Is Accelerated Receivables Management Inc. Calling You?*

Is Accelerated Receivables Management Inc. calling you?* Here’s what you need to know.

Falling behind on your bills is a stressful experience that is made even worse when debt collectors start calling. Many of them try to scare you into paying by threatening lawsuits, using abusive language, or hounding you night and day. If this happens to you, be aware that the collector is breaking the law, and you have the right to fight back.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

In September 1977 the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, was enacted after complaints about vicious, bullying debt collectors reached an all-time high. It placed restrictions on third-party collection agencies by making it illegal to do any of the following while collecting or attempting to collect a debt.

• Telling you that you have committed a crime and will be arrested if you don’t pay the debt
• Trying to collect an amount inflated by ‘service fees’
• Calling your friends, relatives, and neighbors and discussing your debt with them
• Calling you before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. in your time zone
• Failing to identify themselves as debt collectors in each communication
• Swearing and yelling at you

Company Profile: Accelerated Receivables Management Inc.

Accelerated Receivables Management Inc. is a collection agency located in Jacksonville, Florida. It was founded in 1997, has 10 to 19 employees, and is managed by its President, Francine Landau. Records on file at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website confirm that Accelerated Receivables Management Inc. has been accused of violating consumer rights during the debt collection process.

Alleged Violations against Accelerated Receivables Management Inc.

(Case 3:14-cv-01231-HES-JRK from United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division)

On March 27, 2014, Rebecca Umel (formerly Davis) received a collection letter from Accelerated Receivables Management Inc. The letter stated, “Establishment of a payment arrangement will cease further collection activity and could possibly prevent this from further affecting your credit.” Ms. Davis believed that the wording overshadowed her FDCPA rights, as Accelerated Receivables Management Inc. was also required to cease collection activity if a consumer demanded validation of the debt and not resume until it provided that validation.

She also received calls, during which the collectors allegedly called her a liar and threatened to sue her if she did not pay. When the calls allegedly continued despite her request that they stop, Ms. Davis hired a consumer attorney and sued the agency for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Threatening to take action that could not be legally taken at the time and was not intended to be taken
• Using abusive language
• Sending letters with wording that overshadowed her rights under the FDCPA

The matter was later dismissed.

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for Accelerated Receivables Management Inc. are:

• 1-800-250-8546
• 1-904-398-8705

If your phone rings and either of these numbers appear on your caller ID, a debt collector is attempting to get a hold of you about a debt it has been assigned to collect. If they call you names like ‘liar’, threaten legal action, and refuse to cease communications upon request, hire an attorney. Harassing consumers is illegal under the FDCPA, and if you sue Accelerated Receivables Management Inc. a judge could award you $1,000 per FDCPA violation as well as attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages. Any third-party debt collector who pushes you too far may be ordered to pay you instead.

*The content of this article is not applicable solely to Accelerated Receivables Management Inc., but to any third-party collection agency by which you claim to have been harassed.