Bogus letter received 04/06/09
Complaint
Barbara Carter
Country: United States
Received a letter that stated, I owed $375.89 for a debt to New York Life something. The letter stated that they understood about the hard times with the economy and that they would settle for the amount of $150.63 to clear this debt. Now, I know I have not left any debt unpaid for the last 12 years, and I have never had a debt with a company called New York Life..... I called the number on the letter, and the first thing the women asked for after my full name was my social security number. There was no way I was going to give a complete stranger my SS# over the phone, so my husband and I got angry "called their company crooked" and hung up the phone.
This is an outrage!!!! I can not beleive there are legitimate companies that can get away with these kinds of scams. If we see another letter from this company we will take legal actions.
This is an outrage!!!! I can not beleive there are legitimate companies that can get away with these kinds of scams. If we see another letter from this company we will take legal actions.
Comments
https://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/GrdZIw-LPgA6ZgjLXoXHXQ
https://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/3E0_QljBTQCseQjKeTMQaw
There are a number of sleazy debt collectors who buy old debts and then attempt to turn them into money by sending out threatening letters to anyone they can locate who might have a similar name. This may reault in irresponsible harassment and credit damage even to people who do not owe the alleged debt.
These debts may be so old they cannot be reported or even past SOL to sue, often purchased for pennies on the dollar, and they don't want to spend a lot to locate the debtor who might actually owe it, if it is even legitimate. They often don't even buy the documentation from the original creditor when they buy the "debt". Instead, they send out letters to any name and address they can get a similar match to from various databases, often showing it "discounted" to try to induce payments from people just to avoid the nuisance.
Warning: They may place a collection account on your credit reports, even if it is past the 7 year legally allowed reporting period, or even if you don't owe this debt. If you pay a debt you do not owe, your might find it more difficult to remove such an erroneously reported debt, or to collect damages due to their actions, since they will then claim you "acknowledged" you owed it.
Even if they are offering to "settle" this for less than what they claim is the full amount, if they post a "settled collection account" on your credit report, it is as damaging to your credit score as an unpaid collection account. You might even find yourself pursued by this or another debt collector for the rest of the debt, even if past SOL, since they might claim your payment reset the SOL.
You would be wise to send them a letter disputing the alleged debt and demanding that they send you proof that you owe it. Send your letter certified return receipt requested, so you have proof that it was mailed within 30 days of receiving their collection letter, and when it was received, to invoke protections under FDCPA. If you send them a validation request within 30 days of receiving their first collection letter, which should have notified you of your right to request validation, they are prohibited from engaging in continued collection activity until they obtain from the original creditor and send you proof of the debt.
See FDCPA on the FTC.gov site.
Most of the complaints are that this company is attempting to collect on debts not owed, on accounts that consumers claim they never had, with companies they never did business with.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/searchresults.asp?q5=northland+group&Search=Search&q1=ALL&q4=&q6=&q3=&q2=&q7=&searchtype=0&submit2=Search%21