Are You Being Called By Credit Associates, Inc.?*

Are you being called by Credit Associates, Inc.? You have rights you need to know about!

In the debt collection industry, unfair and illegal collection practices predominate. This is because unscrupulous collection agents are compensated according to how much money they bring in, and oftentimes are given bonuses for surpassing their monthly quotas.

Consequently, they will often do almost anything to get your money, even break the law.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, regulates what third party debt collectors may say and do while trying to collect a consumer debt. Activities that are now prohibited include:

• Swearing and calling you names
• Talking to uninvolved parties such as your friends, family, and co-workers about the debt
• Demanding an amount that is not supported by law or the original debt agreement
• Calling at inconvenient times, usually before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m.
• Calling someone at work after they’ve been advised that such calls are not allowed
• Claiming that you have committed a crime and threatening to call the police on you if you don’t pay

Company Profile: Credit Associates, Inc.

Credit Associates, Inc. is a debt collection office located in Bend, Oregon. It was established in 2000, has less than 10 employees, and is managed by its President, Wes Fisher. The Better Business Bureau assigned it a rating of B-.

Civil litigation files archived the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website suggest that many consumers who believed they were being harassed by Credit Associates, Inc. refused to pay and sought legal assistance in fighting back.

Alleged Violations against Credit Associates, Inc.

According to PACER, in or around 2015 Credit Associates, Inc. attempted to collect a medical debt debt by filing a claim against an Oregon resident. This alleged debt arose from his deceased wife’s cancer treatments.

He later claimed that the agency made false representations regarding service of process and unfairly attempted to collect interest on interest that he never agreed to pay and did not owe.

He asserted that misleading allegations made it impossible for him to intelligently respond to the claim.

Feeling harassed by Credit Associates, Inc., he hired a consumer attorney and sued the firm for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt
• Using harassing and oppressive means to collect a debt
• Using false, deceptive, and misleading means to collect a debt
• Attempting to collect an amount not supported by law or the original creditor agreement

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for this debt collection company are:

• 1-541-312-9176
• 1-877-694-2504

If the phone rings at your home or workplace and you see one of these numbers on your caller ID, be aware that you are being called by Credit Associates, Inc. If they file a collection suit against you that makes it impossible to mount an intelligent defense, hire a consumer attorney who can help you file a claim against Credit Associates, Inc.

If you win your case, you may be awarded $1,000 per FDCPA violation. When an unscrupulous debt collector tries to profit at your expense, the law can put them in debt to you instead.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 6:16-cv-01340-TC from the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, Eugene Division.

*Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be constructed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Credit Associates, Inc., or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.