Is Federal Bond and Collection Service calling you? Here’s what you need to know.
When money problems get out of hand, the stress can be unbearable. Once debt collectors start calling to collect delinquent accounts, the situation becomes a nightmare, especially if the collector is rude or demanding in their payment demands.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is in place to protect consumers from hostile and unethical third-party debt collection practices. This law, passed in 1977, regulates the ways that debt collectors can seek payments, and imposes strong penalties on those who cross the line.
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Under the FDCPA, collectors are not permitted to do the following:
- Call you at inconvenient times, primarily before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. your time
- Call you at your place of employment if your boss does not allow such calls
- Yell or use obscene language
- Threaten legal action they are not in a position to take, such as garnishing your wages or having you arrested
- Keep calling you even after you request that they stop
- Discuss the debt with anyone except you, your attorney, and your spouse
Alleged Violations against Federal Bond and Collection Service, Inc.*
One debt collector who has often been accused of disregarding the FDCPA is Federal Bond and Collection Service, Inc., which was formed in 1982 and changed its name to Financial Business and Consumer Solutions, Inc in 2014. The company currently has over 120 associates divided between its Hatboro, PA and North Cape May, NJ, locations.
In November 2013, an Ohio resident, received a voicemail from a Federal Bond and Collection Service, Inc. debt collector asking her to return their call regarding her “fraudulent checks”. When the plaintiff returned the call, the collection agent who answered allegedly failed to identify the name of the company and that they were a debt collector calling to collect a debt. Representatives also allegedly refused to provide the plaintiff with information regarding to whom the debt was owed.
Instead, they would only tell her that they were collecting the debt because it was “too old” to collect in Ohio. In addition, they allegedly threatened to garnish her wages if the debt was not paid.
The plaintiff’s attorney drew up a complaint accusing Federal Bond and Collection Service,Inc. of the following FDCPA violations:
- Engaging in behavior calculating to harass, oppress, or abuse her (15 U.S.C. § 1692d)
- Placing calls without disclosing the identity of the debt collection agency (15 U.S.C. § 1692d(6))
- Using false, deceptive and/or misleading representations or means in connection with collection of the debt (15 U.S.C. § 1692e)
- Threatening the plaintiff with wage garnishment if the debt was not paid (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(4))
- Failing to inform her that communications were an attempt to collect a debt (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(11))
- Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt (15 U.S.C. § 1692f)
The matter was later dismissed.
The phone number for Federal Bond and Collection Service, Inc is 1-800-220-2018. If this number appears on your caller ID, a debt collector is trying to contact you about money you allegedly owe. If they fail to identify themselves as debt collectors or threaten you with arrest or wage garnishment if the debt is not paid, you can report them to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, and/or your state attorney general’s office.
You should also contact an attorney with FDCPA litigation experience. If Federal Bond and Collection Service, Inc. violates your rights, you may be compensated up to $1000 per FDCPA violation, plus attorney’s fees and court costs.
*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is 2:14-cv-00579-LS, from United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Federal Bond and Collection Service, Inc. or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.