Harassing debt collectors seeking payment for “phantom debt” are becoming more common, says the FTC. Thousands of Spanish-speaking consumers were targeted by debt collectors Centro Natural Corp. and Sumore LLC, who tricked them into paying over $2 million in phantom debts. A “phantom debt” is any claim for payment which is too old to collect,…
Earlier today, ABC News reported that phony debt collectors are calling thousands of innocent people across the country, illegally threatening them with jail time and other legal action. If you follow the Credit Law Blog, you’re probably already aware that this is a direct violation of the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act). The FDCPA…
Vietnam War veteran Dana Franks of Iowa is under pressure from an Omaha, Nebraska-based debt collection firm to pay over $15,000 for a $5,000 credit card debt from 2006. The debt stems from a Capital One credit card Franks used after the passing of his wife eight years ago. While Franks would like to settle…
When Albert Nigro contacted National Grid to end electrical service to his deceased mother-in-law’s New York home, he never expected to be bombarded with automated collection calls for someone else’s debt. So how does a man wind up in the sights of a debt collector’s auto-dialer for a bill that isn’t his own? During his…
Dealing with an endless barrage of debt collection calls is one thing, but when a debt collector demands that you pay a debt, threatening legal action even though you don’t recall owing any debt to begin with? That’s something else entirely. Unfortunately, this was the reality for nearly 600,000 Americans when Kirit Patel’s company, Broadway…
In a recent article published by NJ Law Journal, it was reported that a putative class action has been filed against the largest collections firm in New Jersey, Pressler & Pressler. This news comes in the wake of a recent ruling that determined “four-seconds” is not enough time to be considered “meaningful attorney review” under…
The Obama Administration and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) are aiming to curtail predatory lending practices by expanding the protections offered to active service members and their families. These actions are intended to broaden the Military Lending Act (MLA), crushing loopholes in current statutes by allowing it to cover all forms of payday, refund…
The Pew Charitable Trusts revealed on October 2nd that today’s online payday loans are overrun with abusive and deceitful practices. In their latest entry to the Payday Lending in America series, Pew observed that online and Internet loans are more costly when compared to the loans offered by storefronts. Additionally, most online borrowers admit to…
On September 17th, 2014, a federal judge certified a class action alleging that Safeguard Properties LLC broke the law when it hung “please call” notes on the doorknob of a homeowner in an attempt to obtain a return call. Door hangers were left on the front door of Lucille Simpson five times between October 2012…
Have you been receiving pre-recorded messages or automated phone calls to your cellphone from debt collectors? It seems you’re not the only one. Last month, USCB Inc., a receivable and resource management company, agreed to a $2.75 million settlement that will be paid out to roughly 12,000 consumers in order to resolve a Telephone Consumer Protection…