Stop The Calls Fast

A favorite ploy of old debt buyers is the production of notarized affidavits when they sue or attempt to validate your alleged account. Within the affidavit they claim to have knowledge of the account and to be in possession of the documents which prove their statements to be truthful. There is only one problem with their scam–they never produce any documents or proof and are hoping that you will not challenge the veracity of their claims.

I have never seen any strategy more deceptive and fraudulent than what these clowns try to pull off as legitimate. They have their own employee swear that he or she knows the circumstances of the account without any documentation and then have the “chutzpah” to file this document with their court papers when they sue. Of course any judge with a brain throws this stuff right out.  So the word is watch out for phony affidavits.

Here is a list with contact information of the worst offenders who employ the use of phony affidavits with regularity:

Academy Collections
10965 Decatur Road, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19156
Phone: (800) 220-0605   Fax: (215) 281-7512

Account Management Services
10965 Decatur Road, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19156
Phone: (800) 220-0605, Fax: (215) 281-7512
65 Great Arrow Ave.. Buffalo, NY 14216
Phone: 716-874-8348    Fax: 716-447-8059

aka Account Management Services Of North America, LLC
aka Account Management Services Of New York, LLC
aka Account Management Services Of Western New York, LLC
aka Account Management Services Rochester LLC
aka Account Management Services, LLC

Account Solutions Group
205 Bryant Woods South, Amherst, New York 14228
Phone: (800) 741-8860   Fax: (716) 564-4440

Alegis Group, LP/Sherman Financial Group
260 E. Wentworth Ave., West St. Paul, MN, 55118
Bank of America Building, 200 Meeting St., Suite #206,
Charleston, SC 29401-3187
15 South Main Street, #600, Greenville, SC 29601
Phone: 888-665-0374   864-678-8421   877-264-5884
Fax:     888-546-7697   864-370-4998

aka LVNV Funding, LLC; aka Sherman Financial Group, LLC;
aka Ventus Capital Services; aka Performance Recovery Group;
aka Receivables Management Solutions
dba Resurgent Capital Services, LP; dba Alegis Group, LLC
fka Sherman Acquisitions

AFNI, Inc.; fka/Anderson Financial Network, Inc.
404 Brock Drive, Bloomington, IL 61701
Phone: 866-633-4384  309-828-5226   800-767-2364  888-338-2364
Fax: 877-435-8073    309 828-0931

Alliance One, Inc.
4850 Street Road, Level C
Trevose, PA 19053
Phone: (484) 531-5000    Fax: (484) 531-5057

AMO Recoveries
1825 Barrett Lakes Blvd., Ste 250
Kennesaw, Georgia 30144
Phone: (770) 825-8032  Fax: (770) 825-8040

aka / Asset Management Outsourcing Recoveries, Inc. AZ Corp
fka / Nationwide Recovery Service, Inc.

Arrow Financial Services
5996 W. Touhy Avenue, Niles, Illinois 60714
Phone: (847) 557-1100  Fax: (847) 647-1215

Asset Acceptance Corporation
28405 Van Dyke Avenue, Warren, Michigan 48092
Phone: (586) 446-7818    Fax: (586) 846-7837

Allied Interstate, Inc.
435 Ford Rd. #800, Minneapolis, MN 55426-1066
Phone: (952) 546-6600    Fax: (952) 595-2311

Attention, L.L.C.
2812 Spring Road #250, Atlanta, Georgia 30339
Phone: (877) 623-4892  Fax: (678) 924-3336

The Bureaus, Inc.
1717 Central Street, Evanston, Illinois 60201
Phone: (847) 328-4300    Fax: (847) 328-4151

Collect America aka CACV aka CACH, LLC
370 17th Street, Suite 5000, Denver, CO 80202-3050
Phone: (303) 296-3345    Fax: (215) 281-7522

Cavalry Portfolio Services, LLC
4050 Cotton Ctr Blvd, Phoenix, Arizona 85040
Phone: (602) 667-0128    Fax: (602) 667-0686

eCast Settlement
383 Madison Ave 10th Fl, New York, New York 10179
Phone:  none    Fax:  none

ER Solutions
500 SW 7th St #A-100, Renton, Washington 98057
Phone:  none    Fax:  none

Financial Credit Services aka/Portfolio Exchange
627 W Colonial Pkwy, Palatine, IL 60067
Phone: 847-963-1200    800-706-3401  Fax: 847-991-3462

GC Services
6330 Gulfton, Houston, TX 77081
Phone: (713) 777-4441    Fax: (713) 776-6689

MRS Associates, Inc.
3 Executive Campus, #400, Cherry Hill, New Jersey 08002
Phone:  none    Fax:  none

Moore, Gerald E. & Associates
2253 Northwest Pkwy #300B, Marietta, Georgia 31139
Phone: (678) 385-5340    Fax: (678) 385-5350

2221 New Market Parkway, Suite 115, Marietta, GA 30067
Phone:  (800) 466-1505    Fax:  (678) 385-5343

NCO Financial Systems
507 Prudential Rd, Horsham, PA 19044-2308
Phone: (215) 441-3000    Fax: (215) 441-3923

aka OSI / Outsourcing Solutions Inc.
aka OSI Collection Services Inc.
200 S Executive Dr, Brookfield, WI 53005-4216
Phone: (262) 784-9035    Fax: (262) 787-7429

Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC
120 Corporate Blvd., Norfolk VA 23502
Mailing address: PO Box 12914 Norfolk VA 23541
Phone: (800) 772-1413    Fax: (757) 321 2504

Scherr, Harold E., Attorney
300 Primera Blvd #356, Lake Mary, Florida 32746
Phone: (407) 786-4244  Fax: (407) 595-3100 or (407) 786-2993

The Credit Store
3401 N. Louise Ave., Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57107
Phone:  none    Fax:  none

Unifund Group
10625 Techwoods Circle, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242
Phone:  none    Fax:  none

Westmoreland Agency/Capital One Bank
1011 West Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23285
Phone:  none    Fax:  none

Wolpoff & Abramson
702 King Farm Blvd. Ste 500, Rockville, MD 20850-5775
Phone: (240) 386-3000    800-850-0948    800-303-0930
800-678-7720    800-365-6584    888-200-4417
Fax: (240) 386-3822   240-386-3823

Worldwide Asset Purchasing, LLC
2 Ravina Drive, #1750, Atlanta, Georgia 30308
Phone:  none    Fax:  none

Last March , Chris Hansen of Dateline NBC reported on the what
goes on in the debt collection industry.
Any reader of this blog should definitely
invest the time and watch this expose.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29881849/

Most of us are familiar with the the term “The Perfect Storm”. While

doing some legal research last week I tripped over a list of those

collection agencies who are filing thousands of law suits against consumers .

In many cases the debts they are attempting to collect are well beyond

what is legally still collectible in the states where these people live.

Presently there are well over 160,000 of  these lawsuits clogging

court dockets throughout the country.

Here is the list I have researched. If you receive a letter

from any of these parties you should get ready for battle or better

yet please go here and take the first step towards reclaiming your life.

Be assured that any of the entities listed below will sue you.

You need either my help or if you wish go to the National

Association of Consumer Advocates. www.naca.net

Unistates Credit Agency

First American Investment Co.

Unifund CCR, Partners

Unifund Corp

National Check Bureau

Meridian Management Solutions

Brachfield Associates

California Meridian Management Solutions, LLC

The Minority Legal Network

Midland Credit Management, Inc.

Mann Bracken

Wolpoff & Abramson

NCO Financial Systems, Inc.

LVNV Funding

Resurgent Capital Services

Sherman Acquisitions, LP, II, III

Alegis Corporation, Group, LP

Sherman Financial Group, LLC

Ventus Capital Services

Performance Recovery Group

Ascent Card Services, FNBM

Coastal Asset Management Group

Capital Recovery Services

Worldwide Recoveries, LLC

Shekinah,Inc.

Frederick J. Hanna & Associates

Asset Acceptance Capital Corporation, LLC

Collect America, Ltd

CACV of Colorado

Scott Lowery Law Offices

Astrum Financial, LLC

Autus, LLC,

Argentum Resources, LLC

CA Internet Marketing, LLC,

Candeo, LLC,

Guardian Financial Corp.,

Healthcare Funding Solutions, LLC

Impulse Marketing, LLC,

Orsa, LLC

Refinance America, Ltd.,

Valesco Data Services, LLC

CBCS

Windham Professionals

Worldwide Asset Purchasing

Van Ru Credit Corporation

The article below is courtesy of the Boston Globe. What I teach in my self help system helps people to avoid and counter the abuses discussed in this article.

Debtors don’t have to tolerate bad collectors

By Michelle Singletary | January 14, 2010

The Federal Trade Commission has just wrapped up a case that should send shivers down the spines of managers working in the debt-collection industry. You know, the same shivers that many consumers get when they receive calls from intimidating bill collectors.

In 2008, a Pennsylvania-based collection company – Academy Collection Service Inc. – and its owner paid $2.25 million to settle FTC charges its employees violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. It was the largest civil penalty ever imposed on a debt-collection business. Recently, the FTC said it had entered into a settlement with the two remaining individual defendants who worked at Academy. The agency accused the supervisors of participating with, or having the authority to control, collectors who allegedly misled, threatened, and harassed consumers; disclosed their debts to third parties; and deposited postdated checks early, all in violation of federal law.

Neither the company nor the managers admitted guilt. No one from the company returned calls for comment.

“The FTC wants to remind debt collectors of their responsibilities and obligations under the law,’’ said David Vladeck, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Under the terms of the FTC settlement, two senior managers, who oversaw Academy’s Las Vegas collection center, were ordered to pay penalties of $375,000 and $300,000.

The fines have been reduced to $7,500, based on the financial situations of the managers. It’s dreadfully ironic that the managers get a big break on their debt after their company was accused of harassing debtors. I wish the larger fines hadn’t been reduced. This would have been a better example to the industry. These individuals would then understand how it feels to be a hounded debtor.

The FTC charged that Academy employees, in violation of federal law, were disclosing to consumers’ parents, children, employers, co-workers, and neighbors that they had unpaid debt. Individuals were also being called on their jobs even though collectors were told that the debtors’ employers prohibited such practices.

The FTC also said that Academy was making unauthorized withdrawals from consumers’ bank accounts and that collectors threatened consumers with violence.

The company’s internal compliance program sometimes caught collectors violating the law but allowed employees with multiple violations to go unpunished, the FTC charged. Even when workers were terminated for violations, the company rehired the same collectors within a few weeks or months, the FTC complaint said.

Although there are plenty of responsible debt collection firms, the Government Accountability Office has called for change to the law that covers how companies collect debt. The rise in credit card delinquencies and charge-offs that has accompanied the economic recession has focused new attention on the practices of creditors and third-party companies in collecting delinquent credit card debt, the GAO said.

The FTC has been evaluating whether there is a need to update the debt collection act. For example, the agency is proposing that when a debt collector contacts a consumer, the name of the original creditor and a breakdown of the debt owed, including the original principal, total interest, and total fees, must be disclosed.

While we wait for Congress to act, there is something you can do if you’re a debtor – know what your rights are.

You can find more information at www.ftc.gov/moneymatters.

Michelle Singletary writes The Color of Money for The Washington Post.