866-907-6832

Collection Agency

Collection agency calling for person that has never lived here. Says they have to have file# to look it up then hung up on me.  I called back and left message for no return calls at my number.  I am on Do Not Call List.

Received a phone message asking for the person that was handling the affairs of the late Carol Thompson to please call Phillips & Cohen Associates about an important matter.  We have had the same phone number for several years and do not know a Carol Thompson dead or alive....we believe this is some type of phishing ploy.  After reading the comments left by others, we will NOT be returning their phone call.

Listen to the message left on my phone. I've removed my name and reference number from the clip.
http://www.mediafire.com/?9dim4oqalmm

Here's a transcript of the called. The caller ID showed PRIVATE CALLER.

CALLER: This is Ms. [somebody] calling from Phillips & Cohen Associates. Today is September 21st. Unfortunately this message is being recorded as strict notification for the expedition of reference number 613-39##. Failure to contact my office in the next 24 hours but will be deemed as your direct refusal to fulfill your contract (or credit contract) with our client and will result in a claim being filed against you.  The number here is  1-866-907-6832 and my extension is 4617. If you plan on handling this situation a voluntary basis, I do require a return phone call. And the number again is 1-866-907-6832 and the extension again is 4617.

"Dean" from 1-866-907-6832 called looking for my brother who hasn't lived here for years, claiming the matter was private - I asked what the matter was, he hung up.  He's called several times since then, and I'd like to find out where this prick lives and pay him a little "visit".

Phillips and Cohen are debt collectors, NOT lawyers and they can't DO anything except pester and threaten you.  They're too stupid to do anything else.

You'll find a name and address at www.budhibbs.com.

You'll also find this:

West Virginia Sues New Jersey Bill Collector

Congress may have severely toughed bankruptcy laws, to the detriment of consumers, but state officials in West Virginia say bill collectors can't threaten and harass debtors. State Attorney General Darrell McGraw is taking an out of state collection agency to court, saying it may have violated West Virginia law.

McGraw has filed suit to compel Phillips & Cohen Associates, Ltd., a New Jersey collection agency, to comply with the Attorney General's investigative subpoena.

The Attorney General began investigating Phillips & Cohen's' debt collection practices after receiving complaints from consumers that it was threatening consumers with jail, discussing the alleged debts with persons other than the consumers, and attempting to collect money for debts that have already been paid.

Phillips & Cohen is not registered to do business in West Virginia and has not posted a bond, a requirement for all collection agencies doing business in the state.

"Rogue collection agencies will not be allowed to harass and threaten West Virginia consumers," McGraw said. "Any consumers who receive repeated telephone calls from debt collectors or have debt collectors threaten them with jail or criminal prosecution should contact my Consumer Protection Division."

Story from www.consumeraffairs.com


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*********** CONSUMER WARNING: *********** EXTORTION IS A FELONY IN ALL STATES. IF A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTS IT, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL POLICE OR THE FBI. GIVE THEM THE NAME, PHONE NUMBER AND EXTENSION OF THE DEBT COLLECTOR COMMITTING THE CRIME.

"Extortion" (noun): obtaining money or property by threat to a victim's property or loved ones, intimidation, or false claim of a right (such as pretending to be an IRS agent). It is a felony in all states, except that a direct threat to harm the victim is usually treated as the crime of robbery. Blackmail is a form of extortion in which the threat is to expose embarrassing, damaging information to family, friends or the public.

See also: blackmail robbery theft


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CEO Matthew Phillips is a loser for allowing his goons to grease their pockets with so many FDCPA violations. This (non-law firm) collection agency appears to be a cess-pool of misfits and lawbreakers that prey on consumers with their lawlessness. NEVER give them any information on your bank/credit accounts, or post-dated checks. YOU WILL REGRET IT!!

I received a voicemail message citing a name I did not recognize. This representative asked me to "let him know when I saw him" and that he was a neighbor of mine. Is it legal for collection agencies to call the neighbors of people they are trying to collect from?

Ms. Parker from Collection Agency Phillips & Cohen Associates is calling
3 times a week in the morning, afternoon and evening  for a person that never lived here and we don't know who he is.The message is being recorded as strict notification for expedition of refrence # 117####. "Failure to contact their  office in the next 24 hours will be deemed as a direct refusal to fulfill contract with client, and will result in a claim being filed against him".
The number to call back is 1-866-907-6832 Ext 4578. "If you plan on handling this situation on a voluntary basis, I do require a return phone call, and the number again is 1-866-907-6832 ext 4578".
I called back and they are unable to find my telephone number in their data base . They were arrogant and did not allow me to talk to a manager in order to remove my phone number from their data base.
I filed a complain with Consumer Affairs and NY State Atterney General.

Here's a lot of information about these crooks:  http://www.budhibbs.com/debtcollectorpages/phillips_cohen_collection_agency.htm

By the way, if they left threatening messages like the one you quoted here, then they broke federal law in a major way. (It's illegal for a debt collector to threaten a course of action that it has no intention of undertaking or has no power to undertake. It's also illegal for a debt collector to disclose to a third party information about the consumer's account.)  In my opinion, that message they left also constitutes extortion.

If the calls continue, I suggest you inform them to stop the calls. And if they don't, sue them for fun and profit. Here are some websites with advice on dealing with outlaw debt collectors and, if need be, suing them:

http://www.budhibbs.com/First.htm
http://www.naca.net/debt-collection-abuse/
http://www.fairdebtlawyers.com/
http://www.myfairdebt.com/
http://www.consumercounselgroup.com/

This person calls several times a day (my phone at work). His messages include his name (which I didn't catch), his phone extension and the company name of Philips and Kohn (correct spelling unknown). He doesn't say what type of company it is

My daughter does not live in my home and this company repeatedly calls for her despite my telling the company that. I have also told them not to call me anymore but this request is ignored.  I am on the do not call list and do not want to be harassed anymore by Phillips & Cohen!
Their illegal practices must stop!

I have received several calls and my caller id always says "Unavailable". Well this morning, I beleive they broke the law in regards to calling. The called and left me a message at 7:45 am! I will be writing a letter the Attorney Generals office today.

i am an ex-manager of phillips & cohen and let me tell you something about them. They will rip you off every chance they get. I was involved with customer after customer that had given permission to Phillips & Cohen to withdraw payments from their personal checking account and that Phillips & Cohen have taken several unauthorized payments from them and refuse to reimburse them for any overdraft fees they caused. In one particular case they hit a womens checking account 6 days in a row for $300 costing her several hundred dollars in overdraft fees and withdraws the bank actually covered and no one at the company will speak to her at all. She calls in and she is passed around from person to person until someone just hangs up on her. They are not a credible company and i wouldnt trust them at all.

I worked at Phillips and cohen ass. U think they treat dtrs bad ha they treated us worse they even call and harass soldiers and their family that's bull....neways they break so many laws.....keep up the suits;)

Recieved a call/v-mail from a Norvia, (sounded like The Godfather Marlon would be proud!!) Tried to find the address to send a verification letter and went to muy secretary of state and found they had been registred, then they were revoked, then granted status again after getting things straight with the dept of revenue, and in the past year, they have changed the registered agents address, and chaged the registered agent to CT Corporations (which is nothing but a registered agent company for sleaze bags like these guys).  They call about a debt listed with another firm, so they are both trying to double dip.

Neeless to say, my lawyer will be having some fun soon.

A Miss Watkins from Phillips & Cohen keeps leaving me messages almost everyday looking for someone Ive never heard of, says it has to do with an estate settlement. The number on my caller ID says 714 whenever they call. Ive called back several times and never gotten to speak to anyone. Ive left messages saying dont call me back to no avail.
Lately the messages left by Phillips & Cohen and have more aggressive and a little threatning. After reading what everyone has written about Phillips & Cohen and my own experience thus far I wouyld say DONT CALL THEM BACK CALL YOUR LOCAL TELEPHONE COMPANY TO REPORT THEM.

I think Philips and Cohen uses different numbers.  I called back Ms. Jenkins at 866-504-5612 at ext. 2300 because she left a message that she would work with me.  I called back to offer $50/month to pay back my debt.  Instead she wanted $250 or $404 or half of $2560 which would be the settlement of my $10,000 debt with Advanta (the most evil business card in the U.S.)  I found it very odd that they would settle for so little - but I have already paid Advanta over $10,000 in interest anyway.  I told her I didn't have the amount she wanted and she kept badgering me to find the money by calling friends and relatives and even going door to door to ask neighbors.  She asked me if I was refusing to pay and I said, I'm not refusing, I just can't pay.  So I told her that I completely supported her in pursing a lawsuit against me and that at the hearing I would speak to the judge.  She hung up.  And after that someone completely different called and left a message for me to call back by noon.  A different person calls me every day from that company.  After reading the other comments, I'm glad I have not given them my account information.  Lucky for me they were too stupid to take my $50 offer.  Thank you everyone for your comments.

Jean,
Did you settle on your Advanta account?  I owe over 10,000 and have gotten calls from Philips and Cohen because the payment is now very late and into collections.  Since Advanta has closed all of its accounts, I'm not sure what to do.  I don't want to deal with Philips and Cohen, as I feel they are just not professional and really stupid.  I don't feel comfortable giving them any financial information.  The Advanta website had an offer to reduce my APR to 16.99 if a payment was made by June 10, but I just read that that is the day all accounts are closed.  What did you finally do?

personally guaranteed a business card with Advanta.
I spoke to someone from this "firm" Philips & Cohen. The debt is
$12,000 and they said they would settle for $10,000 and had to be
paid today. Told them that was impossible so they said by 6:00
eastern they would advise their client,Advanta to sue the llc and
me. I offered payments,whatever I could do and they said no,had to
be the settlement that day.  Not trying to shirk any responsibility,
just broke right now! Any advice.

Out of the blue this company Philip & Cohen calls saying my father owes 9000.00 dollars on a credit card. My dad passed away five years ago!! I was floored to say the least. They said they could settle. What rights do I have?