Posts tagged as:

abuse

The New Debtors’ Prison

October 21, 2009

Debtors’ prison was supposedly eliminated in the United States in the 19th century, but in the 21st, people are still being arrested and tossed into jail for debts. It just takes an extra step these days.
This morning, I sat in court and watched a debt collector get six bench warrants for debts under $1,000. I [...]

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Debt Collection Abuse on Display

August 20, 2009

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo sues some of the most abusive debt collectors. The first consumer did not even owe the debt, but ended up paying $900 just to make the abuse stop!
Embedded video from CNN Video
This kind of behavior is why the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act exists. If you are getting calls [...]

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Debt collector to pay $32,000 under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

July 14, 2009

Minnesota debt buyer and collector Debt Equities, LLC, must pay nearly $32,000 to resolve a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuit in Minnesota. Earlier this year, Debt Equities offered judgment for $15,000 (PDF). Just today, Magistrate Judge Keyes ordered Debt Equities to pay an additional $16,700.42 as attorney fees and costs (PDF).
Judge Keyes also said [...]

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Consumer loan defaults still rising, will probably lead to more abuse of consumers

July 7, 2009

More consumers are falling behind in their bills. 6.6% of all credit cards are more than 30 days late, and delinquencies tracked by the American Bankers Association are the highest since it began tracking them in 1974.
The rise in defaults—which is really not news, at this point—will inevitably lead to an increase in debt collection [...]

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NY AG shuts down a particularly abusive debt collector

June 24, 2009

How would you like to get a call like this, just because you are behind on your credit cards?
“Hello, this is Investigator Brook Carlson from the Warrant Division. This is the last time I am going to attempt to contact you,” the caller said in one message. “We have left this message numerous times, and [...]

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Rebalancing justice scales: New attention to old law helps consumers fight unfair debt-collection practices

May 14, 2009

Rebalancing justice scales: New attention to old law helps consumers fight unfair debt-collection practices | MinnPost

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Mann Bracken under fire in Atlanta

April 30, 2009

Update: Mann Bracken may be out of business.
Mann Bracken has been sued over 100 times in the last five years, giving the lie to partner William Bracken III’s claims that they do not tolerate harassing conduct.
Click the picture above for Atlanta news station WSBTV’s investigative report into Mann Bracken’s collection practices.
Consumers Accuse Law Firm Of [...]

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Debt collector sued for hounding sick child

March 4, 2009

Debt collector sued for hounding sick child | Reading Tea Leaves

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I’m going to collect the money from you dead or alive, says debt collector

March 4, 2009

I’m going to collect the money from you dead or alive, says debt collector | Examiner

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Friday link roundup

November 14, 2008

If I am posting less than you would like, it is because I am busy working for my clients. Here are the links I haven’t had the time to comment on from the last week or two:

What’s Worse Than Inflation? Deflation. | Consumerist
The Wall of Debt (Financial Voyeurism) | StopBuyingCrap.com
Terrific Online Saving Sites | Terri’s [...]

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US National Bank trying to collect paid-off payday loans

October 16, 2008

According to Consumerist, based on a thread at the DebtConsolidationCare forums, US National Bank somehow acquired a bunch of paid-off payday loan accounts and is trying to collect on them. And their threats are apparently working. The poster on DCC paid them $300 to avoid trouble—including the three felony counts he was threatened with.
If you [...]

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RIAA and 5 years of filesharing lawsuits

September 23, 2008

David Kravets over at Wired Blog Network’s Threat Level has a great piece on the travesty of abuse that is the RIAA’s campaign to go after illicit music downloads. Its been 5 years, with over 30,000 lawsuits filed and one jury trial victory that is likely to be reversed.
The real problem with the whole mess [...]

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What to do when a debt collector calls

August 15, 2008

Getting a phone call from a debt collector can be very upsetting. Often, they ask for more money than you think you owe or call about a debt you may not remember. But whether or not you owe the debt, there are a few important steps you need to take to make sure you protect [...]

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Stop debt collector calls with the TeleZapper

August 14, 2008

If you are getting phone calls from a debt collector, you should tell them, in writing, that you do not want them calling you. If that does not work, and just want them to stop, the TeleZapper should do the trick.
Most collection agencies use automatic—also called predictive—dialers. In other words, the collector sits at a [...]

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Medical debts are covered by the FDCPA, too

August 12, 2008

Although we spend a lot of time on debt collection and credit cards, more consumers are experiencing problems with medical debt than anything else. In fact, some consumers’ credit card debt may be linked to medical bills, as well. The fact that so many Americans cannot afford healthcare is a political problem, but debt collectors [...]

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Man Sets Himself On Fire At Rent-A-Center After Receiving Too Many Late Payment Notices

July 30, 2008

Man Sets Himself On Fire At Rent-A-Center After Receiving Too Many Late Payment Notices | Consumerist

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Olympus phone recording device makes it easy to record phone calls

July 25, 2008

The Olympus TP-7 Telephone Recording Device (clever name, eh?) is probably the easiest way to record phone calls (from an abusive debt collector, for example) that I have seen. You stick it in your ear, plug it into a recorder, hold your phone normally up against your ear with the earbud in it, and it [...]

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Your landlord could be worse

July 9, 2008

The Macys, a San Francisco couple, bought a million-dollar, six-unit apartment building in San Francisco, and decided to move out all the tenants and raise the rents (this is, of course, illegal in SF, but the Macys are not the sort of people who worry about legalities).
When the tenants fought the eviction notices, the Macys [...]

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Debt collectors on the rampage

July 7, 2008

“More consumers are finding themselves the target of aggressive agents who don’t always play by the rules. Here’s what you need to know.” Debt collectors on the rampage | CNN

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Pete Barry on Fox Morning Show

July 3, 2008
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