7732627158

I just got a call said there was a case filed against me in VA, and to contact Roger Epstien immediately, I got freaked out and called back luckily the line was busy, thinking that was odd for an attorneys office I googled the name and did a reverse look up on the phone number. I'm glad I had the sense enough to investigate and thank goodness for the internet. The thing that really freaked me out was that they called me by my married and maiden name and left messages on both home and cell phone. How are theese people getting all of this info???

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

I received a phone call about two months ago regarding a debt 6 years old. They told me the debt was 1759.45 and that I could settle for 734.56. I refused to settle. They threatened me with a lawsuit and I googled here and realized they were a scam. Then just recently I was sued actually regarding the same bill. They have a wage assignment against me. WTF I should have paid now I'm pissed at this site.

They r legit don't be fooled I had to pay $6752.31 in court costs and attorney fees through a judgment on my credit that I ignored because of this site and now I'm screwed they r garnishing my wages

If this really happened, do you think these clowns would go back to look up the number on 800notes? OF COURSE NOT!

These are 2 fake posts within minutes of each other. Typical shill posts from the collector crooks themselves RIGHT DOWN TO THE ALL CAPS.

You crooks must be really desperate, too bad you can't succeed in an HONEST business LOL! I'm sure you're pissed at this site but not for the BOGUS reasons you say.

An informed consumer is a collection agent's WORST NIGHTMARE!

Eat poop and die mofo.

A woman identifying herself as from the office of Roger Epstein and Associates asked me to give my son (29) a message.  The message was that he was to be served with a summons within 48 hours at his home or work if he did not contact their office.  They said they represented Sprint PCS and gave me a case number and the 773-262-7158 telephone number.  My son had no idea what this was all about so I googled the "law" offices number and saw other posts about people being harrassed from this number.

Received a call on my answering machine from attorney Roger Epstein's assistant saying the State of Wisconsin was filing a law suit against my daughter and she was to call this number within 24 hours.  My daughter  has not lived at my home phone number for over 10 years and has been married with a married name for over 6 years.  The message said she had 24 hours to answer the call and gave a court case number.  I called and called that number and only got a busy signal.....no one ever answered.  Looked it up on Google and found it was a scam trying to get pertinent information.

first cal, a woman saying there was a judgement against me and to hold for a lawyer( Caller id read 'private name private number')  I held.   Man get on says name is Bill ... Judgement against me for a sprint/tmobile from 2005/2006.  I hung up on him.  exactly 2 minutes later, another call, (Caller id read '2nd chance collection')  I answered, the man says 'why are you so rude to hang up on me?'  I say, 'at least i'm not an illegal liar.'   I hang up on him again, then call them and ask for the address of their business.  he says 'i'm not giving you anything!'  I say,  fine, you can talk to my attorney then, I hang up.   it really is wonderful to know your lawful rights, then they can't cheat you.

My mother received a call from this firm stating that if I didn't contact them and pay for alledged fraudulent check, I would be arrested within 24 hrs.   I had absolutely no idea what this was about.  My sister attempted to call back the attorney who just left a message, but he was in court (Roger Epstein).  She did speak with an Attorney Mrs. Walsh who share with her the detail of this apparent unpaid/fraudulent check from 1997.     Mrs Walsh informed her all I had to do was contact them and pay $279 via debit or credit card.     When I called back to obtain more detail the "attorney" I spoke to was so unprofessional and basically threaten me that I would receive a summons.    I have since filed through my attorney a harrassment compliant.  Be aware --- apparently this is a scam operation!

A message was left at my church from Atty Epstein.  He tried to get my number from church secretary, then left the phone number (773-262-7159).  Said it was "Time Sensitive".  Found out call was regarding past acquaintance and fraudelent.  Going to report all appropriate agencies.

Surviving debt collection for the next few decades

Political Gateway - April 1st, 2009 - This article’s mission is to prepare you for possible nightmare debt collection problems in the next decade or two. It is important for you to read this whether you are having problems now or not.

What kind of debt am I talking about?
Your debt, for the purposes of this article, is mainly centered around car loans, mortgages, and unsecured credit. These are the items most likely to be involved in future issues for your family. This also concerns people who are not late and actually paid off debt or sold a house.

Debt process
2 things happen, you pay something off or you go into default. Paying off a debt is good, but it is not always recorded properly and can still go into a debt pool. A defaulted debt will go to a ‘normal’ collections process. Either way, eventually this non paid or mistakenly not recorded debt will end up in a debt pool.

Debt Pool
It is kind of like the internet, a big vast mysterious cloud full of old debt. Your old debts languish here until someone decides to buy them and attempt to collect the money owed.

Organized Criminal debt collectors
It is the debt pool that is the target of this article and the people who dwell there. These people may or may not be ‘mafia’ but you will find that they are very organized, attempt criminal acts in collections, and thus are ‘organized criminals.’

Bankruptcy
Even bankrupted debt goes into that pool. On purpose or accident, who is to say, but you will get calls on it 10 to 20 years later. Especially if a judgment was ordered by the courts.

The ‘Process’ of your demise
The debt thrown into the debt pool is sketchy at best. Usually it is a photocopy of the original contract and some contact information. Usually the data will never include your payment history, any modifications, or even payoffs. Once it gets in the pool an attempt will be made to collect the debt sometime in the future.

This debt is never ending. It could be 15 to 20 years later and you will get a call from these ‘guys’ looking for the cash. Few of us keep records of payoffs or deals made with debtors for more than a year or so, and they use this against you as you can no longer prove you paid it or had a deal.

During this time, many lenders of secured and non secured debt are going bankrupt, selling your accounts to someone else, or being bought out by another company. In all that mess, your payoff will go missing, your written deal to pay less or be forgiven will disappear, and even your payment history will go missing.

All those messed up boxes and files get thrown into the debt pool. When they come a calling, do you have proof of all that happened to stop them from coming after you?

May sound easy
It may sound easy to have it all cleared up. A few phone calls, a fax or two of info. Or maybe you went bankrupt and can just send them the data? You could not be more wrong.

The best protection is to get everything in writing and keep copies of everything. Get a storage bin or a safety deposit box, or even store at a relatives. Keep at least two sets of EVERYTHING that you pay off or default on and any communications or payments.

In come the 'alleged' criminal debt collectors
Your first contact with them may be many years from now, but it will come. It will be a phone call or a letter. Once they contact you they will come after you fully armed with procedures to financially ruin you if need be to get the money. Even money you no longer owe.

To illustrate, look up on a search engine the term “Daniel Cadle” (in quotes) or “Jan Schlichtmann” with it. The Cadle company and its thousands of front companies are all over America going after people like you and me. You will find information that is quite scary. Texas has an arrest warrant out for Cadle if he steps into the state. These people are bad. Just mention them to a bankruptcy lawyer and you will see fear cross their face.

This is just one of many companies that you cannot stop. Even if you fight them in court and win they will just bring another front company up and come after you again. Win a judgment against them? Sure, but the company you have the judgment in has no assets. Their lawyers will bury you fast and furious and it will cost you a fortune to stop them.

They will file a judgment against you. I suggest going to that courtroom with a lawyer. If there already is a judgment or if they win one in your case, you are now in real trouble. They will come after your wages, cars, bank accounts, any and all assets. You can bet your life on it. Bankruptcy? Unless you are going chapter 7 and have nothing in assets, you are gonna find it near impossible to stop them.

Remember that movie with John Travolta, ‘A Civil Action’? His character Schlichtmann went bankrupt in the end. Years later, he received a payout from some later work he did on that same issue the movie was about. Cadle came after him. A ten year battle ensued. Word has it he got help from some Harvard lawyers. For ten years these lawyers battled this company. Eventually they went behind Cadle and bought the debt from the debt pool. Then Cadle still came after them.

Do you think you have a chance against them? This company is one of many, maybe all connected, that will do some bad things to get your debt. The old victims of Cadle website had horrible stories from people who were harassed and intimidated, all against the law, to get debt. In many cases debt that was not owed.

I do not owe anyone anything
You wish. You never know if something is not recorded properly or the final payment is registered correctly. An old debt you paid off from a collection agency may still be active. In ten years you will get a call or letter asking for the whole amount of the original loan.

Pay attention
Not paying attention to your mail can cause you to have some debt collectors with a court order at your door, with a tow truck, to take your cars for an old credit card debt from 15 years ago, that you paid off!

Protection
You can only protect yourself by keeping complete records and backups. Bankruptcy records too. Keep them all for as long as you live.

Why now?
Why bring this up now? This stuff has been going on for a while and the state attorney’s do little to stop it. Each is a nightmare, but it is a personal nightmare. Well, right now about 10 million people have issues with home mortgages. Millions laid off. It is getting bad for huge amounts of people right now.

This means, the future for these 'alleged' criminal debt collectors (Cadle is just one) is very bright. You can expect some job openings as they have about 20 million people’s records to go through for the next few decades. And just like Arnold’s character the ‘Terminator’ they will not stop until they get you. Ever. And with so many people in trouble, it looks to be a good decade or two for them.

Some thoughts
Always open mail. You will only receive one piece of paper that needs to be signed, that is usually the summons to go to court for the judgment against you. After that, they only have to send you a copy of any legal attempts they are doing (like going after wages or bank accounts or other assets).

A common thread seems to be a huge increase in letters from them that are junk, just ‘pay us’ stuff. Then slipped in that blizzard will be a letter saying you have 10 days to come before the judge or they can garnish your bank accounts. If you do not see that one letter, then you will first find out when your bank does a courtesy call to tell you 12,000 has been garnished. Good luck with that.

Always open the mail. If you see a collection company, look them up online right away. Or if you get a phone call from one, look them up online. The search results will usually be very helpful in finding out whether the collector is a regular and legit company. If you see a lot of bad stuff about the company, and lots of victims, you should probably think about a lawyer right away.

If you cannot go bankrupt to stop them (assuming they are really coming after you), then you should realize your assets may be taken from you. No bank account is safe. It would be wise to use a spouse’s accounts and make sure your name is not on them. This includes other assets too. They will not go away. If you have money, you can decide to fight them or pay them (even if you do not really owe anything). However, you will never see any money from them at court and agreeing to pay them usually gets you in more trouble as they will start going crazy with interest.

The judgment is the key, prevent that from happening and all they can do is illegal things to come after you. This is the best thing you can do. Most assets will be safe then, but you will still deal with intimidation and nightmare collections for a long time.

Write your state attorney general as soon as you hear from these people and they break any laws, or if they are going after debt you do not owe. Immediately. This will not really help, but if enough do it, it can cause the State Attorney to get off his or her fat [***] and actually do something to help consumers from these scumbags. My guess is the SA will do nothing though.

Pray you never get a call or letter from Cadle. That is an omen of doom for you. You can win every battle, but you will lose the war unless you can afford 10s of thousands of dollars for litigation.

http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read/173349

The same thing happened to me.  i got a call on my home number and my husband answered.  they told him that i have a case against me, and if i dont respond, i will be served papers at work, or home.  i called back and it was the same story.  i was told that i had an outstanding bill from 2000 and it is up to $1100.  but, if i paid now, i could pay the original balance of $195. i was in a panic, and also got into a screaming match.  these people can be very convincing.  total liars! do not trust them.  i asked the girl if she was an attorney, and she told me yes.  but she was talking to me very disrespectfully.  i asked her where her office was located, and where she went to law school, and she flipped, so i did too.  she actually hung up in me.  i called back immediatley, and someone else answered who admitted that she had lied.  he told me that she was a new assistant to the attorney.  when i asked to speak to the attorney directly, i was told i couldnt.  he hung up on me also, but tried to intimidate me, and tried to make me feel like i run up bills, and dont pay for them.  i told him my attorney would be in touch with him. BE CAREFUL!

are you able to sue them?  i am thinking about calling my attorney.  i also spoke to mrs walsh.  she was not professional at all.  I cant believe that they are able to get away with this.

Ur a [***] dummy if you guys would pay your bills then u wouldnt be called from collection agencies supposedly claiming law office

u guys are absolutely ridiculous and ludacris i understand the so called people claiming that the accounts are fraud and they never had an account that is understandable sometimes identity can happen and people get access to your information but for most of u u choose not to pay a debt just because it is several years old that is a horrible character that some of us portray what if your job owed u money or a client such as walmart or sears owed you money from 2 years 5 years or 10 years ago i guarantee u would hound them for it or at least ask people now a days try to get over on the system with fake statute of limitations and just simply deadbeat behavior if u owe a bill y wouldn't u pay for it especially when they offer u a sif of what the actual bill was or less u r fools and god will judge u in the future not a collection agency or friend or neighbor u must be able to look at yourself in the mirror after u lie

Why didn't you just go to court and tell the judge the debt was time barred? This site is good it helps people know what kind of SCUMBAG DEBT COLLECTORS are out there. Don't beleive anything you hear positive about a debt collector.They will steal your money worse than any theif out there.

Why didn't you use your legal leverage being the defendant means they have to prove everything they say.Go to court ask for the signed contract,all charge slips,and copies of every check you ever paid them.You are entitled by law to ask for these things.And first of all if they fail to attach your original signed contract to the lawsuit,they can not proceed.Guess what 90% of the time they don't have or can't get it.Stand up for something or fall for anything.

Hey smart one if you are so smart why are you on here you lost? Or maybe you are 1 of the Dumb [***] collectors

Have you ever called an attorney at 7PM? They are not Lawyers they are just good liars!By the way this is your president.I feel it is my duty to inform every tax payer out there DON'T PAY THESE [***] ANYTHING!God Bless America.

He didn't go to court because it's a fake post from one of their employees trying to scare people into giving up their legal rights.