941-379-1954

Have had the same problem as all of you...think I will try peerless's suggestion! I just usually hit the talk button then immediatly hit the end call button

Scarborough Research called about 3pm today.  I did not answer as caller ID said "Out of Area" and had no idea who it was.  They did leave message that they wanted my "valuable" assistance with a  radio listener survey.  Left me a number (800-763-6043) to call if I wanted to take the survey without having to wait for them to recall me.  Like I'm really going to do that.

Makes you think its a Scarbrough Restaurant (hense "Scarbrough Res" that appears on caller ID). I screen ALL phone calls that I get on my home phone...Unless, I reconize the number, and feel like talking, thats the only time I pick up phone. What they will have to learn is no matter how many times they may attempt to call, I will NEVER pick up phone when I see their number/name show up on my caller ID.

Like previously stated, its a survey business, out of Florida. If they are calling you, and you found this site, DO NOT ANSWER PHONE.

We have received several calls from "Scarborough Research". Each time it has been a different person.  We have repeatedly informed the caller that we don't wish to talk to them - for any reason.  Alternatively we have either not answered the phone of immediately hung up.

Nothing helps.  The caller id doesn't always show "Scarborough research" - sometimes (mostly, really) it just shows the number - different numbers.

Could it be that "Scarborough Research" has a list (or lists) of numbers which they sell to idiots who think they are going to make money "working at home".  It seems to me to be a logical extension of the "work at home and get rich in your spare time" scam.

i keep getting calls constantly i asked them to take my number off their list very annoying!!!!

They just called me 3 times in a matter of 5 minutes.  I didn't answer the phone either time.  I called their number, 800-753-6043 and told them I was President Barack Obama and to STOP calling me.

I wrote down Robert Cohen home # 914-763-0612. WONDER IF HE WOULD LIKE A CALL AROUND 3 OR 4 AM - NICE WAKE UP CALL!  It would be worth the dime!!!!!!

The Federal Trade Commission signaled on Monday that it would continue to crack down on debt collectors who harass consumers for money they may not even be legally obligated to pay.

In the second-largest penalty ever levied on a debt collector, the F.T.C. said that Asset Acceptance, one of the nation’s largest debt collection companies, had agreed to pay a $2.5 million civil penalty to settle charges that the company deceived consumers when trying to collect old debts.

The settlement is part of a broader effort to patrol the industry, agency officials said. The commission said it had pursued eight cases related to debt collection companies over the last two years.

“Our attention to debt collection has increased over the past couple of years because the complaints have been on the rise,” said J. Reilly Dolan, assistant director for the F.T.C.’s division of financial practices.

Consumer complaints about debt collection companies consistently rank as the second-highest category among all complaints at the agency, behind identity theft. But in 2010, complaints jumped 17 percent to 140,036, which represented 11 percent of all complaints in the commission’s database, up from 119,540, or about 9 percent of complaints, in 2009.

Asset Acceptance, based in Warren, Mich., was charged with a variety of complaints, including failing to tell consumers that they could no longer be sued for failing to pay some debts because the debts were too old. The company’s collectors also failed to inform consumers that paying even a small portion of the amount owed would revive the debt — in other words, making a payment would extend the amount of time the collector could legally sue.

Debt collectors have only a certain number of years to sue consumers. The statute of limitations varies by state, but typically ranges from two to 15 years, Mr. Dolan said, beginning when a consumer fails to make a payment. But borrowers often do not realize that making a payment on the old debt may restart the clock.

Among other things, the complaint also contended that the company — which buys unpaid debts for pennies on the dollar from credit card companies, health clubs and telecommunications and utility providers and tries to collect them — reported inaccurate information about the consumers to the credit reporting agencies. It also said that Asset Acceptance failed to conduct a reasonable investigation when it was notified by one of the credit agencies that a debt was being disputed. Moreover, the complaint says that the company used illegal collection practices and that it continued to try to collect debts that consumers disputed even though the company failed to verify that the debt was valid.

The proposed settlement with Asset Acceptance requires the company to tell consumers whose debt may be too old to be collected that it will not sue. It also requires the company to investigate disputed debts and to ensure it has a reasonable basis for its claims before going after the consumer. It is also barred from placing debt on credit reports without notifying the consumer.

The penalty “is certainly a slap on the wrist and probably a little bit more, but it really depends on what the F.T.C. does to enforce this in the coming months and years,” said Robert Hobbs, deputy director at the National Consumer Law Center and author of “Fair Debt Collection” (National Consumer Law Center, 1987). But “it is a great step forward. It is not self-enforcing, and it has a mechanism for the F.T.C. to follow up.”

Still, while the settlement requires the company to take more responsibility for checking the statute of limitations before it contacts consumers, he said most states did not require debt collectors to do that. That means it is up to consumers to know the rules on the statute of limitations, which, he said, can be “an enormously complex legal question.”

In a statement, Asset Acceptance said that the settlement ended an F.T.C. investigation that began nearly six years ago, and that the company did not admit to any of the allegations. “We are pleased to have this matter behind us, and to have clarity on the F.T.C.’s policies and expectations of the debt collection industry,” said Rion Needs, president and chief executive of Asset Acceptance.

In March, another leading debt collection company, West Asset Management, agreed to pay $2.8 million, the largest civil penalty ever levied by the F.T.C., to settle charges that its collection techniques violated the law. The commission charged that West Asset’s collectors often called consumers multiple times a day, sometimes using rude and abusive language, about accounts that were not theirs. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the F.T.C. now share enforcement authority for debt collection companies, though the new bureau has a power that the F.T.C. did not: it can write new rules for debt collectors. But F.T.C. officials said that debt collection enforcement would remain a top priority.

THIS IS A SCAM NUMBER - FIRST THEY ARE COMMITTING FRAUD AS CALLER ID IS SHOWING NAME AS FIRST BANK- SECOND HOW THEY GOT MY NUMBER I HAVE NO IDEA- THIRD HAVE NO IDEA WHO THE PERSON IS THEY ARE ASKING FOR AND NO I AM NOT IN DEBT OR HAVE EVER BEEN IN COLLECTIONS AND OWN MY HOME AND CAR FREE AND CLEAR AND DO NOT USE CREDIT CARDS - I AM 74 YRS OLD - GLAD TO SEE THEY ARE INVESTIAGTING THESE COMPANIES AND LEVING HEAVY FINES - The FTC alleged that West Asset Management, Inc. violated the FTC Act and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act when collecting debts from consumers.


Here are some of the ways West Asset Management allegedly violated federal law:

Calling consumers multiple times each day, often regarding accounts that did not belong to them

Using abusive or rude language

Telling third parties about debtor's debts

Contacting consumers after receiving written notification instructing them to cease contact

Withdrawing funds from consumers' bank accounts or charging their credit cards without consent
 

Falsely telling debtors that they would be sued, arrested, or have their property seized if they didn't pay the debt

Deceptively claiming that partial payments would settle debts in full, and

Claiming that negative information would stay on the debtor's credit reports until debts were paid

The FTC enforces the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and maintains information about debt collection complaints, which it compiles into an annual report to Congress. The FTC received 88,190 FDCPA complaints about third-party debt collectors in 2009.


The $2.8 million civil penalty is the largest civil penalty the FTC has obtained in a debt collection case. While that fine may send a significant message to the industry about the importance of following federal law when collecting debts, it will not help individual debtors harmed by unfair debt collection tactics. Consumers who believe West Asset Management broke the law in attempting to collect debts from them should consider consulting a consumer law attorney. Under the FDCPA they may be entitled to damages as well as attorney fees.

I was receiving calls every couple of days.  This man called one night 9:45 pm and woke me up and I lost it. He called again tonight and I told him to remove my phone number and he hung up on me.  I blocked the phone number on my phone.  Just hit *60 and follow the prompts.  Not sure if it will work since I just did it, but we'll see.

Persist in calling even though I've told them not to call again, that my number is on the do-not-call list and that I'm reporting them.  They just keep talking.  We normally don't answer their calls; when we don't they will frequently call again in a few minutes.  Very annoying outfit.

got the website name on this tool and called them and had my number removed...we will see

Is this an insider's tip? Thank you!

scammers - file a crimminal complaint with ph company for stalking and harrassing

Received a call from this number today. They left no message; the caller ID said unknown caller. I sent them an email asking to be removed from the calling list. We'll see if it works.

Caller ID said "Florida."  I let this ring over to answering machine--no message left.
Call came at 9:45pm EDT.  I do not believe telemarketing calls are supposed to be made this late.

They keep calling its so annoying I wanna find them

Our calls started coming tonight at 10:00pm. That is rediculous to be calling and harassing someone this late at night. Having elderly parents and grown kids and grands we panic when we get a call this late in the evening.

We are on the do not call list, and I am curious as to how in the world they got our number.
This is insane for sure.

no one is calling and harassing any of you...they are calling to do a survey, not sell you something...but no, you [***] and moan like babies. Take 10 minutes, do a survey, make a few bucks. Then you get no more calls.
And for those talking about the do not call list... it is for telemarketers...Scarborough doesn;t try to tell you anything... so they are not regulated by the DNC registry.
There isa way to stop the calls after just one call, without doing the survey.But I am not going to tell you what it is. Firstly because I do not believe you deserve to know. And secondly, because I enjoy seeing you whine like little babies

Reviewed their website. Found some interesting info that may help get them to eventually stop!
They are members of the ”Better Business Bureau”. Although no business likes to be reported to the BBB, it is more upsetting to members. While I believe their website lists their name as ”Scarborough Surveys” , they are listed with the ”Better Business Bureau” as ”Scarborough Research Operations Center”. They are listed as having two (2) offices in New York and four (4) offices in Florida and can you believe this, they are rated at A+ !!!! Unbelieveable!!! It is vital that as many people as possible contact the BBB about them ASAP. Please have all details ready, if possible dates and or times and amounts of calls. Be honest, but stress how frequently they call and how late at night. For some of you the rude things they have said. If you have the phones numbers they called from. Give as much info as possible. Also, they are members of the ”Council of American Survey Research Organizations” and the ”Market Research Association”. Look these places up and complain too!!!