Posts tagged as:

harassment

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 Collectors and Wrong Numbers: How to Handle a Case of Mistaken Identity

August 5, 2009

Debt collection is something that everyone has to deal with. Case in point: a debt collector once left a message on my mom’s answering machine, where I had not lived for eleven years. My credit report was squeaky clean—I checked—but apparently there is another Sam Glover out there with worse luck.
Whenever you get a message [...]

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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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New York Couple Harassed by Creditors Trying to Collect Debt Their Dead Son Owed

January 16, 2009

N.B., this would not be a “small claim” by any stretch of the imagination. New York Couple Harassed by Creditors Trying to Collect Debt Their Dead Son Owed | Fox News (via Consumerist)

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Nationwide Debt Collector Will Pay $2.25 Million to Settle FTC Charges

November 21, 2008

“Academy Collection Service, Inc. and its owner, Keith Dickstein, have agreed to pay $2.25 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that Academy and its collectors misled, threatened, and harassed consumers; disclosed their debts to third parties; and deposited postdated checks early, in violation of federal law.” Nationwide Debt Collector Will Pay $2.25 Million to [...]

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Debt Collector Charged as Fake Cop

November 19, 2008

Debt Collector Charged as Fake Cop | WSB Radio

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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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Stop debt collection harassment

September 18, 2008

This blog has a lot of great information for consumers dealing with debt collection harassment. Here is a roundup of some of the best posts for consumers coping with debt collection:

What to do when a debt collector calls
Stop debt collector calls with the TeleZapper
Debt collection complaints going up; what to do if you get a [...]

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Debt collection harassment in the news

September 8, 2008

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Featuring Buffalo, NY, consumer lawyer Ken Hiller.

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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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