Nearly 11,000 Georgia consumers have a new reason to rejoice. Their accounts in debt collection are going away, thanks to Attorney General Chris Carr. Recently, the AG brought charges against debt buyer, Williamson and McKevie, LLC for Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) violations. However, Carr dropped the charges in exchange for the elimination of $8.8 million in consumer debt. In fact, the accused debt collection agency must turn the accounts in question over to the attorney general. This will ensure that these debts won’t go to other debt collectors in the future. Unfortunately, not every case involving abusive debt collectors ends in debt elimination. However, Georgia consumers should know that they can stop harassment from debt collectors who violate the FDCPA.
Why Georgia Consumers Should Speak Out Against Debt Collection Agencies that Violate the FDCPA
The Georgia debt buyer, Williamson and McKevie came under fire from Attorney General Carr after it was revealed that the company engaged in illegal tactics. Specifically, these debt collectors deceived consumers with false threats of arrest and imprisonment. They also harassed Georgia debtors and discussed their debts in detail with friends, neighbors, coworkers, and family members.
So, in addition to forfeiting $8.8 million in consumer debt, Williamson and McKevie must also pay a $20,000 fine. The Consumer Protection Unit in Georgia will also subject the debt collection firm to five years of monitoring. If, during this time, the debt collectors commit FDCPA violations of any kind, the office of the attorney general will impose further penalties. Regarding the incident, Attorney General Carr stated the following.
“It is plain and simple, any debt collector that employs abusive, deceptive, and illegal tactics in Georgia will be held accountable. I appreciate our Consumer Protection Unit’s work on this matter. We will continue working to ensure that no Georgia consumer falls victim to this type of behavior in the future.”
It is important for Georgia consumers to know about this case and the attorney general’s victory over the debt collection company. It proves that, typically, when authorities find out about abusive debt collectors, they put a stop to their illegal actions. Therefore, Georgia consumers who experience debt collector harassment should speak out about violations.
How Georgia Consumers Should Deal with Abusive Debt Collection Agencies
Debt collectors must treat Georgia consumers with respect, even if these consumers owe money. Under the FDCPA, debt collection agents may not use abusive language with consumers or call them at all hours of the night and morning. Other FDCPA violations include discussing debt details with third parties and threatening consumers with actions that debt collectors can’t legally take.
If a debt collector commits an obvious FDCPA violation against you or makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, contact Credit Repair Lawyers of America. Our firm will immediately connect you with an experienced FDCPA lawyer who will do whatever it takes to stop the debt collector harassment – for free. In some cases, when we file successful actions against debt collection agencies, our clients receive damage payments.
The Free and Legal way to End Debt Collector Harassment in Georgia
Being harassed by debt collectors is bad enough. But when incorrect collections make it on to your credit reports and bring your credit score down, that’s even worse. At Credit Repair Lawyers of America, we’ve been cleaning up credit reports for consumers since 2008 for free. How do we do it? All of our fees come from the defendants in settled cases. This is why our clients pay nothing for the work we do.
Let’s start the conversation about what we can do for your credit. Set up your free consultation today by calling Attorney Gary Nitzkin at (404) 591-6680 or sending him a message through our contact page.
For more information about Free Legal Help with Debt Collector Harassment, please visit https://creditrepairlawyersam.com/stop-debt-collectors/.
