The Federal Trade Commission wound down its Operation Collection Protection initiative early in 2017, but not before wrapping up a case against Commercial Recovery Systems Inc. and its owner. Operating out of Texas, but also targeting consumers in surrounding states, this agency violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act in a number of ways. Also, Arizona consumers were highly targeted. In fact, several lawsuits were filed in the state over the years against Commercial Recovery Systems, Inc. Finally, though, this abusive debt collector has been brought to justice, shut down, and fined heavily.
How this Abusive Debt Collector Violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
It makes sense that Commercial Recovery Systems Inc. (CRS) was shut down and its owner, Timothy L. Ford, was fined $2 million. According to reports from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the agency was using every shady, illegal debt collection tactic in the book to scare consumers into paying.
CRS representatives were calling consumers at all hours, using abusive language, and threatening actions that they never intended to take. These debt collectors told a lot of Arizona residents that they would be sued, their wages would be garnished, their bank accounts would be levied, or that their property was in danger of being seized if they didn’t pay up. Just Google the company’s name and you’ll see hundreds of complaints from consumers, as well as an “F” rating from the Better Business Bureau. You’ll also find that many of the people who were victimized didn’t even owe the debts they were being harassed to pay.
It’s good to know that this abusive debt collector has been forced out of business. Sadly, though, there are other unscrupulous debt collection agencies out there. Even though there are both federal and state laws (the FDCPA and the Arizona FDCPA, respectively) in place to protect consumers, some debt collectors manage to fly under the radar. After enough complaints have been filed against them, many of these abusive debt collectors will be caught. However, as an Arizona consumer, you should know your rights and how to stop debt collection harassment when it happens.
In fact, you can sue a debt collector if they:
- Call you at all hours of the night or even at certain hours of the day if they know that these times are not convenient for you to take calls;
- Use harsh or derogatory language against you;
- Contact you at work when they know that you are not allowed to take personal calls at work;
- Try to contact you if they know that you’re represented by a lawyer;
- Call family members without express permission;
- Continue to call you after you’ve sent them written notification to stop.
These are just a few of the ways in which debt collectors and collection agencies can violate your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Hopefully, there will be a day when the FTC is able to rid Arizona of abusive debt collectors for good. Until that day comes, you can at least get a FREE credit repair lawyer to help you end the harassment and possibly collect a monetary reward for damages.
The Free and Legal way to Get Better Credit
Don’t let debt collectors or collection agencies get away with harassing or abusing you. At Credit Repair Lawyers of America, we’ve stopped debt collector abuse since 2008. We make the debt collector pay you. Our services cost you nothing. How do we do it? All of our fees come from the defendants in cases that are settled. This is why our clients pay nothing for the work we do.
Let’s start the conversation about what we can do to stop debt collectors from harassing you. Call us today by calling us at (888)293-2882 or contacting us via our website.
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