7709889055

I received one phone call.I lost my job in February 2009. I came home after a long day of searching for work. Got a message to contact a debt collector. My first time hearing from them. The next thing I know my Checking account is closed. I don't have two nickels to rub together. Is this necessary, no one will talk to me about this but my bank did give me a number and I called and they won't answer my phone call someone "is always away from their desk". Don't know what to do.... Please give me some advice.

I am getting repeated calls from this company even after explaining to them 3 times that they have the wrong person. I really wish that they would stop calling me!!!!!!!

I am getting repeated calls from this company even after explaining to them 3 times that they have the wrong person. I really wish that they would stop calling me!!!!!!!

Word has it that Hanna has closed his Roswell Road Office:

October 2009 It appears as though Fred Hanna has apparently closed the Roswell road office in Marietta. I pass there often while doing errands and there are no cars parked there or signs of activity. I peered through the heavily tinted glass and the place looked empty.  Looks like Fred has packed up shop and moved to other digs.

Fred is likely down-sizing as his accounts have shrunk to a fraction of what he used to handle. He, like most bottom feeders is experiencing belt tightening like never before. Consumers are also challenging his every move, which has led to a thinner bottom line.

http://www.budhibbs.com/collectorpages/hanna_frederick_j_assoc.htm

I missed a call and looked this number up and read all the posts about them. Weird as I have no outstanding debt or a Chase card to collect on.

closed your checking account!  That has to be illegal!

if those idiots touched my account I would have the sheriff knocking at their door.

Got a call from them asking for me, bu they were looking for a different person with the same name. I always tell them they have the wrong guy, they say that they will remove the Phone # from the system, but they call back about every 8-12 weeks.

I'm so glad to find this info online. They've been calling me everday on my home & cell phione. The man, Andre, is very rude when I ask what this call is regarding. He keeps telling me that the line is breaking up- which it isn't- and then proceeds to ask me the same questions again about verifying my info as if he hasn't heard my questions asking who he is. I tell him I won't verify and personal info over the phone to a stranger because it isn't safe especially since he told me the line is being monitored. I may have debts, but this isn't the way anyone will get me to pay them. It's sleazy and suspicious.

http://www.budhibbs.com/collectorpages/hanna_frederick_j_assoc.htm
Fredrick J Hanna & Assoc.

Georgia Receivables

1427 Roswell Road Marietta, GA 30062
770-988-9055   Fax: 770-980-0528
2160 Kingston, Court, S.E., Ste. 0, Marietta, GA 30067

Dennis E. Henry  
Attorney at Law
William J. Lau
Director of Operations
 Web Address: www.hannalawoffice.com


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bud Says                         Consumer Comments Below



It seems that Hanna will lie on court affidavits about his position and most affidavits attached are bogus in the information stated. Fred J. Hanna is NEVER to be trusted, his court filings should ALWAYS be challenged.  Fred is concerned about one thing; separating you and your money.

Contact me for referral to a local consumer law professional if you are involved with Hanna.



CAUTION: I recommend you NEVER disclose your bank account or credit card information to a debt collector, as you risk them emptying your account, or maxing out your credit card. If you feel they are reporting on your credit bureau files in error or need assistance in dealing with them, email  the details w/your location.  Assistance and referral to a consumer legal specialist may be available.




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

I just received a call from Darlene with Attorney Hanna's office.  This is the 3rd time this agency has called me ay my place of employment despite my letter to them requesting that they stop doing this as it jeopardizes my employment.  Jennifer called one time and was extremely rude.  Perhaps these people should use their powers for good and find non-child support paying parents or maybe missing children. Hanna's people managed to track down a long lost relative of mine as well as a neighbor and asked them for contact information for me for a personal matter regarding my personal finances. How can they sleep at night?

You need to report them to the FTC and to the Georgia Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs:

http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/contact.shtm

http://consumer.georgia.gov/02/oca/home/0,247 ... 633D9952E30E813

Bill Cloud is

Nope he is still there unfortunately because I am getting the same harrassing calls from the same number and address listed...I wished he would go and fly the coop somewhere else and quit hassling people don't they no the recession has hurt everyone....I have a credit card that I owe on and it has been charged off for 5 years and expected to come off my credit report in December of this year why all of a sudden I get a letter from Hanna about paying this debt...Hell it's charged off already that is against the law right?

Case tests court's power over lawyers (Fred Hanna)
on: February 17, 2010
Fulton County Daily Report

Case tests court's power over lawyers

High court argument over investigation of collections firm questions if consumer affairs office can investigate attorneys By Alyson M. Palmer, Staff Reporter

The Supreme Court of Georgia on Tuesday wrestled with a case that tests the boundaries of its own control over lawyers.

The argument came in an appeal by the head of the Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs, which wanted to investigate complaints about the debt collection practices of Frederick J. Hanna & Associates in Marietta.

Last September, Cobb County Superior Court Judge S. Lark Ingram ruled the investigation violated separation of powers principles in the Georgia Constitution.

Ingram agreed with Hanna's lawyers that the firm didn't have to comply with a request for documents and information made by the consumer affairs office because authority over attorney discipline resides solely with the judicial branch—i.e., the State Bar of Georgia and its governing body, the Supreme Court of Georgia. Ingram's decision was based on the firm's day-to-day operation directly involving the practice of law. She noted the firm doesn't buy debt, so all of its activity is on behalf of creditor clients.

Hanna's firm employs about 450 people, of which only 10 are attorneys, according to the state's brief in the case. According to the state, non-attorney employees first try to collect debts through mail and telephone contacts. But many of the matters end up in court—Hanna files about 10,000 lawsuits and garnishments each month in Georgia alone. The state has said it has received more than 200 complaints about the firm's debt collection tactics.

Senior Assistant Attorney General Sidney R. Barrett Jr. on Tuesday appeared for the head of the state consumers affairs office. Presiding Justice George H. Carley promptly threw down a challenge: the court already had decided the matter with regard to the medical profession, he said.

Carley was referring to the court's 2005 decision in Henderson v. Gandy, 280 Ga. 95, which rejected a suit brought by a patient's estate against a doctor under Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act. The high court held that the act doesn't cover complaints over medical malpractice.

But Barrett noted that the court had held that the statute applied to the “entrepreneurial” aspects of professional services. The vast majority of what an attorney does is a private transaction not covered by the statute, Barrett said, but activities such as debt collection and advertising are different because they affect the public at large, not just the client.

“It doesn't matter if it's a law firm or not,” he continued. Anyone who engages in abusive debt collection practices such as use of obscene language or calling at strange hours falls under the ambit of consumer protection law, he added.

Carley noted that some states have held that attorneys are not regulated by consumer protection laws.

Barrett responded that those decisions were not in the debt-collection area but involved client complaints and attorney exemptions in state statutes. “The client cases are all over the board,” he said.

Barrett also argued that Ingram erred when she entertained Hanna's constitutional arguments at this point in the investigation. The general rule is that as long as the subject matter of the investigation is within the agency's jurisdiction, he said, a court is supposed to enforce the agency's subpoena.

Justice David E. Nahmias broke in to suggest that a subpoena could be challenged on the basis that compliance would be too burdensome or interfere with the attorney-client privilege.

Right, said Barrett. “That's always before the court.”

Barrett assured the justices that no one disputed that the Supreme Court had sole authority to regulate the legal profession. But he said Hanna was trying to stretch that authority to say it pre-empts anything that affects the practice of law.

The State Bar has no authority over any of the Hanna firm's 440 non-attorney employees, Barrett noted. The remedies provided by consumer protection law complement the bar's enforcement powers, he said.

Balch & Bingham partner Michael J. Bowers argued for Hanna. The former attorney general said that in 37 years of practice, the consumer affairs office's action against Hanna was the most significant intrusion by another branch into the Supreme Court's control of the bar that he's seen.

Nahmias repeatedly challenged the arguments by Bowers, who, according to the State Ethics Commission, chairs Nahmias' campaign committee.

Nahmias noted that the court regularly disbars lawyers who have been convicted of a crime. “If they're locked up, that's a pretty major intrusion into the practice of law,” said Nahmias. “How do you get around that?”

Bowers insisted that issuance of subpoenas and other activities by district attorneys didn't constitute regulation. When Justice Harold D. Melton posed a similar question—whether law enforcement could investigate a law firm that's using blackmail to collect debts—Bowers said that was different because, in Hanna's case, the investigation deals with how he practices law.

Carley stepped in to give Bowers some relief: If the court were to reverse Ingram, what impact would that have on law firms not engaged in debt collection?

“I'm glad you asked that,” responded Bowers. “This is a slippery slope.”

But Nahmias, a longtime federal prosecutor before joining the court, again challenged Bowers to square his argument with criminal investigations of lawyers: What about when a district attorney investigates a lawyer who misappropriates client funds, subpoenaing client files?

District attorneys are part of the judicial branch, Bowers responded, “So that's a huge difference.”

Melton, who worked for Bowers at the Georgia Law Department and later headed the Consumer Interests Division, quizzed Bowers about the extent to which the State Bar could use consumer protection law in going after lawyers who violate it.

Bowers insisted the bar could rely on consumer protection law, although he said certain remedies provided by the law could be obtained only by private actions.

“Do not allow intrusion into the relationship and the control this court has on my profession,” Bowers concluded.

When it came time for Barrett's rebuttal, Justice P. Harris Hines challenged the state's lawyer to address the idea that the judiciary's regulatory power over the practice of law is “plenary,” or complete.

“Debt collection is not the exclusive province of lawyers,” Barrett responded. “Anyone can do it.”

He again emphasized the number of non-lawyer employees of the Hanna firm, saying he found it troubling that Ingram had found lawyers' supervision of those employees was both “direct and indirect.”

“That is one of the things my client would like to look at,” said Barrett.

The case is Doyle v. Frederick J. Hanna & Associates, Nos. S10A0395 and S10A0397.

Staff Reporter Alyson M. Palmer can be reached at apalmer@alm.com

http://www.collectorsexposed.com/forum2/index.php?topic=755.msg3829#msg3829

Frederick J. Hannah and Associates continually harassed me at work (including my previous job I found out), even after being told to stop. So I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. The calls have since stopped. I highly recommend everyone to do this. http://www.bbb.org/

File a complaint with BBB.

http://www.bbb.org/

THE BBB IS WORTHLESS - THEY HAVE NO POWER TO DO ANYTHING.

YOU FILE COMPLAINTS WITH STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL IN GA. THEY ARE ALREADY UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE AG THERE.   GIVE THEM MORE EVIDENCE!


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!

NOT THE BBB - THEY ARE WORTHLESS AND HAVE NO POWER TO DO ANYTHING

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!

They garnished you account?  I got a call from this number today on my mobile phone as a missed call.  I looked it up and found your article.  Do you have more info on these bottom feeders and should I seek legal help?

A 24 second message on my machine, where I could clearly here them hang up. I simply blocked it. Now when they call the phone will never connect, they will get dead air. I'm guessing it was a misdial on their end. I'm sure it happens a lot.
I did some math, based on the information in blue a couple of posts up;
10,000 suits filed monthly, let's say for the past two years, 240,000 suits filed, [we were guessing that their business has waned, so use whatever math/timeframe you like]
200 complaints filed EVER according to the article, that's a .000008% compalint rate. Let's say 100 times as many people are angry as actually file a complaint, that's a .0008% complaint rate. Either the article is absolute bullvrap, or these guys do a much better job than I would and you're all crybabies. Yes, my math may be off by even a factor of 100! That leaves a .08% rate or 8 out of 1000 suits, let alone calls....

Stupid reporter. If the numbers are correct, there are minimal complaints. NEVER believe what you read. Read it until it makes sense, this doesn't make sense and actually says almost nothing.