, my address
history, and several other things one could only assume is
for the purposes of identity theft. They certainly have no
need of them to validate the debt they say I owe.
If you receive a letter asking for that type of information,
DO NOT SEND IT!! I would definitely contact an attorney at
that point.
August 2, 2007 I also received a letter from Afni on July 21 stating that I owed Alltel $73.31 from 1998 claiming that I open the account in 1996. I spoke with a girl name Samantha that told me even if I do dispute 9 out of 10 they win (in so many words). So I told her I will dispute this, I moved from this address in 1997 and the account stayed open for a extra year. I also told her that I never received anything from Alltel stating anything concerning a pass due bill. I asked for the Alltel phone number or any way I could get in touch with Alltel myself and she claimed they do not have that information. I'm going to dispute and regardless of the outcome I'm not going to send them nothing.
July 3, 2007 I just received a letter in the mail stated that I owed $113 for a Verizon phone bill. I don't have verizon phone service and haven't used them in years. The telephone number is bogus and they can't even provide me with any information on the date of this service or the account number. I'm not paying one red cent!
June 29, 2007 I just received one of these bogus collection notices for an ancient Verizon account as well. I wrote a letter disputing the validity of the bill and requesting them to obtain and remit verification, faxed it to their office at 309.828.0931, and then sent it by certified mail via usps. We'll see what, if anything, happens next. Thanks for the info on this site - it was hugely useful.
June 29, 2007 Faxes Returned - Numbers not Correct?!?! Fax: 877-435-8073 (309) 828-0931 Does anyone have a current Fax Number for AFNI -- I tried using the above posted numbers and they are not "supposedly" active. I called the numbers direct and the recording said I could not access from my area?! Maybe this 309-663-4510
June 23, 2007 I received a bill today in the
amount of $240.92 from afni for a verizon account that
supposedly existed somewhere between 2000-2002 somehow they
cant seem to pinpoint a date. The number listed on the
letter I received doesn't even match the one on file! I have
been a faithful customer to verizon for years now I cant
imagine I would have an outstanding bill with them without
being notified by VERIZON! Of course the people I have
spoken with are rude and just want me to pay! I will be
faxing them a note tomorrow because even if this debt was
mine which it isn't the statute
is way past due! It is 3-5
years in VA.
WE WERE CONTACTED 8/1/2006 BY THESE SCAMMERS WHO STATED WE OWED 249.40 ON A CINGULAR BILL. NOT!!! AGAIN WE WERE CONTACT BY AFNI ON 8/4/2006. I SENT THEM A LETTER ON 8/3 & 2ND MAILED THE SAME LETTER ON 8/10/2006. I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM ONE PERSON FROM THIS COMPANY SINCE I SENT THEM THIS LETTER ADVISING THEM THAT 1)THEY MUST VALIDATE THIS CLAIM TO ME 2) SHOW THAT THEY ARE LICENSED IN MY STATE AND PROVIDE ME WITH THE LICENSE NUMBER 3) EXPLAIN AND SHOW ME HOW THEY CALCULATED WHAT THEY SAY I OWE 4) PROVIDE ME WITH COPIES OF ANY PAPERS THAT SHOW I AGREED TO PAY WHAT THEY SAY I OWE...I ALSO INFORMED THEM THAT I KNOW MY RIGHTS UNDER THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES AND THAT ANY ATTEMPT TO COLLECT THIS DEBT WITHOUT VALIDATING IT VIOLATES THE FDCPA. I ALSO ADVISED THEM THAT I WOULD RECORD ALL CALLS. I ALSO STATED THAT IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 805C - CEASING COLLECTIONS, OF THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION ACT, DO NOT CONTACT ME ABOUT THIS OR ANY OTHER MATTER, EXCEPT BY OFFICIAL MAIL AND THEN ONLY TO ADVISE ME THAT THEIR DEBT COLLECTION EFFORTS ARE TERMINATED OR THAT THEY ARE TAKING SPECIFIC ACTIONS ALLOWED BY LAW. I ALSO ADVISED THEM THAT REPORTING INFORMATION THAT THAT KNOW IS INCORRECT OR FAILING TO REPORT INFORMATION CORRECTLY VIOLATES THE FCRA 1681s-2. NOW MY SON-IN-LAW RECEIVED THE SAME COLLECTION LETTER ONLY THIS TIME THEY WANT ALL HIS PERSONAL INFORMATION, IE. SSN#, ETC.NOT!...HAVEN'T HEARD FROM THESE PEOPLE AGAIN.
June 18, 2007
The company Afni, Inc. has contacted
myself and several others claiming that we owe telephone
bills from years back. The amount that they claimed I owed
was from 10 years ago. After researching this I found that
Afni purchased the debt from Verizon after Verizon bought
out several phone companies across the United States. I
disputed the claim and then received an apology letter from
Afni but not before I contacted as many people as I could
through complaint web sites, BBB, etc. I am now trying to
help a young couple in Texas that they have harassed with
their letters. Their debt is over 4 years old and the statute
of limitations in Texas is just that. I was in collections
for years and know a little and their practices are just
wrong and I am unsure if they should not be illegal. You
call the number they provide so you can work out the issues
and there is a recording. I have never spoken to anyone. The
letters of course look legal and the copies of the bills
look almost legit but the problem is, there is no original
bill provided. All their documentation say "Verizon". I knew
I did not owe the amount but since the debt was so old I did
not have proof and I am sure that is what these people are
counting on. If you type in Afni in your search engine, you
will find so many complaints and people asking for help.
Something is wrong here!
June 15, 2007
My husband got a letter in the mail from Afni for a phone number through Verizon that he never had. This is the second time they have contacted him (first time was Jan 07) and now they want to settle for half. He has disputed this debt with several other companies many times that he has never had this phone number but they still keep coming after him for it. Verizon can't even verify it to him either-go figure! At the time they say he had the number he didn't live at the address it was list to or was in San Diego going through Boot Camp for the Marine Corps (Jan 98)! But what gets me is Aftni says "You can login with your account number and last 4 digits of your Social Security number" in order to pay them online! Talk about verifying your SS#!! So this letter along with the Jan one will be filled with our credit reports just in case this continues to come up again. They won't get a penny from us!
June 12, 2007
Just received mine in the mail yesterday--for an account I closed in 1995 for the whopping amount of $71.04. I'm still laughing at the choice of wording: "This account has been acquired by our agency for collection." Hmmm... assigned or purchased for pennies on the dollar?? "We believe it is in your best interest to resolve this account." Ummm...thanks but no thanks...it's definitely not MY best interest they have in mind. Nowhere on the form does it say past due or that this wasn't paid...it's for a "disconnected phone" from a very old address. So now all disconnected phones automatically become a gold mine for AFNI...iegardless of whether or not it was paid?? And finally "This letter is from a debt collector" -- at least they admit to it. How pathetic.
June 12, 2007
I just received a letter from a collection agency, that stated that I owed $488.60 to a company called Verizon North, Inc. The letter is from Afni, Bloomington, IL. It seems that now they are trying to get people to pay old bills or non existing ones by telling them that if they pay half of the bill then it will be taken care of. For one thing, it is in a zip code that I haven't lived in, in about 10-15 years. I just requested the dates I supposedly had this service. Since I have an account with Verizon, I would assume that if I really had a past due bill, then Verizon would not have given me a new account.
June 11, 2007
Hi, First thank you for sharing such
valuable information with us. I rec'd a letter from AFNI
yesterday claiming that I owed $500.00 for a bill from 1991!
When I attempted to call AFNI they were so mean and rude to
me I had to hang up. When I called back again, I informed
them that this was not even my old phone number, their reply
was "YES it was so now you have to pay". I was being called
a liar! I plan on reporting them to the FTC and BBB.
I am writing them a certified letter and hoping they will
leave me alone. I have about 9 friends who also rec'd
letters regarding old phone accts. ranging from $300-$2,000.
Isn't there something that we can do to stop these thieves
from ripping off honest people? Imagine the hundreds of
people who actually pay these bills in fear of it ruining
their credit? This has got to stop! Thank you
1991 - paper's getting thin out
there...
May 28, 2007
I just received a bill in the mail for a phone number I never had in a state that I have never lived at and a name that I haven't used in 11 years.
April 27, 2007
I succeeded in getting these leeches
off my credit reports by filing complaints with the Illinois
Attorney General's office, the Better Business Bureau of
Peoria, Illinois and the FTC. I simply complained that they
were willfully placing erroneous information on my credit
bureau reports despite being advised by me in writing that
the accounts they claim to have for me are not mine.
It took a couple of weeks but they're gone. I would urge
others to complain as well. If enough people do it, these
agencies will take action against AFNI.
April 14, 2007
I received a collection letter from
AFNI based on an old Nextel account. Nextel had originally
refused to credit me for an advance payment, sent it to
collections, and I thought I had resolved it. Suddenly,
three years later, this collection letter from AFNI appears
out of the blue, for the amount that was due before the
account was settled. I send AFNI a demand verification
letter.
Two weeks later, I received a letter from AFNI stating that
my dispute could not be processed because I did not supply
sufficient information. How exactly a demand for
verification requires anything other than an account number
and address is beyond me. But this letter was an insult to
my intelligence. The additional information they wanted was
a home phone number and a copy of my drivers license and/or
passport, employment information, etc. In other words, they
were trying to get information and documentation to help
them with the collection process.
Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, when you
demand verification, all collection activity must stop. The
letter represented a continued collection effort before
complying with the demand. A copy is on its way to the
Federal Trade Commission.
April 12, 2007
afni is reporting a debt to the credit folks that I owe 107 bucks to dish network. the open date they list in the report is 2001. I was not doing business with dish at that time my account with them was shut down in early 2000 or late 1999. I filled BK in the summer of 2000. and heard nothing from anyone the following years and now I have found it in my report I have been disputing this with the credit folks that it is not reported the right way and afni keeps filing that is is correct but now it seems that the account open date is 2003 on transition and 2001 on the others. I was instructed by my BK attorney not to pay any pre BK debts to refer them to his office after the court hearing. But I was never contacted by these folks ever that I recall until now or in the last year. this debt is over 7 years old and it seems that AFNI is rolling it forward so they can keep it listed in my credit report more then the allowed time.
March 19, 2007
AFNI recently contacted me re: a telephone collection account for GTE. Luckily I had documentation to support my defense, BUT how many people actually hold on to documents over 4-8 years? Attempted to collect on a closed & paid account and even if it were not paid, the debt was 8-9 years ago!
March 2, 2007
I recently received a bogus Alltel bill from Afni, Inc and called to see why I had received the letter. The person was professional but I keep telling him I never lived here in SC until 2001 and not at the address at the so called time the account was opened. He did tell me to go file a police report and I had to prove to them that I in fact was not living in SC at the time the original account was opened. I ask for clarification and he could not give me the correct details. I then ask for any information I needed to ensure he was not a scam artist. He did give me my ss# and former address which is scary. I immediately went to www.ripoff.com and read a lot of new instances where they have sent bogus invoices to people hoping they pay them. I plan to send them a letter stating that I have never been a client of Alltel and I am disputing the charges since my account has been with AT&T/Suncom for more than 10 years. I refuse to pay and will report them to every agency I can think of to stop this kind of scam. I have been reading your site info and like what I see. Thanks!
February 7, 2007
Anyone having dealings with AFNI, "Anderson Financial Network, Inc" of 404 Brock Dr Bloomington, IL might want to check your credit report. I checked mine and found that they illegally changed the date of last activity on my report. I am going to talk with a NACA attorney about this. If they aren't interested, the attorneys at www.myfaircredit.com might be.
February 2, 2007
Well after reading here about AFNI I realized something has to be done about these scammers, Upon financing my house in 07', my mortgage lender called me and said I have an unpaid derogatory acct on my report from AFNI. from Charter communication. A call to AFNI told me it was from 1988 to 2003, in Oregon. I haven’t lived in Oregon since 1997, and had never heard of Charter. I was told that the acct opened in 1988 and disconnected in 1989 with a $300 dollar balance. They said they could not send me a copy of the bill since they sold it to AFNI. But with some determination I found someone from charter that did. Now AFNI wants to see it stating that they are receiving wrong info from charter, it’s still an ongoing battle even though it is a time barred bill. After buying two homes since 1989. It just now shows up on my credit reports in 2007 wow!!. Next step is to hire an attorney which i will.. A big scam is going on in America with the American people what do we do???
January 12, 2007
It seems that LOTS of people are getting collection notices from AFNI on bogus Verizon paper. Almost makes one wonder if maybe Boyajian dumped his fake Verizon "debts" (the ones that he tried to collect on dated years before Verizon existed) on this other bottom feeder, because the complaints almost mirror the Boyajian ones.
January 12, 2007
After being laid off twice within 18
months, I am not new to collection agencies, unfortunately.
However, I have made every effort to pay what I owe and make
things right with creditors who have loaned me money or
provided me some sort of service. With that said, I have
also learned what it is to have to deal with a 'crooked'
collection agency.
I had LOCAL residential service from Verizon and they sent
me a final bill for $848. How does one run up a local (no
long distance) residential phone bill so high ? That's
correct, it's not possible. I have contacted Verizon over
and over again asking and demanding that they justify the
charges and send me itemized invoices but all they send me
are a stack of bills that show figures and not what the
figures are for so of course I refuse to pay them.
At any rate, they apparently sold the account to IC Systems
(which we are already familiar with). I send them a letter
demanding they verify that the charges are valid (which they
cannot) and I hear nothing else from them (for now, anyway).
Now I receive a letter from Afni (the lower case is on their
invoice) demanding $1994.37. How do they go from $848 to
$1994.37 ?!? (Interest, fees, made
up numbers.) I have prepared another letter for
these people and am sending it off certified mail and from
reading post's made here, I am fairly certain that Verizon
will find yet another collection agency to attempt to go
after this invalid debt. Oh, I am also going to write the
FTC a note and let them know what Afni is up to. I am 99.9%
certain that is an illegal amount to even try to collect.