Hackensack law firm Forster, Garbus & Garbus has agreed to pay $35,000 to settle claims that it filed hundreds of debt collection suits against consumers without individual attorney review. The firm allegedly violated the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. 1692e(3), by giving a false impression that an attorney was involved in the…
Collection Calls are always a nuisance, but they are even more annoying when they involve a debt that is too old to be collected through a lawsuit. These old debts are the ones where the statute of limitations has long since passed, making them “stale debts” as the biz refers to them. Such debt is…
It may be time to score one for the little guys. The largest purchaser of consumer debts in the United States, Encore Capital Group, is under investigation by regulatory authorities in North Carolina. A recent securities filing by the San Diego-based company revealed that the North Carolina Department of Justice “issued an investigative demand…to produce…
Debt collectors have been known to use various techniques to secure payment, some of which violated the Fair Debt Collection practices act (FDPCA). This can include pestering debtors, their friends, relatives and co-workers with calls at inappropriate times and places. In other cases, debt collections for debts of the dead, can rise from the grave…
A NJ man recently received phone calls from someone claiming to be a debt collector. As it turns out, he paid his loan back months ago but the phony collection calls still tried to scam him out of hundreds of dollars. He’s telling his story to warn others of the threatening calls and collection harassment…
Debt Collectors can be nasty and have earned their reputation for not being easy to deal with. It is easier it seems to avoid them altogether, hoping that the problem will go away on its own. Unfortunately, collection agencies have a hard time giving up. They know they are supposed to work within the rules…
Any type of debt harassment is a pain. But what about debts that have literally risen from the dead? Zombie debt is a debt that is old and often forgotten, or is a settled debt being brought back by a creditor or a collection agency claiming that it has no record of payment. Old debt…
Graduation season is upon us. On campuses around the country the sights of robes and graduation caps, the sounds of “Pomp and Circumstance,” and the photos of loved ones celebrating the day fill the senses of graduates, friends, and families as one chapter comes to an end and they embark on a new one. Unfortunately,…
Beginning on July 21, the debt collection industry will be monitored closely by two regulatory agencies– the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) and the newly formed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The FTC has been around for many years but the CFPB was created to reform the financial industry and better protect consumers, resolve widespread consumer…
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleges that debt collection agency, West Asset Management, violated the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) on multiple occasions, leading to thousands of consumer complaints. Century Negotiations President Amy Michalo-Rojas urged clients, and the general public, to stay informed about these types of cases so they can recognize when a…
