Are You Being Called By Asset Recovery Bureau, LLC?*

Are you being called by Asset Recovery Bureau, LLC?* Here’s what you need to know.

Many of the negative allegations you’ve heard about collection agencies are based on fact. Each year the Federal Trade Commission receives hundreds of consumer complaints about abusive and illegal debt collection practices. Don’t tolerate such mistreatment. No matter how much debt you may carry, you have rights under the law.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), third-party collection agencies may not be unprofessional or aggressive when trying to collect a consumer debt. Collection tactics like those below can result in fines and even revocation of an agency’s license.

• Using profane or obscene language
• Telling the person’s friends, neighbors, and co-workers that they owe money
• Trying to collect an amount that is not authorized by law or the original creditor agreement
• Calling you outside of the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. your time
• Threatening legal action they cannot take or have no intention of taking
• Demanding amounts that exceed the original debt

Company Profile: Asset Recovery Bureau, LLC

If you are being called by Asset Recovery Bureau, LLC, information about the company is below.

Asset Recovery Bureau, LLC is a California collection agency attached to payday loan stores in Murrieta, Temecula and Lake Elsinore. It was established in 2009, has less than 10 employees, and specializes in payday loan recoveries. Litigation records retained by the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website suggest that consumers who believed they were being harassed by Asset Recovery Bureau, LLC opted to address the matter in federal court.

Alleged Violations against Asset Recovery Bureau, LLC

David Weathersby and Julie Weathersby vs. Empire Media Marketing, LLC et al*

According to PACER, on or about April 28, 2014, Asset Recovery Bureau, LLC sent a collection letter to California residents David and Julie Weathersby. In this letter, marked in bold capital letters “FINAL NOTICE”, the company stated:

Re: Wage Garnishment with Empire Media Marketing II (Payday Advance)

Dear David & Julie,

Enclosed please find a Wage Garnishment application, in the amount of $2400.00 plus court costs for the money owed to Empire Media Marketing II. Before forwarding this Garnishment to the Sheriff’s Department for execution, we would rather make some payment arrangements in lieu of this legal proceeding. Please call us in the next five (5) days so we can both avoid this time consuming and expensive process.

On June 18, 2014, the Weathersbys received a call from Asset Recovery Bureau. Although the caller was told that the Weathersbys were represented by an attorney and to contact their attorney, more direct calls took place on August 8 and 28, allegedly without the caller identifying themselves as debt collectors.

Feeling harassed by Asset Recovery Bureau, LLC, they hired a consumer attorney and sued the company for allegedly violating the FDCPA by:

• Using false, deceptive, and misleading means to collect a debt
• Threatening actions it could not legally take
• Contacting them directly after learning that they were represented by an attorney
• Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt.

The matter was later dismissed.

Hire an Attorney

The phone number for this collection agency is 1-951-693-1339. If you see it on your caller ID when a call comes in, it means that you are being called by Asset Recovery Bureau, LLC. If they call you after you have retained an attorney in the matter and threaten legal actions like wage garnishments, don’t tolerate the harassment. Hire a consumer attorney who can help you file a claim against Asset Recovery Bureau, LLC. You could potentially receive $1,000 per FDCPA violation plus statutory damages and attorney fees. Unethical conduct can cost a debt collector in the long run.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 5:15-cv-00769-DSF-AS from the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

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 Asset Recovery Bureau, LLC, or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.