Jun 25, 2011
Wow, I am only up to 80-some numbers!
As somebody said earlier in this thread, send a letter to cease and desist, with a return receipt requested. I sent them such a letter at the end of March, and so far have never gotten the post card returned, though I know they got the certified letter, because there is a place to look it up online at the USPS. I reported them for that with the postal service, anyway.
They were instructed to "cease and desist" last summer by the state attorney general consumer protection agency. So they issued a 1099-C, dated 9-14-10. The law requires them to stop calling after that, as the 1099-C was issued, according to one of their lawyers, as a consequence of their "decision to cease collection." Well, idiots, if you "ceased* then why are you still calling -- nearly 90 times since they issued the 1099-C, and if you are still trying to "collect" something you have not verified that I owe you, then why did you lie to the IRS, claiming you "lost" nearly $5000.00? Isn't that IRS fraud? I filed a complaint witht the IRS.
Anyway, I never had anywhere near $5000 of debt on any credit card, have not owned a credit card since 1997, and these vermin "buy" old debt for somewhere between 50 cents and $3.00 per hundred of debt. The lawyer had to admit that the debt is a line on a print-out, and cannot be verified, that they "bought" it in 2001, and did not begin to try to "collect" on it, if it is mine at all, until 2009, at which point it would have been twelve years old, if it were mine.
So, the short version of the story, these are bottom-feeding pond scum, and who ever is responsible for the fact that they exist and are allowed to operate -- somebody posted a report a page or two back -- ultimately, Congress has the authority to put a stop to this. It is nothing more than an extortion scam, a pig with lipstick is still a pig. Do the right thing, all ye in the the Best Congress Money Can Buy!