Are You Being Called By CMI Group?*

Are you being called by CMI Group?* Here’s what you need to know.

Collection agencies train and coach their staff to use strategies that ‘encourage’ a debtor to pay what they owe as quickly as possible. As a result, many debt collectors resort to manipulation, harassment and abuse to achieve this goal. If it happens to you, be aware that such tactics are illegal.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which was passed over forty years ago, is intended to protect consumers from abusive debt collection practices. It prohibits collection agencies were from using unfair, deceptive, and abusive tactics like those below.

• Using profane and obscene language
• Discussing the debt with anyone except you, your spouse, and your attorney
• Showing up at your house to intimidate you
• Calling you constantly every day
• Demanding amounts not supported by law or the original creditor agreement
• Disguising the fact that they are debt collectors trying to collect a debt

Company Profile: CMI Group

If you are being called by CMI Group, information about the company is below.

CMI Group is a debt collection company located in Carrollton, Texas, with branch offices in Dallas and Rochester, Minnesota. It was established in 1985, has over 500 employees, and is managed by its President, Thomas Stockton. A review of litigation records retained at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website confirms that consumers who felt they were being harassed by CMI Group chose to challenge the company’s claims instead of pay up.

Alleged Violations against CMI Group*

According to PACER, in or about early 2012, CMI Group began calling a Maryland man to collect a debt. He alleged that each time he answered the phone the caller refused to provide the reason of the call and demanded more identifying information from him. CMI Group also allegedly called his home home phone two to three times a day on a daily basis and failed to send a debt validation letter.

Feeling harassed by CMI Group, he hired a consumer attorney and sued the company for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Harassing him by phone
• Failing to send a debt validation notice

The matter was later settled.

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for this debt collection agency are:

• 1-800-377-7713
• 1-800-377-7789
• 1-800-223-0290
• 1-972-862-4200

If you see any of these numbers on your caller ID at any time, it means that you are being called by CMI Group. If they do not identify themselves as debt collectors in every conversation or send you a debt validation letter, hire a consumer attorney. The FDCPA prohibits the manipulation of indebted consumers, and if you file a claim against CMI Group, you may be awarded $1,000 per FDCPA violation plus attorney’s fees and applicable court costs. The law is on your side in situations like these, so stand up for your rights.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 8:12-cv-00878-DKC from the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Southern 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 CMI Group, or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.