Are You Being Called By Applied Business Services, Inc.?*

Are you being called by Applied Business Services, Inc.?* Here’s what you need to know

Are debt collectors calling you every day, and discussing your debt with your family and coworkers whenever they can’t reach you? Are they pretending to be police officers with a warrant for your arrest if you don’t pay? You don’t have to put up with such treatment- abuse by third party debt collectors is actually a violation of federal law.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, was enacted in 1977 to protect consumers against unethical debt collection practices. Under this law, collection strategies like the following are illegal and can get an agency fined or closed permanently.

• Calling at inconvenient times, such as before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. in your time zone
• Telling you that you can be arrested for nonpayment of a debt
• Ignoring a formal cease communications request
• Failing or refusing to validate the debt
• Calling you at work when your employer does not allow such calls
• Using profane and obscene language

Company Profile: Applied Business Services, Inc.

If you are being called by Applied Business Services, Inc., information about the company is below.

Applied Business Services, Inc., which also does business as Security Collection Agency, is a debt collection company located in Edenton, North Carolina. It was established in 1974, has 40 employees, and is managed by its President, Al Cox. It has an F rating with the Better Business Bureau. Consumer complaint boards and legal records on file at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website reveal that consumers who believed that they were being harassed by Applied Business Services, Inc. sued the company for compensation.

Alleged Violations against Applied Business Services, Inc.

Latoya Nimmons vs. Applied Business Services, Inc. et al*

According to PACER, in 2011 Applied Business Services, Inc. started trying to collect a debt from New York resident Latoya Nimmons, and in the process reported the alleged delinquency to Transunion.

Ms. Nimmons first became aware of the debt in February 2014, when she checked her credit report. She sent a letter to Applied Business Services, Inc. requesting validation of the debt, but claimed that she never received a response. The debt was also allegedly never marked as disputed on her credit file.

Feeling harassed by Applied Business Services, Inc., she hired a consumer attorney and sued the company for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Using false, deceptive, and misleading means to collect a debt
• Failing to send a debt validation letter
• Failing to report the debt as disputed to the credit bureaus
• Using harassing and abusive means to collect a debt
• Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt

The matter was later settled.

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for this debt collection agency are as follows:

• 1-252-482-7666
• 1-800-777-4433

If either number appears on your caller ID, it means that you are being called by Applied Business Services, Inc.. If they ignore a request for debt validation and fail to report a debt as disputed to the credit bureaus, hire a consumer attorney. If you ultimately decide to file a claim Applied Business Services, Inc. with your attorney’s assistance, could be awarded $1,000 per FDCPA violation as well as legal costs associated with pursuing the claim. Debt collectors who harass consumers can use this kind of reminder that consumers have rights that must be respected, no matter what the size of their debt may be.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 1:14-cv-03534-ENV-JO from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

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 Applied Business Services, Inc. or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.