Are You Being Called By CB1, Inc.?*

Are you being called by CB1, Inc.?* Here’s what you need to know.

Harassment by a debt collector can take different forms but common examples include constant phone calls, threats to garnish your wages or seize your assets, and discussing your debt with third parties like your boss or neighbor. All of it is illegal, although they’d prefer that you not know that.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, gives indebted consumers the right to dispute a debt and makes it illegal for third-party debt collectors to use tactics like those below to intimidate you into paying.

• Calling you before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. in the your time zone
• Threatening legal action that they are not in a position to take or have no intention of taking
• Maliciously reporting inaccurate information to the credit bureaus
• Swearing and using profane language
• Discussing the debt with anyone except you, your spouse, and your attorney
• Demanding amounts that exceed the original debt

Company Profile: CB1, Inc.

If you are being called by CB1, Inc., information about the company is below.

CB1, Inc. is a debt collection agency located in Billings, Montana, with branch offices in Missoula, Bozeman and Butte. It was established in 2009, has less than 10 employees, and is managed by Brian Brown. Records archived at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website indicate that consumers who believed they were being harassed by CB1, Inc. have asserted their rights in court.

Alleged Violations against CB1, Inc.

According to PACER, on or around April 14, 2015, a Montana resident called CB1, Inc to advise that she had retained an attorney regarding a debt they were trying to collect from her. She provided the attorney’s contact information, but the next day a CB1, Inc collector called her cell phone in in another attempt to collect the alleged debt. She returned the call, provided her attorney’s contact details again, and asked that the calls cease. The representative allegedly stated that she needed to provide a bankruptcy case number before CB1, Inc would cease its attempts to collect the alleged debt.

Feeling harassed by CB1, Inc., she hired a consumer attorney and sued the firm for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Contacting her directly despite knowing that she was represented by an attorney
• Using harassing and abusive means to collect a debt
• Harassing her by phone
• Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt

The matter was later dismissed.

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for CB1, Inc., are:

• 1-406-245-2040
• 1-406-721-1655
• 1-800-823-6262

If any of these numbers flash on your caller ID when the phone rings, you are being called by CB1, Inc. If they persist in contacting you directly after you have retained legal counsel regarding the debt, hire a consumer attorney. If you file a claim against CB1, Inc., you could potentially be awarded $1,000 per violation as well as attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages. Any time a debt collector crosses the line, the FDCPA gives you the means to fight back.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 9:15-cv-00079-DWM from the United States District Court for the District of Montana, Missoula 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 CB1, Inc., or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.