Is AMO Recoveries Calling You?*

Is AMO Recoveries calling you?* Here’s what you need to know.

Collection agencies acquire debts a number of ways. Most times an original creditor will assign an account to them for collection. Other times they buy ‘junk’ or charged-off debt for pennies on the dollar and then chase you down for the full amount. No matter how they obtained the right to collect your debt, you have rights they must respect while doing so.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

Debt collectors can be so intimidating that it’s easy to forget you have the right to dispute the debt and tell them to stop contacting you. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, is a consumer protection law that prohibits third-party debt collectors from using underhanded collection tactics like the following:

• Calling you at work after you tell them that you can’t take personal calls there
• Using profane and abusive language
• Leaving vague messages that do not identify the caller as a debt collector
• Contacting your friends and family and telling them that you owe money
• Threatening to ruin your credit if you don’t pay
• Demanding amounts that exceed the original debt

Company Profile: AMO Recoveries

AMO Recoveries is a debt collection agency headquartered in Norcross, Georgia with branch offices in Tennessee, Ohio, Washington, Oregon and Wisconsin. It was founded in 1997 and collects consumer debts all over the country. Records retained by the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website reveals that AMO Recoveries has been accused of debt collection practices that violate the FDCPA.

Alleged Violations against AMO Recoveries

John Demaree vs. Asset Management Outsourcing Recoveries, Inc., d/b/a AMO Recoveries

In November 2012 Indiana resident John Demaree discovered that AMO Recoveries was reporting to TransUnion credit reporting agency that he owed a debt to it and/or its client. He had disputed the debt earlier, so on November 12, 2012, he directed his legal counsel to send a fax to AMO Recoveries confirming that the debt was disputed.

On November 26, 2012,AMO Recoveries sent a dunning letter to Mr. Demaree’s attorney, alleging an amount owed of $357.24. By sending this communication, the agency was confirming that it received the dispute letter. However, on April 7, 2013, Mr. Demaree obtained and reviewed a copy of his TransUnion credit report and saw that AMO Recoveries was continuing to report his alleged debt without indicating that it was disputed. He sued the company for the following alleged FDCPA violations:

• Communicating information to the credit reporting agencies that it should have known to be false
• Misrepresenting the amount of the debt

The matter was later dismissed.

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for AMO Recoveries are:

• 1-800-801-3502
• 1-800-776-4600
• 1-877-716-2664
• 1-866-246-0758
• 1-800-283-1138
• 1-800-759-9121

If any of these numbers appear on your caller ID, a debt collector is attempting to reach you. If they fail or refuse to report a disputed debt correctly, hire an attorney. Such omissions, willful or otherwise, are illegal under the FDCPA, and AMO Recoveries could order the company to pay you $1,000 per FDCPA violation as well as attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages. When you fight back, you could potentially have a lot to gain.

**Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is (1:13-cv-01867-TWP-TAB from United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division)

*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 AMO Recoveries or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.