Collection Scam
Complaint
Samantha
Country: United States
Local US Pages contacted our roofing company by phone claiming that we owed them money for 2 years of online telephone directory advertising. We were immediately suspicious because we have this type of advertising with 2 companies and they were not named Local US Pages and both of the companies had required money up front for the advertising. It seemed implausible that a company would provide us with advertising for 2 years and never send us a bill during that time and only now be trying to collect. We told them so and asked for proof of a contract with them, as well as proof that we had received advertising from them. They never did so. We then received a letter in the mail dated 3/29/2012 from ACA Recovery, Inc. purporting to be a debt collection company attempting to collect $$774.95 for their client, Local US Pages. I called them and again reiterated my request for proof. They claimed to have a recording of us on the phone agreeing to the advertising, but when pushed to provide it, they became belligerent and hung up on me. I then googled the companies and their phone number and found several web sites like this with numerous similar complaints by other companies, including several churches, that this company has tried to scam. Although we did not fall victim to this scam, I am concerned that some companies will, so I filled out complaints with my state's Attorney General office, the FTC Bureau of Consumer Complaints and the BBB. Someone wise once said that the "only thing required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing". So please take the time and stop this scam by contacting these government agencies!
Comments
That is common business practice with legitimate companies.
"They claimed to have a recording of us on the phone agreeing to the advertising, but when pushed to provide it, they became belligerent and hung up on me. "
They can't produce it until they fabricate it. They have a history of complaints reporting they doctor or fabricate their recordings.
"We then received a letter in the mail dated 3/29/2012 from ACA Recovery, Inc. purporting to be a debt collection company attempting to collect $$774.95 for their client,"
ACA Recovery is in partnership with various fraudulent "business directory" scams. They have so many complaints it's clear they are fully aware they are collecting on fraudulent "accounts". They just sent you a fraudulent invoice for unordered services through the U.S. Mail, which is in violation of U.S. postal regulations.
"I filled out complaints with my state's Attorney General office, the FTC Bureau of Consumer Complaints and the BBB."
File a fraud complaint with the New Jersey Attorney General. In addition, file a mail fraud complaint against ACA Recovery with the U.S. Postal Inspector.
Remember, in every call they make, they lie.
They are fraudulent telemarketers, with a history of lying, as well as faking or doctoring phone recordings, and sending fraudulent "invoices". This type of fraud has been going on for years, from call centers in Montreal Canada (and at least one in Pakistan).
There is also a debt collector in New Jersey, ACA Recovery, that appears to specialize in the collection of these fraudulent accounts.
File fraud complaints with FTC, your state Attorney General, and at www.ic3.gov
If you receive any fraudulent invoice through the mail, file a mail fraud complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspector.
Report any threats to the above authorities.
If you receive any fraudulent invoice through the mail, file a mail fraud complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspector.
The FTC is aware of them and ACA Recovery, Inc.
If you receive any fraudulent invoice through the mail, file a mail fraud complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspector.
I worked for collection agencies many yrs ago and you cant blame them....they get accounts and they try to collect. As long as they stop calling after you dispute your prob is w the client not them.
They have been running this little "con" on behalf of their fraudulent "directory" clients for years.
FTC even nailed a couple, and they still kept "collecting" for them anyway. No way they don't know what's up. Not much point in taking it up with the "client", either, hiding in Canada, Pakistan, or wherever, (or are they just "ACA" themselves?) and periodically making up new names, while using U.S. mail drops to look like some U.S. "company".
If true, you may be one of the few people disputing one of their fraudulent "accounts" who reportedly got this type of response. Rather incredible.
At least 2 possibilities:
1) They just got a federal or state court "gun" pointed at their heads, or
2) You work for them.
That makes it worth a search. If (1) is correct, we should see some FTC action in the next several weeks.
Don't see anything on the FTC site.
Wonder if it's one of these fake "business accounts", or are they still doing the "payday loan bounced check" game?
http://www.justice.gov/usao/nj/contact.html