AFNI FRAUD HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM
Complaint
mason
Country: United States
I got a letter JUne 22nd 2007, from AFNI COLLECTIONS stating I owed Versizon New York Inc. $212. I've NEVER even had an account with verizon!!! WHen I called Verizon they had no record of me under my name or social security number-NONE! Luckily for me I did not have a problem finding how to defend myself against these scumbags as they have done this to numerous others. You can find complaints on them from the following websites
http://www.Complaintsboard.com/
complaintwire.org
ripoffreport.com
http://public.findlaw.com
THIS IS HOW YOU HANDLE THEM
Be aware of the following. DO NOT CALL THEM !!!! They will track your phone number and harass you. Those that have called confirmed that they send a Fraud / Dispute Resolution package when you call to complain. The package arrives in about two weeks later.
IN this package AFNI requests you to include: a copy of my driver license, a copy of my Social Security Card and/or proof of citizenship (copy of birth certificate or naturalization papers), proof of residence at the time the account was established utility bill, bank statement, tax document or the like, a copy of police report or ID theft affidavit, and any other documentation that might assist AFNI investigate the claim.
They use this as a fishing expedition to gather more information on you. DO NOT CALL DO NOT SEND THEM INFORMATION!! Correspond with them via USPS ONLY and keep a record of it Return receipt requests /certified mail(which is further explain below, the instructions and form letter are below too). USPS is better because AFNI is too afraid to face federal charges for mail fraud. Please click on the links below for further information.
You can also call the credit report companies (transunion, experian and equifax) to get a free credit report and take steps to protect your credit.
I suggest reporting them to DCA (department of consumer affairs) IN YOUR STATE, State Attorney general, FTC (Federal trades commission) Dateline NBC and post this information anywhere you can to stop them.
Dont be surprised if they send a similar notice to someone in your home as well!
The information below was provided by yet another victim- I found it to be useful. GOODLUCK!
Registrant: Make this info private
Afni
404 Brock Drive
Bloomington, IL 61701
US
Domain Name: AFNICOLLECTIONS.COM
Administrative Contact :
Angelo, Alan
alanangelo@afninet.com
404 Brock Drive
Bloomington, IL 61701
US
Phone: 309-820-2918
Technical Contact :
Network Solutions, LLC.
customerservice@networksolutions.com
13861 Sunrise Valley Drive
Herndon, VA 20171
US
Phone: 1-888-642-9675
Fax: 571-434-4620
Record expires on 28-Feb-2012
Record created on 28-Feb-2002
Database last updated on 22-Jun-2006
I took a look online and found an excellent website that details how to query this. Here is the link to the form letter that you need to send Afni Inc. Once they receive this they will most likely lose interest or sell the collection on to another agency. If they break the rules you can report them to your state Attorney General, FTC and the Better Business Bureau and use the fact in small claims court :-
http://fair-debt-collection.com/Disputing_Col ... ute-letter.html
Here is the link for the procedure you need to follow to ensure you have documented proof that you have mailed the dispute letter :-
http://www.fair-debt-collection.com/Disputing ... structions.html
Here is an exert from the Form Letter :-
==========================================
Be advised that I am fully aware of my rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. For instance, I know that:
· because I have disputed this debt in writing within 30 days of receipt of your dunning notice, you must obtain verification of the debt or a copy of the judgment against me and mail these items to me at your expense;
· you cannot add interest or fees except those allowed by the original contract or state law.
· you do not have to respond to this dispute but if you do, any attempt to collect this debt without validating it, violates the FDCPA;
Also be advised that I am keeping very accurate records of all correspondence from you and your company including recording all phone calls and I will not hesitate to report violations of the law to my State Attorney General, the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau.
I have disputed this debt; therefore, until validated you know your information concerning this debt is inaccurate. Thus, if you have already reported this debt to any credit-reporting agency (CRA) or Credit Bureau (CB) then, you must immediately inform them of my dispute with this debt. Reporting information that you know to be inaccurate or failing to report information correctly violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act § 1681s-2. Should you pursue a judgment without validating this debt, I will inform the judge and request the case be dismissed based on your failure to comply with the FDCPA.
KNowledge is power- dont take any wooden nickels!!!
http://www.Complaintsboard.com/
complaintwire.org
ripoffreport.com
http://public.findlaw.com
THIS IS HOW YOU HANDLE THEM
Be aware of the following. DO NOT CALL THEM !!!! They will track your phone number and harass you. Those that have called confirmed that they send a Fraud / Dispute Resolution package when you call to complain. The package arrives in about two weeks later.
IN this package AFNI requests you to include: a copy of my driver license, a copy of my Social Security Card and/or proof of citizenship (copy of birth certificate or naturalization papers), proof of residence at the time the account was established utility bill, bank statement, tax document or the like, a copy of police report or ID theft affidavit, and any other documentation that might assist AFNI investigate the claim.
They use this as a fishing expedition to gather more information on you. DO NOT CALL DO NOT SEND THEM INFORMATION!! Correspond with them via USPS ONLY and keep a record of it Return receipt requests /certified mail(which is further explain below, the instructions and form letter are below too). USPS is better because AFNI is too afraid to face federal charges for mail fraud. Please click on the links below for further information.
You can also call the credit report companies (transunion, experian and equifax) to get a free credit report and take steps to protect your credit.
I suggest reporting them to DCA (department of consumer affairs) IN YOUR STATE, State Attorney general, FTC (Federal trades commission) Dateline NBC and post this information anywhere you can to stop them.
Dont be surprised if they send a similar notice to someone in your home as well!
The information below was provided by yet another victim- I found it to be useful. GOODLUCK!
Registrant: Make this info private
Afni
404 Brock Drive
Bloomington, IL 61701
US
Domain Name: AFNICOLLECTIONS.COM
Administrative Contact :
Angelo, Alan
alanangelo@afninet.com
404 Brock Drive
Bloomington, IL 61701
US
Phone: 309-820-2918
Technical Contact :
Network Solutions, LLC.
customerservice@networksolutions.com
13861 Sunrise Valley Drive
Herndon, VA 20171
US
Phone: 1-888-642-9675
Fax: 571-434-4620
Record expires on 28-Feb-2012
Record created on 28-Feb-2002
Database last updated on 22-Jun-2006
I took a look online and found an excellent website that details how to query this. Here is the link to the form letter that you need to send Afni Inc. Once they receive this they will most likely lose interest or sell the collection on to another agency. If they break the rules you can report them to your state Attorney General, FTC and the Better Business Bureau and use the fact in small claims court :-
http://fair-debt-collection.com/Disputing_Col ... ute-letter.html
Here is the link for the procedure you need to follow to ensure you have documented proof that you have mailed the dispute letter :-
http://www.fair-debt-collection.com/Disputing ... structions.html
Here is an exert from the Form Letter :-
==========================================
Be advised that I am fully aware of my rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. For instance, I know that:
· because I have disputed this debt in writing within 30 days of receipt of your dunning notice, you must obtain verification of the debt or a copy of the judgment against me and mail these items to me at your expense;
· you cannot add interest or fees except those allowed by the original contract or state law.
· you do not have to respond to this dispute but if you do, any attempt to collect this debt without validating it, violates the FDCPA;
Also be advised that I am keeping very accurate records of all correspondence from you and your company including recording all phone calls and I will not hesitate to report violations of the law to my State Attorney General, the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau.
I have disputed this debt; therefore, until validated you know your information concerning this debt is inaccurate. Thus, if you have already reported this debt to any credit-reporting agency (CRA) or Credit Bureau (CB) then, you must immediately inform them of my dispute with this debt. Reporting information that you know to be inaccurate or failing to report information correctly violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act § 1681s-2. Should you pursue a judgment without validating this debt, I will inform the judge and request the case be dismissed based on your failure to comply with the FDCPA.
KNowledge is power- dont take any wooden nickels!!!
Comments
Even more of a problem is that they can get away doing so with no consequences at all until you catch them, dispute through the credit reporting agency showing their error, and wait 30 days for them to either remove the error, or erroneously verify it. Until then, you can't even sue them and expect to prevail.
They have figured out that the law lets them get away with this game of chicken and try to extort money from people with no connection to their alleged debts. They really don't care that you are not the person on the original account, only that you are close enough to use as a defence if they get caught. That allows them to send a lot of these letters out to anyone with a similar name, and spend nothing trying to locate the actual debtor. The additional postage is cheaper than actually skip-tracing names on very old debts, and they could care less how many people's credit they damage, since it costs them nothing.
One study indicates that AFNI and Verizon are connected with the most FTC consumer complaints of "id theft" in 2007, moving to the top of the list compared to 2006. Do you really believe all of these were actually accounts opened through id theft?
Your best protection is to dispute and request validation within 30 days of receiving their first collection letter. That way, under FDCPA, if they continue to attempt to collect before sending you proof of the debt, you can sue them based on FDCPA, in your local court, for damages plus $1000 plus attorneys fees.
If they haven't send you validation (proof of the debt) and they post it to your credit report, you proceed to dispute the error through the credit reporting agency, and if they erroneously "verify" it, you can sue under both FCRA for the reporting error and damages, AND FDCPA for the continued collection without sending validation.
You would also file state AG, FTC, and Illinois AG complaints in these cases.
Did you know that you could sue afni.... they are being sued by the state of Minnesota?
Did you know that you could sue afni.... they are being sued by the state of Minnesota?
It is not "debt collection" to systematically demand money from people you know or should know do not owe you. In the current economic climate with disrupted credit markets, where even a small credit ding might make the difference between refinancing or losing your house, such actions are unconcionable.
If you believe you have received a fraudulent bill from AFNI, file your complaints against AFNI with FTC, your state AG, and the Illinois AG.
In our case AFNI was collecting on a bill from 8 years prior. It was an account we had closed out as result of a move and the phone company mistakenly overbilled us. The error was corrected and the issue put to rest. AFNI suddenly sends a bill stating we owe on this account 8 years later. It took a while to remember the account and what took place. We then notified them that account was not billable. They stated it was. The first red flag is not having received a bill or request for payment for an extended period of time (several years or more). A debt cannot suddenly resurface. The second red flag is they refused to answer questions pertaining to why the debt is outstanding, what it was for and, most importantly, if they are legally allowed to contact us to collect. Most times, they are not. The third red flag was once a collection agency has contacted anyone by phone and the bill is questioned, the collection agency is legally obligated to obtain the necessary information to validate the said bill. AFNI cannot do this because the bill is typically not a legally disputed bill and is not outstanding. When we received a request for payment on a bill from 10 years prior, we first stated we still had records showing the dispute had been resolved and were told that was not the case and sending our records would prove useless. We were obligated to the debt. They then began calling and we stated they were not legally entitled to call our residence again. They could only correspond by way of mail. They are legally obligated to do so and refused to do this. We then called and asked for specifics on AFNI - their address, how long they have been in business, how they obtained the outdated and disputed bill. They provided a P.O. box and would not stated how the information had been obtained. We then said we were contacting our attorney for follow up as we were aware of collections laws and found them to be in violation. Within 10 days we received a letter stating our outstanding debt was considered "paid in full" and no additional action was warranted on our part. We still reported the company and provided copies of all written corerspondence in addition to logged phone calls. Fraud is not something to be taken lightly and someone saying just pay the bill - proceed with caution - they are looking for someone just like you - who will pay something they may not be legally bound to pay.
They are often reported to skirt the edge of the law, routinely evading their debt validation obligations. In addition, many other reports are consistent with knowingly attempting to collect on invalid debts, using deception to convince consumers that they no choice but to pay, even on old, unreportable, unproven and disputed alleged debts.
Your experience also hints that they have bought electronic records en-mass, obtaining not only alleged debt records from the original creditor, but also account records including write-offs due to billing corrections, resulting in no debt even owed. Their response to your dispute implies they know the debt is not actually owed, yet are attempting to extract payment anyway.
Make sure you send your complaint with documentation to the Illinois Attorney General.
Tazilkari78@yahoo.com
If I find out you work for AFNI, you don't want to meet me in a dark alley. The debt I will collect from you is your soul. If you work for AFNI you better watch your back.
gunstreetgirl@riseup.net
Send a letter disputing the alleged debt and requesting that proof you owe it be obtained from the original creditor and sent to you.
Send it certified return receipt requested, so you have proof you sent it timely (within 30 days of receiving their first letter), allowing you to invoke the FDCPA prohibition on continued collection until they send you proof.
As you can see from other complaints, when they send you a collection letter, that is not proof there is any valid debt. Do not assume even that if this is a T-Mobile account, and you once had a T-Mobile account, this is the same account, whether any amount is owed or not.
Their most common reported tactic is attempting to collect from the wrong person. Their second most common reported tactic is continuing to attempt collection even when the consumer had disputed and requested validation. These are the same charges outlined in the lawsuit against them by the Minnesota Attorney General.
http://www.ag.state.mn.us/Consumer/PressRelease/080715AfniInc.asp
Do not assume that if they send you some statement of their own creation as proof, that it is in fact based on T-Mobile's records. Do not assume that if they send you a T-Mobile statement matching your account number, it is actually the last statement on your account with a correct final balance.
Contact T-Mobile to see if they even show any amount still owed in their records. AFNI has been reported to attempt collection of unowed debts on real accounts that may be connected to billing corrections by the original creditor. There are consumer reports of such continued collection even when the original creditor has verified that no amount is due, indicating either a negligent or intentional failure to validate disputed debts with the original creditor, again consistent with the allegations in the Minnesota AG lawsuit.
Negative credit information can only be legally reported on your credit reports for up to 7.5 years from the original date of delinquency (missed or late payment). If this is 7 or 8 years later, there is a good chance they cannot legally report it and damage your credit even if it is owed, although they might threaten to, or even illegally try anyway.
A 7 or 8 year old telecom debt may be past SOL in most states, providing a defense should they sue, and a cause of action against them under FDCPA should they sue or threaten to sue.
On debt this old they are mostly trying to bluff you (or anyone they might send a letter to with a similar name to that on an old "debt") into coughing up money. Their tactics are often reported to cross the line into illegal deceptive and abusive collection, and failing to validate (prove you owe it), while maintaining some semblence of a defense that it was an "innocent mistake".
Actual bill was from GTE North over 10 years ago that was paid in full when the account was closed out.
GTE North was bought out by Verizon. To get a new phone from Verizon over 7 years ago bill was paid a second time.
This makes a third attempt at getting money for the bill.
It is outright fraud, Verizon commited fraud on AFNI by selling a paid bill to them and AFNI then turned around and tried to commit fraud on me.