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Jul 28, 2005 -- Scavenger collectors breaking the law

Have you heard of “debt buyers?” Clark likes to refer to them as scavenger collectors because what they do is wrong. These people go to a credit card company or bank and buy that organization’s outstanding debt. They then contact people who owe the debt and threaten people to pay it back. Some even steal the money directly from your bank account. It’s unbelievable criminal behavior and it’s going on everywhere. According to the FTC, complaints about these unsavory debt collectors have jumped from 13,000 to 60,000 this year. It’s the No. 1 consumer complaint to the FTC right now. They tell people that they owe money on debts that aren’t really theirs. They seek out people with the same name as the actual person who owes the money and scare them into paying money they don’t owe. Another tactic is to contact relatives of the deceased who owed money. They claim it’s your responsibility to pay the debt, which is not true. It’s obviously an industry that is out of control. When you get a call from these people, remember that you do not have to pay the debt. They are not allowed to threaten you verbally or physically, and they can’t use underhanded tactics to get money out of you. It’s illegal. Collectors operate under the law of the jungle and you have to reign them in. You must tell these people that they can’t contact you unless you allow it. But you have to put it in writing. And when they call you, record the message. That is the proof you need to show they have broken the law. And, never ever give a collector your bank account numbers or credit card numbers. It’s time for the federal government go after the scavenger collectors who have infested the collection industry. But until that happens, it’s up to you to put them in their place. Get a copy of Clark's drop dead letter here.

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What others are saying

  • old bill
    lately i have been recieving old bills from 1986eft on them. both bills are higher than what was left on them. one started that if i dont pay by the 30th more money will be added on it everytime i ignore it. also im getting strange 800 number calls during the day. everytime i answer, no one answers. these bills are from 1980's it's now 2009...
  • New twist on scavenger debt collectors
    A 3rd party debt collector, I guess, from Norfolk, VA, company name Portfolio Recovery Associates, contacted the IRS in Philadelphia, PA,(I live in Kansas) and the IRS there sent me 16 or so page letter saying I had a notice of deficiency for my 2006 Federal taxes. Portfoilio said they cancelled a credit card debt of $7,591.00 Leaving out a lot of details, apparently this was an old debt which the Portfolio company bought and somehow they filed forms with the IRS, I ignored all of it because the statute of limitations for credit card debt in Kansa is 3 years. So from 2001 to 2008 is 7 years. hmmm.
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