My knowledge of some of the most unscrupulous collection agencies came as a result of an identity theft situation. Years ago, my purse, car and brief case were stolen and the events which have transpired over the years are mind boggling. After filing various notices on my credit files and there are three of them, I thought my worries were over. I was able to finally get a copy of a police report which in the State of New York is not as easy as you may think. Ultimately, I filed a complaint with the Federal Communication Commission consumers’ division which may have helped some, but not completely.
So, after all of these years come a host of unscrupulous third and fourth party collection agencies, who without knowing your name will call and try to collect a debt that has already been removed from your credit file or disputed due to the stolen identification. I recently viewed a prime time special wherein a federal judge picked up his phone one day and it was Allied Interstate Collection Agency. The judge told them he did not owe them any money, but they continued harassing him on the phone and otherwise which forced the judge to do something judge-like. Unfortunately, for most the remedy might not be as swift.
As it unfolds, Allied Interstate and other collection agencies buy old collection accounts for pennies and then it is hit and miss to collect money which may or most of the time is not due. Half the time they do not know who is on the phone and most of the time they have no clue if the debt is valid or not. It is simply telemarketing, some use voice activated recordings, some have live people who fish around until they figure out who they are talking to. Some threaten the public. Others use a variety of annoying phone calls at all times of the day or night to simply bother the person.
The good news for consumers is that some Attorney General’s offices in the United States are taking action against Allied Interstate Collection Agency and other agencies that operate on the edge of the law. In recent years the Minnesota Attorney General’s office brought lawsuits against Allied Interstate and JBC & Associates for engaging in unlawful collection agency practices.
Specifically, Unlawful Threats to Sue on Time-Barred debts, Failure to Provide Notice, False Pretenses, False Representation, and other fraud like actions by these collection agencies. For an overview of possible violations by these agencies you can look at the Minnesota Attorney General’s information page on Allied Interstate.
Most states do have an Office of Consumer Affairs. Some of these consumer advocates have staff to handle complaints. Usually, a complaint will be reviewed by the department and then referred to an investigator for further evaluation. Most attorney general’s offices do have the authority to bring suits for unlawful collection agency activity, but it depends on the state law for your state.
In reviewing various sources on the internet I located a community help service for people harassed by Allied Interstate. The community has various links to information about this collection agency and allows the public to ask questions. The community will not be able to do any legal service for you and I do not know if all the information is true, but it is informative and appears to be supportive. The forum is concerned with collection agencies and it is called ourcommunitypower.org.
