8004776441

I use to worked for a collection company that collected on "Deceased" business. I will not try and defend their actions because they ARE trying to collect the remainder of a credit card bill that was left behind by a loved one.
First: this is not a scam. Companies such as Phillips & Cohen, ERI, Omnium, West Asset Management, and Balough and Becker are legit companies contracted by the Banks that issued the Credit to collect on the debt. These debts are not purchased, but placed for a peeriod of time to try and get them resolved.
Second: If you are not a person who handled the final affairs, call them and tell them so. They will stop calling. Skip tracing tools are far more advanced and they are looking for "assumed family" they put you number on an auto dialer and will continue to call it until they are asked to not do so. It will only take 5 minutes of your time.

Finally: The responsibility for the debt depends on the situation. I will say that the company that I worked for's policy was to verify estate information, and if there was nothing to take care of the debt, to close the account and send it back to our client. I can not vouche for everyone, but it seems to be the policy for most. I hope this helped someone.

I'm sorry but I can't Agree with you on the Statements About all collection companies. To be honest not all are like that yeah you do have the ones who are but if you are contacted by a collection company just make sure whatever they are talking about is accurate. Do not just go ahead and pay something that you have no idea what it is about. Just do your research then decide on the next action. To add to what I am stating there is a company out there now who is contracted by new jersey division of taxation and they have the legal and authority right to place judgment on a taxpayer if they do what you just said to do which is disregard the company. So that concludes my statement that not all companies are lying when they state the facts about an account. JUST DO YOUR RESEARCH FIRST!

word to the wise, if you are the person taking care of the final affairs, and you DO NOT return the calls, you CAN BE HELD LEGALLY RESPONCIBLE!  Even if there is no money in the estate, or no estate at all...take the 5 minutes to call back. Most collectors are extremely professional.  FDCPA keeps collectors in line.  If they step out...they can get sued - PERSONALLY!  They aren't going to risk their jobs or their companys to upset you.  The collectors in the "D-care" units take it very seriously and will treat you with respect and dignity.  

Avoiding them WILL NOT MAKE THE CALLS STOP!

THERES THIS WOMAN NAMED ADENA I BELIEVE WHO SAYS SHES COLLECTING A DEBT FROM MY LATE GRANDMA WHO PASSED AWAY A YEAR AGO.SHE ALSO GAVE ME THE 800-477-6441 EXT.2199 NUMBER TOO. WELL SHE KEEPS CALLING SAYING SHES WANTING THE MONEY AND TOLD US TO SEND THE MONEY TO PHILLIPS&COHEN ASSOCIATES 258 CHAPMAN ROAD NEWARK DELAWARE 19702. WHAT SHOULD I DO CAUSE SHE KEEPS CALLING ABOUT THE MONEY.

My Mom recently passed away and had some credit card debt. Phillips and Cohen company Associates has been calling the senior living center where she lived and also the people who bought her home years ago. My mother did not have any estate or assets but this is very upsetting. They want to talk to me since I am in charge. There is not any money there. Just wanted to share my story, I intend on ignoring these people, and will talk to a lawyer if I have to.
This web page really helped me.It gets kind of scary.  They are telling people that they are either probate or dealing with probate. They are trying to scare them into infomation also.

Called about family members estate.  Called back, they sounded extremley suspect on the phone.  i did not give them any info.

After a debt is placed in Collections there is a thing called statute of limitations. Once the statute is expired, there is nothing the collection agency can do but charge off the bad debt. However, if you send them a payment, that will place the debt back in statute so by all means, if the debt is old, and the statute is expired, do not give them a dime. Typically it's 7 years from the date of service, but statutes vary by state, and by types of debt.

Also I would suggest recording all calls with collection agencies. If the collector steps over the lines and implies things that they cannot do, like ruin your credit, or utter profanities to you, or they forget to read you the Mini Moranda that "This is an attempt to collect a debt - any information obtain will be for that purpose."  

If you receive a letter and the font is not uniformed and they include bold lettering or fonts of different colors, like black and red text you can nail them for this. Not only can you get the debt written off, but you can also sue them for this FDCPA violation.

For a list of what collection agencies can and cannot do, please read up of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

At 8:45 PM on 1/7/08 a Katherine called about the estate of my mother, they worked fast on this one my mother passed 11/5/07, same message as the other people have reported. Am I going to call her back? NOT.

How do companies like this exist!!!!  How do they find this info so quickly???  I am being hounded for a bill from my late husband - - forget that the Trust Attorney is handling it!!!  This guy calls himself David Jenkins, and works for Phillips & Cohen Assoc.  I want him off my neck and have called the County District Attorneys Office and filed a complaint with the Consumers Affairs Div.

This guy is a Vulture and I want his wings clipped - as well as something else!!!

Thanks for letting me vent, it is hard enough to get through the day and who needs phone calls like this!!!

Maggie,
Sorry for your loss. Phillips and Cohen have NO business harassing you, if they are aware that you have an attorney:

§ 805.  Communication in connection with debt collection   [15 USC 1692c]

(a) COMMUNICATION WITH THE CONSUMER GENERALLY.  Without the prior consent of the consumer given directly to the debt collector or the express permission of a court of competent jurisdiction, a debt collector may not communicate with a consumer in connection with the collection of any debt --

(1) at any unusual time or place or a time or place known or which should be known to be inconvenient to the consumer. In the absence of knowledge of circumstances to the contrary, a debt collector shall assume that the convenient time for communicating with a consumer is after 8 o'clock antimeridian and before 9 o'clock postmeridian, local time at the consumer's location;

(2) if the debt collector knows the consumer is represented by an attorney with respect to such debt and has knowledge of, or can readily ascertain, such attorney's name and address, unless the attorney fails to respond within a reasonable period of time to a communication from the debt collector or unless the attorney consents to direct communication with the consumer; or

(3) at the consumer's place of employment if the debt collector knows or has reason to know that the consumer's employer prohibits the consumer from receiving such communication.

If David Jenkins isn't aware (or pretends he 'doesn't know') that your late husband's affairs are being handled by the trust attorney, send him a letter VIA Certified Mail (with return receipt requested) with his/her name, address and tell him to 'DROP DEAD'! If he keeps harassing you after you have written proof he has received it, he and his boss(es) can face fines of up to $1,000 PER violation.

Good luck...and keep us posted. Bottom line is...you should NOT be having to deal with these locusts. That job belongs to your attorney.

Thank you so much for your research and the sharing of it. I was just trying to decide if I should call back. I have no clue who this person they mentioned is, was or whatever. I have had a few calls, Tamara new my name and left a ref#. Yeah, right...Thanks again.

My step father: that is, my mother's second husband who never adopted me, passed away nine months ago.  I got a call from Mr. Alderman regarding the estate of my late step father.  The caller gave his name, a return number and a reference number.  I had to listen to the message several times to understand his name, and he never identified the name of the company from which he is calling.  I do not know how this company even got my number.  I live across the country from where he resided,  I have been married for eighteen years, and my maiden name is not that of my step-father's, as he was never my legal guardian.

i'm sorry maggie & alfalfa but i recieved a call from mr david jenkins jan, 29, 08 regarding my late wife's credit card that we were making pymnts on..he was very proffesional & caring explaining to me the purpose of the call and why it is in his companies office. i felt that it is his job to contact us bieng hired by the bank that me and my wife retained credit from. not only did i resolve the acct with him he promptly faxed over    documentation i asked for & sent a release letter to me releasing us from this debt. i'm currently recieving calls from another collection agency and they are not as helpful and quiet disrespectful...i wish that acct of mine and my late wife's was in his possesion as well i'v had a wonderfull experince with this comp particularly mr jenkins!!!...good job ....satisfied consumer

Glad you had a positive experience with Mr. Jenkins, Daniel. That's the way they are SUPPOSED to conduct business.

My mom passed away 3/19/06 she left no will, no life insurance, no assets...only debts.  My grandmother has been complaining about someone who continues to call her house looking for information about my mother's affairs--this upsets her so bad and she refuses to give up the info.  Tonight I was visiting my grandparents and I told my grandmother that I wish they would call while I was there.  I got my wish. About 6:30pm the call came in, they asked to speak to the person handling the estate of my mother, so I got on the phone.  Ms Ellis asked for my name and relation to the deceased.  She then asked if there was a will, I said no.  She asked if there was a life insurance policy, I said no.  She asked if she was married, I said no.  She asked if she left an estate, I said no. She then asked me about my mom's address and the house there.  I told her it was reposessed.  She then said that her credit report showed the house had been paid in full and no repo showed on the report.  I asked for the name of the mortgage company..she said Wells Fargo.  She then asked about an open account with GMAC that was opened in May of 2001.  At that point I asked if she was sure she had the right person b/c my mother didn't have her mortgage with Wells Fargo and she did not purchase a vehicle in 2001.  She verified the ss# and dob and went on to ask me if she may have purchased the car for one of her kids...duh..I'm her kid..NO.  Then she started to tell me that they are attempting to get the debt cleared so they did not have to open up a claim against the estate, and asked how I would like to clear it up.  I said there is no estate and no means to pay this debt, the information you are giving me from her credit report is not correct, you can go get the house if you want, but you will have to kick out the people that have since purchased it from the correct mortgage company!!  She attempted yet again to ask me if there was anyone that could loan me the money to repay the debt, but I cut her off midsentence and said there is no money to pay this, please remove this number from your records and do not call this house again!  She stated I had to send in a letter in order for them to remove the number...NO problem I say, give me your info... I was given a reference # and 258 Chapman Rd Suite 205 Newark, DE 19711 she also gave me the original creditors name (Providian) along with the cc# and the date the account was opened and last paid on.  At one point early in the conversation she stated that her mother passed away in November 2005, I so wanted to ask her if she had to repay her mother's debts, but I refrained!!  I will gladly send this lady a letter to remove the phone number from her list and after that will wash my hands of this mess until they surface again!!  Afterall I didn't spend the money, I'll be darned if I'll repay it in this lifetime!!

You've been duped into giving out all that personal information
to the Scammer.
open up a claim against the estate - tell me just HOW they
were going to do this without all the information
Before talking to you?
If they have to ask, they don't need to know.
they were phishing for information of anything,
trying to figure out how to steal money off you.

that bit about her mother dying in 2005.
Oh please, thats the sympathizer scam, saying
"my mom died too, Im in or was in the same situation as you
so Talk to me" and You bought it.

also everyone knows or should know that
Delaware is Scam Capital USA.
It has more scams there than any place else.

Also if they could do something, they would,
and not just call and call hoping someone will
give them FREE information.
You don't have to tell them [***].

To "Collector"
Thats just Bull [***] scare tactics.
Legally responsible for what? I also noticed you cannot
even spell. You can't do much on expired old debt thats past
the statue of limitations, no matter who it belongs too.
also its not a crime to owe a bill.
And why do they need to ask for so much information?
If they were Legit, they would already have that info.

Furthermore they are just looking for easy targets
who will give them free information. You Never legally
have to give out info, unless you are summons to court
and a Judge orders you to or you go to jail for contempt of court.
other than that, No free info!
you never have to give out info on the phone.
even if they show up at your door, you Never have to give info.
Only in a Court of Law, Judge Ordered, is only way of getting info.
And I doubt it would go that far. because they want
free easy targets.

No free info people! If they are going to do something,
make them fight for it. make them waste time and money
taking you to court, first wasting time and money hiring a
private investigator to try and find out the info
you will not give them, let them try and find out whose
over the estate, what their name is, where they live,
phone number, address, etc.. make them work hard for it!
for every bit of it! Dont give them free info!

"if you are the person taking care of final affairs
and you do not return the calls, you can be held
legally responsible"

First You have to PROVE the person in charge
actually received such a phone call and Knows about
or acknowledges it. wheres the proof of such contact?
they can say, You never contacted me, thats not even
my phone number, or I dont have a phone.
You never called.

also no one has to tell you [***] on the phone anyway
or anywhere else for that matter,
except in court.

also old debts that are pass the statue of limitations
are legally uncollectable and the Courts cannot be used
to get you to pay.

I just finished typing a letter to these people asking them to remove my grandparents phone number from their records and to stop the harrassing calls and that if they fail to do so I will report them to the appropriate authorities.  I've visited their website to get their fax number and these people have offices all over the place.  I will take the letter somewhere that I can not be traced back to and fax it, as well as mail it to them.  My poor grandparents shouldn't have to deal with these heartless individuals!!  I hope this puts a stop to it soon!!