855-338-9693

855 area code: Toll-free
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  • +2
    SFuentes
    | 3 replies
    I received a very legitimate sounding voicemail today by someone saying they were a compliance officer of the state and that I should contact this litigation company to resolve a financial matter before it is pursued and made public record and being physically located. I spoke with professional sounding Americans from a company called the Offices of Allied at phone number 1-855-338-9693 and was told that the account has been red flagged for removal from their office and being placed in my county's hands for the amount of $1623.62. I said that I would like to arrange a payment agreement with the original debtor, BJR Lending LLC, and they said they would set up a payment agreement for restitution of $710.00. I did accepted but did not have my wallet on me so I said I would call back. I decided to investigate online to see if I could find any information on the legitimacy of the companies, both Allied and BJR, but found NOTHING. I did, many years back, take out PayDay loans that I found to be a Scam and illegal in my state so I closed my accounts and figured if they were legitimate, they would contact me through legal means and it could be settled that way. How do I determine if this company, and the original debtor, are legal and legitimate companies? Does this sound fishy to anyone? Like I said, they were very professional, well-spoken, and polite. They placed me on a brief hold to see if the debtor would accept a payment arrangement and had my husband's personal information. How do I go about this?
    • Caller: Offices of Allied
    • Call type: Debt collector
  • 0
    MJG replies to SFuentes
    You have several answers to this question on your forum post.

    It appears the regular posters consider this to be a scam.  There are so many red flags!!
  • +2
    BigA replies to SFuentes
    I will give you an answer here because I do not answer questions of this sort unless they are in the proper thread.  First off, no county anywhere gets involved in a private civil matter.  Second, anything they send you must be sent by US mail, not e mail, fax, phone, or even smoke signals.  Now read the following and follow the links:
    It is incumbent upon them to prove that the debt exists and that you owe it.  Not the other way around.
    This is a common ploy by criminals attempting to extort money from people by scaring you into believing that you will be criminally charged, go to jail, lose your driver’s license, have wages garnished, etc. all for an alleged or nonexistent debt.
    Federal law (FDCPA) requires them to send you a letter (US MAIL ONLY) within 5 days of their first contact that contains their name, physical address, the creditor’s name, and the amount of the alleged debt.  It also must contains “mini-Miranda” telling you that it is an attempt to collect a debt and that all information will be used for those purposes.  The one other important thing that this letter must also have in it is that you have a right to dispute the debt within 30 days receipt of the letter and if you do so, all collection activity must be stopped until the debt is verified.
    Read up on your rights here, get template letters to send and also make a complaint at this government site:  http://www.consumerfinance.gov/
    Also file a complaint with your State Attorney General's office.
    List of State AG’s offices:  http://consumerfraudreporting.org/stateattorneygenerallist.php
  • +3
    Resident47 replies to SFuentes
    You've attracted a number of correct responses which I'll try not to overlap.

    } How do I determine .... legal and legitimate companies?

    This is a Square One question for everyone who is new to credit and collection problems. There is a Square One answer. Find a copy of the FDCPA and any laws in your state which cover debt collection by third parties. Compare what your collectors are doing to what those laws expect of honest and compliant agencies. You should know pretty soon if your rights are being upheld or denied. With time and study you won't need to depend on others to make the same assessment of future collection attempts.

    } I said that I would like to arrange a payment

    Right there is Mistake One, the very common impulse to believe that strangers on the phone need to be paid immediately so that you can relieve some watery guilt and save yourself from vaguely defined punishment. What you need is a shift in posture. Consumer debt is not a moral crisis and not a criminal offense. Consumer debt is a business problem. Sensible people do not solve a business problem without stepping back to gather facts and weigh options.

    Those aforementioned laws which govern the collection industry want you to do just that, slow down and make an informed decision. The laws also command agencies to *help you* become informed and give you a chance to raise a dispute, all before anyone is talking about asking a judge to make you pay.

    } agreement with the original debtor

    The only debtor, allegedly, is you. The original creditor would have issued that loan you can't verify. Now let's look at some other language.

    } compliance officer of the state ... made public record ... red flagged for removal ... placed in my county's hands ... final notice ... consider you officially notified

    This is all empty rhetoric having nothing to do with how a real debt is honestly collected. Such terms are bluster commonly heard from fraud shops which cannot or will not prove anyone owes. These are scripted and performed to trigger emotional response and make you think terrible things will happen if you don't comply with the collector's demands. They also suggest that you're guilty of a crime and at risk of public shame. Get a look at what FDCPA §1692e(7) has to say about that. Also note that e(10) covers that "state officer" persona.

    "Pay about half price now and we'll call it settled" is also part of the act. So where's your required dunning letter stating a correct amount and naming a creditor? Would you not want validation obtained from the creditor? Where is your assurance that the so-called debt is real or enforceable?

    } they were very professional, well-spoken, and polite.

    So was the used car salesman who once talked my parents into taking home a vehicle with three bald tires and an undisclosed bent frame repair. Ever see footage of a pitcher plant or a Venus flytrap? Insects find them attractive, too, at their own peril.

    Oh, but the nice men on the phone are just middlemen barely keeping an attack dog caged, and they don't set the terms and they're not really making threats and they're not considered debt collectors. At least that's the sort of rebuttal you'll get for being a skeptical, smart consumer who hates wasting money on liars with bogus claims. Their stories need not be true or plausible, or legally compliant. They need only to be convincing to get them the prize they want. If you're not convinced, the collectors should not win your assets. Then you can think about naming them your defendants in a real lawsuit which exposes their fake legal process.

    FDCPA § 1692e. False or misleading representations
    http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1692e

    FTC and CFPB material on US federal collection law:
    http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpajump.shtm
    http://www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/search ... debt-collection

    FTC alert: "Fake Debt Collectors"
    http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0258-fake-debt-collectors
  • 0
    SFuentes
    Thank you!!! This has certainly opened my eyes a little bit. Thank you. I am about to have a baby and this has caused such undue stress.

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