I have always told people, whenever you are contacted by a debt collector, the initial letter from the debt collector will state that you have the right to request validation of the debt within 30 days. You MUST, MUST, MUST…
Posts Tagged With: FTC
California Debt Blog: Ringless Voice Mail and Debt Collectors
You take a break at work and find some voice mail messages. The weird thing is that your phone did not ring. How did these messages get here? Lilian Min at Cosmopolitan covers this in a new story she has…
California Debt Blog: Debt Collection is #1 Again – In Complaints
So, it turns out that when you are really good at something you should continue doing it. In this case, debt collectors are really good at having complaints filed against them with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. According to this…
California Debt Blog: Debt collectors calling about debts you do not owe
Debt collectors call a lot of people about debts. Heck, I got a call over the weekend from Portfolio Recovery Associates about a debt owed by Jonathan A Stein. Of course, that isn’t my name. And the last four of…
California Debt Blog: Debt Collection is the 2nd Most Popular Scam
The Better Business Bureau came out with their top 10 scams of 2015. Yes, I know it is already February of 2016, but I had to help people who were victims of the first two scams: IRS issues and debt…
California Debt Blog: FREE Credit Report Review
Did you know that up to 25% of credit reports have an error? Yes, a new study by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finds that “25 percent of consumers identified errors on their credit reports that might affect their credit…
California Debt Blog: 4 More Concerns about Short Term (Payday) Loans
Last week’s post received such a response that I thought I would share more concerns about payday loans. These short term loans look like a good solution for some people, but for over 90% of the population, they are a…
California Debt Blog: 4 Concerns about Short Term (Payday) Loans
I just helped a woman with a payday loan. The interest rate was 180%. Her payments were going to total over $9,000 in this loan from California Check Cashing, LLC. Her $2500 loan was going to cost her $10,000 when…
California Debt Blog: Federal Officials Shut Down California Debt Collector
A great story from Jim Puzzanghera at the LA Times about the Federal Trade Commission, FTC, shutting down a Califlornia debt collector. Who was shut down, you ask? From the story “Among the companies targeted were Western Performance Group and…
California Debt Blog: Expert Global Solutions Fined by FTC
Well, the debt collectors are at it again. What’s a violation of the FDCPA between debt collectors and the FTC? Do they really think the FTC is going to do anything? Apparently, the answer is yes. In this case, the…