800-710-2122

Whats said is that this Jerk called my 12 yr old daughter and heard her name on the answering machine so he used her name in the message stating her name came up in an investigation and she needs to explain her side of the story. My daughter was in tears and shakin up for she is a good kid . NOw we find out he had the wrong number but yet in the message states her name cam up in his investigation. I am taking action.

JUST PAY YOUR BILLS OR GIVE IT UP QUIT TRYING TO FIND WAYS OF GETTING OUT OF YOURS DEBTS

I also received a message for this "investigator."  She left a voicemail stating she has a "case" she is investigating and needs to talk with me or my husband.  This same person called my younger daughter and said she was filing criminal charges against her sister and her sister would be arrested -- what they are is a collection agency with unscrupulous practices.  With the economy like it is and so many people unemployed and just trying to put food on the table, I am sure this "investigator" has lots of work in her "investigation" business.  I personally feel only pity for this "investigator" who makes a living adding stress to people's already stressful lives.  I hope God blesses her and she never is in a position to be "investigated" instead of the "invesigator."  And, when you call their office after-hours, there's no general voice mail to leave a message requesting they do not call you again, so another way they get around following the law.  SHAME ON THEM!!!  God bless those people who are working hard to try and support their family and enduring hardships in this economic situation.

This "investigator" schtick is common among less-than-reputable debt collectors.  I've also hard of examples of debt collector thugs referring to themselves as "Officer" or "Special Agent" and other such nonsense. Of course, the idea is to scare you into thinking that a law enforcement officer is calling you.

It's illegal to for any debt collector to pose as a law enforcement officer. And it's illegal for a debt collector to threaten people with courses of action that they don't intend to take or don't have the power to take.  (I can't tell you how many times I've heard about debt collectors threatening people with arrest.)

All these threats are laughable and illegal.  If this "investigator" calls again, inform him that you'll only deal with him in writing and ask for the name and address of his company.  Then send them, via certified US mail with return receipt request, a notice that they are to cease all attempts to communicate with you.  If they contact you more than once after receiving your notice, then they are in violation of federal law and subject to a fine for each time they contact you.

Don't be surprised if he refuses to give you a company name and address!  If that happens, then it's probably a scam or the debt is longer collectible (or both.)

Here's more helpful information:

http://naca.net/debt-collection-abuse
http://www.budhibbs.com/First.htm
http://www.fairdebtlawyers.com

As I'm sure you know, it's illegal for this crook to threaten you with criminal charges and to disclose anything about your finances to third parties. In addition to filing complaints, I suggest pursuing civil action against this crook.  There are several ways you can put the screws to this criminal, and I suggest you employ them all.  :)

1) file a complaint online with the Federal Trade Commission here: https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01

2) Then, for good measure, file a complaint online with the Federal Communications Commission here: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints_tcpa.html

3) File a complaint with your state's attorney general. (I'll bet your state's AG already has complaints filed against this crook.)

4) For advice on other ways to deal with these slimy collector thugs, you can peruse the websites of consumer law attorney Bud Hibbs ( http://www.budhibbs.com/First.htm ) and the National Association of Consumer Advocates ( http://www.naca.net/debt-collection-abuse )

5) If you can find this lowlife's address, send him a letter directing him to cease attempts to communicate with you and warning them that if he ignores you cease-communication notice that you'll you'll gleefully pursue every applicable legal sanction against him.  Just be sure to mail it via *certified* US Mail with a return receipt request, and save a copy of your letter.  If the debt collector contacts you more than once after receiving your cease communication letter, then he is breaking the law and subject to fines for each incident.  You can find more details about the cease-communication option on the websites of the NACA and Bud Hibbs that I referenced above.

6) Hire an attorney to help defend your rights and to explore suing this guy. Many consumer law attorneys work on contingency, so if having money upfront to hire an attorney is an issue, don't worry about it. You can easily find an attorney through the NACA's attorney referral link or through Bud Hibbs' office. (If Bud can't take the case, his office is always happy to help find an attorney who can .)  Also, here are two law firms who specialize in pursuing outlaw debt collectors: http://www.fairdebtlawyers.com/ http://www.myfairdebt.com/

I don't know the address of this debt collector but when I googled the phone number, I found a message posted on a public board posted by this same collector. In the message, he indicates that he's in Dallas. Here's the link to that message: http://www.zabasearch.com/messages/zaba_messages_research.php?mquery=Bryt  Note that there's a link at the bottom to send a reply email to this collector thug. (Might be interesting to reply to the email and pose as "Bryt" and ask for an address to send the payment.)  Anyway, I googled for a "Matthews Law Firm" in Dallas and found this:

Matthews Law Firm LLC dba Law Office of Shannon D Matthews LLC

So far, I haven't found an address or a local phone number associated with this debt collector. However, this debt collector is listed on several websites as being a licensed collector in Texas. But when you can't readily find basic contact information for a debt collector, that's always a red flag.  I'm sure that if you contact an attorney, he or she can track down who this collector is and then go after them.

Good luck!