I received a letter from FBCS Collections offering me a settlement on an account that has long been paid off which has been purchased by Midland Credit Management, a Junk Debt Buyer. I originally called them to get a web address so I could issue a cease and desist in the most timely manner. Having dealt with collection agencies before I knew that I needed to record the conversation with the agent, because collection agencies routinely violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
After speaking with their collector I was genuinely amused by her attempts to browbeat my into paying a debt that I do not owe and was amazed by her violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. After this call with America’s Dumbest Collection Agent I called to speak with a compliance officer and was transfered to their collection manager. He would not let me get a word in edgewise and also violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
He accused me of attempting to “shake down his company” and of baiting their simple minded collector.
Here is a short snippet of him accusing me of a “shake down” -
You will notice he used several declarations like entrapment and hearsay. Which are laudable to say the least. He also claimed that he knew how a judge will look at things. It is not a judge that Federal Bond and Collection Services needs to worry about now. It will be a jury.
She did not need to be baited to violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and with the way that their collection manager also trampled upon the FDCPA it seem to establish a pattern of abuse of collection agency laws. I don’t think any reasonable person could deduct that I baited their collector. Yes I did call them to see if they want to settle for their violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act but never even used that word in my conversation with them.
FBCS Collection Agency is very manic when it comes to collecting debts. They pull out all stops to try and intimidate people to collect nonexistent debts. I had received a letter from them regarding a Providian account that has long been paid off by my records and encountered Americas Dumbest Collection Agent.
When I called back to speak with their “Compliance Officer” I was transfered to their collection manager. After the attempted intimidation by the first agent I spoke with there i was not surprised when the manager proceeded to violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act as well. Listen to the short snippet of him violating the law.
Notice he tried to play attorney with me on the phone and advise me of the law. He also overshadowed my my validation rights and used false and misleading representations in an attempt to collect a debt which is a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
I have tried to resolve this matter amicably with Federal Bond and Collection Services amicably to no avail now it looks like I will be forced to file suit against them for their violation of federal and state laws. The good thing is that the violations by the first agent and then by her manager it shows a pattern of abuse.
If you are having the same type of problems with them, abusive collectors, I have put together a special page that you can use to Report FBCS Collection Agency to the correct authorities. It gives links to all the online forms that you can use to draw attention to their abuse.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act makes it illegal to threaten actions that they have no intention of taking. So if a collection agent refers to an out of court settlement of a debt that would imply that they have sued you. While technically any time you pay off a collection account voluntarily it is an out of court settlement but the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act uses the standard of the least sophisticated consumer. So for them touse the term “out of court settlement” without a court case being filed against you is an attempt to use deceptive means to collect a debt.
America’s Dumbest Collection Agent did exactly this when I contacted FBCS Collection Agency. She kept urging me to clear this debt legally and accept the out of court settlement. Personally I would NEVER pay a collection agency and the alleged debt that Federal Bond and Collection was attempting to collect from me has been paid. I had contacted them to resolve it and the young lady I spoke with and their collection manager both violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the national collection agency law, without letting me get in a word edgewise.
Keep checking back to keep up with FBCS Collection Agency and their illegal antics as I will be exposing them with all of the information I can find as well personal experience.
