855-306-7366

This company called me and tried to tell me I was going to be sued through my county in regards to a delinquent bill from like 6 years ago. I'm weary with any "collection" call so I made sure to request documents because from prior experience I've never received anything and that's always a red glad.
So I said sure.. Assuming it wouldn't arrive anyway.. But.
They sent me an email and even had
My credit report attached highlighting my debt. I believe I spoke with Mr Thomas in regards to this but he was accommodating.. There was some
Frustration through out the process..  but it I paid it off they sent verifications every time a payment was taken from my account. They also did end up getting it off my credit but it took longer than they said
so again I thought I was in trouble but all seemed to play out. They don't play around they have so much information it's almost hard to believe people have access to that all.. Like what cars I've owned.  my old addresses. My old employees. The worst was the call to my ex husband though. Other than that they were successful for me. Good luck though and know your rights

Well, I can tell you that you were just scammed.  I can tell you with certainty that what they did was against the law.  That is certainly not the way debt validation works.  They probably put that on your credit record, or they doctored the report up, because it would not come off even if you paid them.  I'm thinking you actually work for these crooks..

>> They sent me an email and even had
My credit report attached highlighting my debt  <<

Um ...
A phone call, email, text message or postcard from a supposed debt collector is not legally sufficient proof of debt.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) includes statements such as this:

Unless the original communication contained this specific information, 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.   ["Written" means snailmailed - US Mail ... not emailed or texted]

Source:
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0149-debt-collection

Therefore, if that caller wants you to pay immediately, before you get the written validation notice via snailmail, or if the caller wants payment via Green Dot, MoneyGram, Western Union, prepaid gift card or other untraceable means, then the call is definitely not legitimate.

REMEMBER THIS IF YOU FORGET ALL ELSE:
1.  Legally, THEY must prove you owe the debt (you do not have to prove to them that you do not owe the debt)
2.  They must prove they have a legal right to collect the debt
3.  They must send you snailmail with specific info within 5 days of the original contact, if you request that validation notice, or if that information was not provided on initial contact.  You have up to 30 days to reply to that letter.

IF you wish to communicate with the supposed collector / creditor, visit  the following page, for example "Action Letters" to snailmail:
http://www.consumerfinance.gov/blog/debtcollection/

If you KNOW you owe no money, or believe the call was from a fake debt collector, please take the time to read this:
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0258-fake-debt-collectors

~~~~~~~~
Please reply to this post, to let us know you read it, or have taken suitable actions to protect yourself.

} Other than that they were successful for me. Good luck though and know your rights

"Apart from the rude interruption, how did you enjoy the play, Mrs. Lincoln?"

You're amusing. If you knew your rights, F&M would be paying you, not the reverse.

A recurring theme in complaints against this debt collection agency (DCA) is the sending of credit report excerpts as proof of claim and/or response to a validation request. This is a very worn ruse which another DCA tried on me several years ago. That company imploded under the weight of a massive scandal and AG lawsuit before I could sue it myself. Anyhow, the credit report only proves that someone submitted information to the reporting agencies, not that what it says is true and not that the consumer owes money. The report is part of material the DCA already possesses when it commences collection, making it easy to simply tear off a copy and send it as "validation", a practice which the FTC denounced many years ago as noncompliant with the FDCPA.

You would also have us believe that a company's evident devotion to skiptracing and hassling people within or near your social circle proves that it's "serious" and will survive all disputes. You want your victims to think that rattling off a few points from the same credit report proves that your litigation threats must also be true. Don't even get me started on your "pay for delete" fairy tale.

We've seen all of the above stupid tactics before. Real debt collectors with valid claims have no need for such games. Thus I turn away from your misplaced "faith", your state of denial, and your "red glad". I prefer alstroemeria myself.

Foster & Monroe LLC has been previously linked to another Buffalo bully and may well be an alias of the same operation. Its reported names have been: Check Systems / Check Recovery Systems / Interchex Systems, LLC / American Mutual Holdings Inc. / Whitman & Meyers  (Check-Systems.com, Interchex.net, AMHInc.net) These are yet more payday loan collection thugs, who don't mind being confused for ChexSystems, a genuine consumer reporting agency for banks and lenders.

I don't buy your tale of woe, and I think you work for them.  By the way, Foster and Monroe do go to court, but as the DEFENDANT in various FDCPA cases, see below

https://dockets.justia.com/docket/new-york/nywdce/1:2017cv00172/110767
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/georgia/gandce/1:2016cv01299/226347
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/new-jersey/njdce/3:2015cv06261/323531
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/new-york/nyedce/1:2015cv00047/364811

http://fosterandmonroe.com/

FOSTER AND MONROE LLC
Address:
P.O. Box 1031
West Seneca, NY 14224
Phone:
844-822-4455
Fax:
716-202-5957

___________________________

BBB:
(855) 463-2233
Foster and Monroe
5 years in business
PO Box 1031
West Seneca, NY 14224

Fax Numbers

(716) 202-5957
Additional Phone Numbers

(855) 306-7366
(844) 822-4455
(716) 799-5074
See Less Contact Options
BBB File Opened: 09/01/2013
Business Started: 06/01/2012
Business Started Locally: 06/01/2012
Type of Entity
Limited Liability Company
Business Management
Mr. Joseph Kaufman, Manager
Business Category
Collection Agencies
This Business Is Not BBB Accredited
Foster and Monroe
B     BBB Rating System

ALERT

BBB has seen a major increase in collection agencies setting up businesses in the Upstate New York area over the past several years.  In an effort to keep consumers informed about which collection agencies are operating in accordance with Federal Law,  we are asking for specific information from all collection agencies operating in our service area.  The requests includes the following:

:Federal Employee Identification Number-EIN
:Proof Of Licensing, bonding and or registration by the city, town in which your business is located.
:Proof of licensing required by any state in which you operate by mail or telephone or email.

This collection agency has not responded to our requests.

BBB advises consumers to be aware of their legal rights in regard to collections.  The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is a statue enacted in 1978 which seeks to eliminate abusive and harassing behavior by any debt or collection agency.  The act states specific practices and rules under which debt collectors must abide by.  There are penalties for agencies found breaking these laws.  Some of these laws state that a collection agency is forbidden to harass a debtor, which includes threatening violence or legal action.  They may not use crude or offensive language or identify themselves as anyone other than by their business name.  If a consumer believes a debt or collection agency has violated any of the FDCPA laws the BBB encourages them to file complaints with the BBB at bbb.org and Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov.
________________________________

NYS Department of State
Division of Corporations
Entity Information
The information contained in this database is current through March 20, 2015.
Selected Entity Name: FOSTER AND MONROE LLC
Selected Entity Status Information
Current Entity Name:    FOSTER AND MONROE LLC
DOS ID #:    4417051
Initial DOS Filing Date:    JUNE 12, 2013
County:    ERIE
Jurisdiction:    NEW YORK
Entity Type:    DOMESTIC LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
Current Entity Status:    ACTIVE
Selected Entity Address Information
DOS Process (Address to which DOS will mail process if accepted on behalf of the entity)
FOSTER AND MONROE LLC
550 CENTER ROAD
WEST SENECA, NEW YORK, 14224
Registered Agent
NONE

They called my oldest daughter asking to speak with my youngest daughter said it was a federal loan that her boyfriend owed while in the military it’s been 4 years since he got out of the military what’s the delay seems kind of crazy to me. They also had my daughters address but told my oldest that they could not send anything in the mail because they were not given permission to do so. Well if it is really a federal debt the federal government does not contact you by phone they will do it by certified letter and also they don’t contact family members. Seems likely me a scam to me and these people will do anything and make anything up in order to get their payday.

I received a call from these people saying they can garish my wages for a past account. I paid them some money but now I’m scared this is fake

Yep, it is fake, it is a scam, and it has been covered in this thread, which is why you need to read the other posts.

So what happened after ? Same happened to us, we got our $ back our bank got it back and foster and Monroe kept calling back threading legal action.

JRD posted on 4 Sep 2013 and its doubtful they will ever read your reply. If you need legal advice, you might want to ask a lawyer for advice and not rely on anonymous internet users. Reading other posts after the one you replied to might be useful in understanding about calls others got from this number.

Never mind the misleading and shamless aliases above (the ones with the avatar beside their names) who join 800 Notes just to remove posts that expose these powerless and rude debt collectors, they fool no one.

This is a company trying to collect on ancient debts that have for the most part been written off and are way past the limitation for anyone in Canada or the US to collect legally. They could be breaking the law to try and collect on debts that have been written off. They are parasites, The rule of thumb: DON'T TALK TO THEM ABOUT ANYTHING AND NEVER RETURN THEIR CALLS. Better still get a Call blocker phone, to block numbers or telemarketers from calling you on your phone. They work great.

They cannot place these debts in any credit reporting agency and if they try do so you can sue them. Don't worry about them, they will eventually go away and try to find some other sucker to believe their lies and B.S. There are Statutes of Limitation in Canada and the US where the creditor is allowed to collect on bad debts. Beyond that there is nothing they can do. The Statute of Limitations basically allows the debtor to get a fresh start without having to go bankrupt. By the way, there have been many debt collection agencies that have gone bankrupt and stuck others with their bills.

The can call until they are blue in the face, they can leave messgaes, they can mail you letters but so long as you do not contact them, THEY CAN DO NOTHING the debt is so old!

DO NOT SPEAK WITH THEM, They are reptiles and have tricks to entrap you to pay almost pure profit on what they paid peanuts for. NOT A WORD, NO CALL BACK, NOTHING! They are losers and crooks, get a call blocker or speak with you lawyer if you want these powerless reptiles to stop calling, either works.

You are an Idiot & you are NOT an Attorney! Your grasp of lawful collection of debt is non-existent. Most of what you've stated is valid, with a couple of GLARING EXCEPTIONS! The regulars here are NOT affiliated with debt collectors in ANY way! We help people be aware of their rights every day. We are vastly more educated in debt collection laws & regulations than you will EVER be!
 When you made reference to ignoring letters, you made a fool of yourself & exposed yourself as an impostor. Ignoring a debt collection letter is the most foolish thing that a person could do, whether the debt is valid or not! I could go on. There's no need. Now run along & keep dreaming of being something better than you are. We've tired of your BS!
  Skeff Ett Liv!
   Gunnar

These people are scammers. They're bullies.