I worked there
Complaint
nonamedebtcollector
Country: United States
DO NOT PAY THESE PEOPLE!!! I took a job with them in Kansas and in order to keep my job we had to use practices that were bordering on illegal and I believe that some of it was illegal. I worked for a debt collection agency that followed the Fair Debt Collection Protection Act and telling people that they are paralegals investigators and using aliases is illegal and deceptive and against fdcpa. I refused to use their practices and when I didn't collect 10,000.00 dollars worth of debt in my first month I was fired. I believe that they are buying bad debt. It's resale debt, debt been collected, and I believe some medical that is medicare and medicade fraud. I am trying to figure out a way to stop this.
Comments
Good luck with that.
The very reason to be in 3rd party collections in the first place is to make money. The vast majority of 'money' out there is uncollectible debt: debt that is past its expiration date, debt that has been discharged with a bankruptcy, debt that was settled after it went into collections with the original lender. I've done a lot of work, data base management and such, for many banks and it is common practice for the original lender (the bank) to hold on to very old debt, only 'renting' it out to an assignee occasionally. If it's not collectible, it's illegal to sell it. (Do I have to go into the 'liberal' interpretation of 'Assignee' when the debt collector and original creditor get caught trading in illegal debt portfolios?) And, even though the original creditor can't take legal action on debt that is past its prime, it can still, legally contact the debtor and ask for payment. And, if the debtor tells the original creditor not to call, the original creditor is limited to writing letters. Some of the debts that I collated into Excel spread sheets and Access data bases and graphs were in excess of 30 years old yet it remained in the original creditors' 'corporate memory.'
If you're a 3rd party collector and looking to make a buck, the philosophy is to 'buy low' and 'sell high.' Buying low always means buying what shouldn't be for sale in the first place - those debts that cannot be legally sold such as the 30+ year old debt that I mentioned above. But, we all know how that goes. A wink and a nod later, for cents on the dollar, uncollectible debt is in the hands of people who very often couldn't pass a bonding check themselves! So, if you've got a bundle of illegal debt, you have to use illegal means to collect which might help to explain the inordinate numbers of ex-cons, parolees, outlaw biker types that flock to the 3rd party debt collection market. What you've outlined for your job description doesn't surprise me at all. And, as long as original creditors aren't subject to the sort of due-diligence scrutiny that would expose such shoddy 'debt trading,' I don't see an end to this anytime soon. In fact, I'd say that the only way to end this is to end 3rd party collections in its entirety.
In my opinion, the only good 3rd party debt collector is an out of business one.
If you uncovered a pattern of illicit Medicare copayment "debt" in your collection portfolios, contact Medicare.
The DOJ can prosecute the perpetrators under Federal law.
Call
1-877-FTC-HELP
Website
www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov
Better Business Bureau
http://www.bbb.org/centralohio/business-revie ... us-oh-70086351/
Ask them for a letter to validate the debt. I bet they become belligerent with you out of frustration. Read the BBB complaints for a laugh. The person replying on behalf of the business comes across as a delusional psychopath. Read the FDCPA. I found it online. Maybe this company doesn't have a copy?
"Psychopath" is so last decade.
It's "antisocial personality disorder".
"...
DSM-IV-TR
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM IV-TR), defines antisocial personality disorder (in Axis II Cluster B) as:[1]
A) There is a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others occurring since age 15 years, as indicated by three or more of the following:
1.failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest;
2.deception, as indicated by repeatedly lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure;
3.impulsiveness or failure to plan ahead;
4.irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults;
5.reckless disregard for safety of self or others;
6.consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations;
7.lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another;
B) The individual is at least age 18 years.
C) There is evidence of conduct disorder with onset before age 15 years.
D) The occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the course of schizophrenia or a manic episode.
..."
You give the collection industry a bad name. You are the lowest of the low and everyone knows what a miserable person you actually are. People don't respect you, they despise you.
Sucking as a collector just means you get to do something worth doing.
You have the rest of your life ahead of you.