877-844-9657

Called saying they had received a wage garnishment notice and I needed to call to keep the garnishment from happening.

1. They cannot garnish wages without suing you first.  
2.. they have to serve you a summons and if you do not show they get a default judgement against you.  Check your county courthouse to see if they have any cases filed against you..

They cannot threaten to garnish your wages - they cannot threaten to suspend your license - these are ILLEGAL SCARE TACTICS - designed to send you into a panic and give them money without any proof that you owe it.
usually when a debt collector starts with threats - they cannot prove the debt is valid and owed.


how to deal with ILLEGAL COLLECTION TACTICS

File complaints with

Federal Trade Commission  https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en

Your State Attorney General
State Attorney General is every state they have offices

Link to all State Attorney General Websites www.naag.org

If you or they are located in NY – use this SPECIAL Link  www.NYDebtHelp.com
This special website was created by NY AG Andrew Cuomo specifically for reporting illegal debt collection practices.  HE’S CRACKING DOWN AND SHUTTING THEM DOWN!

Also report your calls and contacts with debt collectors at http://www.budhibbs.com/index.html  If the company is listed under agencies – report there. If not on the list YET, click on Watchlist! and add to the list.   You can also post here http://www.collectorsexposed.com/forum2/index.php?board=2.0

Debt Collectors DO NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW THIS INFORMATION!    
The INFORMED CONSUMER IS THE DEBT COLLECTORS WORST ENEMY!

Dealing with Debt Collectors
http://www.budhibbs.com/start.html


Statute of Limitations by State – always double check YOUR OWN STATE Government Website
http://www.budhibbs.com/statute_of_limitations.htm


Recording calls from Debt Collectors - always double check YOUR OWN STATE Government Website
http://www.budhibbs.com/record.htm


From Federal Trade Commission Website – FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT
Debt Collection FAQs: A Guide for Consumers
If you’re behind in paying your bills, or a creditor’s records mistakenly make it appear that you are, a debt collector may be contacting you.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, enforces the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), which prohibits debt collectors from using abusive, unfair, or deceptive practices to collect from you.
Under the FDCPA, a debt collector is someone who regularly collects debts owed to others. This includes collection agencies, lawyers who collect debts on a regular basis, and companies that buy delinquent debts and then try to collect them.
Here are some questions and answers about your rights under the Act.

What types of debts are covered?
The Act covers personal, family, and household debts, including money you owe on a personal credit card account, an auto loan, a medical bill, and your mortgage. The FDCPA doesn’t cover debts you incurred to run a business.

Can a debt collector contact me any time or any place?
No. A debt collector may not contact you at inconvenient times or places, such as before 8 in the morning or after 9 at night, unless you agree to it. And collectors may not contact you at work if they’re told (orally or in writing) that you’re not allowed to get calls there.

How can I stop a debt collector from contacting me?
If a collector contacts you about a debt, you may want to talk to them at least once to see if you can resolve the matter – even if you don’t think you owe the debt, can’t repay it immediately, or think that the collector is contacting you by mistake. If you decide after contacting the debt collector that you don’t want the collector to contact you again, tell the collector – in writing – to stop contacting you. Here’s how to do that:
Make a copy of your letter. Send the original by certified mail, and pay for a “return receipt” so you’ll be able to document what the collector received. Once the collector receives your letter, they may not contact you again, with two exceptions: a collector can contact you to tell you there will be no further contact or to let you know that they or the creditor intend to take a specific action, like filing a lawsuit. Sending such a letter to a debt collector you owe money to does not get rid of the debt, but it should stop the contact. The creditor or the debt collector still can sue you to collect the debt.

Can a debt collector contact anyone else about my debt?
If an attorney is representing you about the debt, the debt collector must contact the attorney, rather than you. If you don’t have an attorney, a collector may contact other people – but only to find out your address, your home phone number, and where you work. Collectors usually are prohibited from contacting third parties more than once. Other than to obtain this location information about you, a debt collector generally is not permitted to discuss your debt with anyone other than you, your spouse, or your attorney.

What does the debt collector have to tell me about the debt?
Every collector must send you a written “validation notice” telling you how much money you owe within five days after they first contact you. This notice also must include the name of the creditor to whom you owe the money, and how to proceed if you don’t think you owe the money.

Can a debt collector keep contacting me if I don’t think I owe any money?
If you send the debt collector a letter stating that you don’t owe any or all of the money, or asking for verification of the debt, that collector must stop contacting you. You have to send that letter within 30 days after you receive the validation notice. But a collector can begin contacting you again if it sends you written verification of the debt, like a copy of a bill for the amount you owe.

What practices are off limits for debt collectors?
Harassment. Debt collectors may not harass, oppress, or abuse you or any third parties they contact. For example, they may not:
    use threats of violence or harm;
    publish a list of names of people who refuse to pay their debts (but they can give this information to the credit reporting companies);
    use obscene or profane language; or
    repeatedly use the phone to annoy someone.

False statements. Debt collectors may not lie when they are trying to collect a debt. For example, they may not:
    falsely claim that they are attorneys or government representatives;
    falsely claim that you have committed a crime;
    falsely represent that they operate or work for a credit reporting company;
    misrepresent the amount you owe;
    indicate that papers they send you are legal forms if they aren’t; or
    indicate that papers they send to you aren’t legal forms if they are.

Debt collectors also are prohibited from saying that:
    you will be arrested if you don’t pay your debt;
    they’ll seize, garnish, attach, or sell your property or wages unless they are permitted by law to take the action and intend to do so; or
    legal action will be taken against you, if doing so would be illegal or if they don’t intend to take the action.

Debt collectors may not:
    give false credit information about you to anyone, including a credit reporting company;
    send you anything that looks like an official document from a court or government agency if it isn’t; or
    use a false company name.

Unfair practices. Debt collectors may not engage in unfair practices when they try to collect a debt. For example, they may not:
    try to collect any interest, fee, or other charge on top of the amount you owe unless the contract that created your debt – or your state law – allows the charge;
    deposit a post-dated check early;
    take or threaten to take your property unless it can be done legally; or
    contact you by postcard.

Can I control which debts my payments apply to?
Yes. If a debt collector is trying to collect more than one debt from you, the collector must apply any payment you make to the debt you select. Equally important, a debt collector may not apply a payment to a debt you don’t think you owe.

Can a debt collector garnish my bank account or my wages?
If you don’t pay a debt, a creditor or its debt collector generally can sue you to collect. If they win, the court will enter a judgment against you. The judgment states the amount of money you owe, and allows the creditor or collector to get a garnishment order against you, directing a third party, like your bank, to turn over funds from your account to pay the debt.
Wage garnishment happens when your employer withholds part of your compensation to pay your debts. Your wages usually can be garnished only as the result of a court order. Don’t ignore a lawsuit summons. If you do, you lose the opportunity to fight a wage garnishment.

Can federal benefits be garnished?
Many federal benefits are exempt from garnishment, including:
    Social Security Benefits
    Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits
    Veterans’ Benefits
    Civil Service and Federal Retirement and Disability Benefits
    Service Members’ Pay
    Military Annuities and Survivors’ Benefits
    Student Assistance
    Railroad Retirement Benefits
    Merchant Seamen Wages
    Longshoremen’s and Harbor Workers’ Death and Disability Benefits
    Foreign Service Retirement and Disability Benefits
    Compensation for Injury, Death, or Detention of Employees of U.S. Contractors Outside the U.S.
    Federal Emergency Management Agency Federal Disaster Assistance
But federal benefits may be garnished under certain circumstances, including to pay delinquent taxes, alimony, child support, or student loans.

Do I have any recourse if I think a debt collector has violated the law?
You have the right to sue a collector in a state or federal court within one year from the date the law was violated. If you win, the judge can require the collector to pay you for any damages you can prove you suffered because of the illegal collection practices, like lost wages and medical bills. The judge can require the debt collector to pay you up to $1,000, even if you can’t prove that you suffered actual damages. You also can be reimbursed for your attorney’s fees and court costs. A group of people also may sue a debt collector as part of a class action lawsuit and recover money for damages up to $500,000, or one percent of the collector’s net worth, whichever amount is lower. Even if a debt collector violates the FDCPA in trying to collect a debt, the debt does not go away if you owe it.

What should I do if a debt collector sues me?
If a debt collector files a lawsuit against you to collect a debt, respond to the lawsuit, either personally or through your lawyer, by the date specified in the court papers to preserve your rights.

Where do I report a debt collector for an alleged violation?
Report any problems you have with a debt collector to your state Attorney General’s office (www.naag.org) and the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov). Many states have their own debt collection laws that are different from the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Your Attorney General’s office can help you determine your rights under your state’s law.

For More Information
To learn more about debt collection and other credit-related issues, visit www.ftc.gov/credit and MyMoney.gov, the U.S. government’s portal to financial education.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad
February 2009

Miss Smith with Ezell Williams & Assoc. from Illinois. Has been calling for several months from: 877-844-9657 Caller ID: 630-554-7416.  Miss Smith says she can keep one of our employees driver's license from being suspended.  What a joke!  Why would someone trust and pay an out of state (Illinois) firm to defend them! Stop the calls...

Called my work, wasn't there left number, threatened to ganish wages, pure crap. I owe nothing to nobody!

she called me at home left a message she said her name is ms smith she said she would stop my ssd money over a hospital bill medicare didnt pay for i was so up set i had to take a pill she called me over 9 times in 5 min i told her not to call she said she now can call because i know about the bill i called the state of oregon their no help and i called ssa and they said no one could take my money away from a bill with out their permisson and beacuse i im low income it would cost then 5,000.00 to file in fed court and it could take up to 2 years to get a court date and then i have a hearing before they stressed me out

Mrs. Jones called to threaten a wage garnishment for an unpaid payday loan form over three years ago.  I have no record of a pay day loan and asked for documentation. I gave me email address and she was supposed to email documents.  I did not receive any email.  She called back to threaten again.  I told her I had not received the email.  She become rude and even more threatening.  I asked for a call back number.  When I "googled" the number, I found out it is a hoax!

Thought I'd share this information that I had come across. I too have been called by this company, threatening wage garnishments, etc....
Like Christy I also requested that everything be sent in writing by email or mail - nothing!!!
I deceided to google the company and the person's name who called a Ms. Dickey. I found links to this website: www.collectiontechnology.net - this is a portal where these sharks buy and sell information. Here's an example:

" hi mates we have a huge bulk of old 2005/2006 pdl (payday loan) accounts, they need a brush up and are being used by 0-1 collection agencies, trying to sell them off at real low pricing, please contact me for more info or for sale as im trying to get them off asap !!

Check it out for yourselves --- how can we stop these Scammers!!!

EZELL WILLIAMS AND ASSOCIATES
Is using the above phone number 1 877 844 9657
they email me payment options for SJM Marketing
I had foreign people calling and threatening fraud charges and now this group is threatening garnishment.  I paid the first group what I owed but this group knows nothing about a payment.  The direct number to Ezell Williams and Assoc is 1 630 554 7416
address EZELL WILLIAMS AND ASSOCIATES
5375 US ROUTE 34

UNIT 1


OSWEGO IL 60543
Phone:  877-844-9657

So does that mean this company is a scam?

I received a call at WORK from Ezell Williams and Associates stating that I owe a debt and they threatened wage garnishment. I asked the woman on the phone to email me proof of debt. She emailed me payment options with no proof of debt. I emailed back stating that I need valid proof of debt if the debt is valid so we could settle; ONLY IF THE DEBT IS VALID.  She used an address that I had about 10 years ago!!!! I don't recall this debt and only requested proof in writing of the debt.  I did not hear back from her.  I traced the 877 # back to a land line, which is strange for an attorney's office.

Hey,
I got several messages on my office phone stating there is a motion to suspend my driver's license. I have asked for proof of debt but there has been no response.  How do I get the calls to cease?

they keep calling my work threatening with garnishment

Had same exact call; confused, so like a dummy, did not check into the number here, and gave her my debit#, after explaining to her have a debt consoldation for all payday loans. told me that they do not work with those companies.  after calling my debt considaton office, told that these people are not attorines, and should not be representing themselves as such and also have a "f" rating w/bbb. so do not settle w/them.  called back and s/w a "ms rudd" told her that i will not be authorizing the payments, and i will be calling my bank and told her go ahead and do what they want. when i told her that i saw all the complaints listed for them, she said she knows about them... DO NOT LISTEN TO THESE PEOPLE, THEY ARE USING SCARE TATICS FOR PAYMENTS. SINCE I LIVE IN FLORIDA, THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY JURISDICATION FOR WAGE GARNSMENT OUTSIDE THEIR OWN STATE.

Ok so I got a call from these people saying they were going to garnish my check ... I made a small payment and said I would call in a couple weeks with the rest. This morning I woke up to see my account had been debited the rest of the amount they say I owe! Are they a real company? Do I owe them this money?

What do I do about the money they have taken? My bank won't let me do anything because it is in pending status??

I recieved 2 calls from this Ms. Smith with Ezzell Williams & Associates.  She threaten to garnish my wages.  Before I gave her any information, I asked her to email me the info verifying this supposed dept.  She emails me from a hotmail account????  You are suppose to be a legitimate company and you don't have a domain set-up????  I Google the name and all this info comes on the screen about this fake company.  Thanks for the info.  I emailed her that I looked in to the company, but no response.  I will update the site if she decides to respond

Receiving phone calls constantly at work threatening to garnish my wages. I immediately went to the Internet to look them up, and came to this information about them. Who do I contact to get this stopped?

The same just happened to me from 630-554-7416 and she said her name was Ms. Johnson.  She said they will start wage garnishment from TJF Corp in regards to a payday loan form 2006.  I said it has been over 4 years and I don't recall.  The total is now over $800.00  I asked for everything to be sent to me in writing.  I will see if I receive an e-mail.  She did say that they only accept prepaid cards and debit cards.  She said I can call back with arrangements to 1-877-844-9657.  03/18/2010.

SCAM!  Don't pay these guy's a penny.  Just another pay day loan scam!  I got scammed once, it will never happen again.  CHANTELLE DICKEY called saying I have a wage garnishment, but I'm the bookkeeper of my company, and I haven't received anything about a wage garnishment.  They call from the number 630-554-5219.  They sent me a generic letter to my email... first off, they have an old address of mine, second, on collection letters the Fair Debt Collection notice is supposed to be on it, and it's not.  SCAM!!!   Tell these people you know they are scam artists, and this company in Illinois has been disolved, is not in business anymore.

I got a call from Miss. Perkins 15 times in 4 days. The first call I gave them my information. Then 14 other calls came in last week. So today 3 calls. I had to call my bank cancell my credit card info. Are they really a scam? They keep telling me they are going to garnish my wages?