Are You Being Called By Collection Professionals, Inc.?*

Is Collection Professionals, Inc. trying to get a hold of you? Here are some things you should watch for:

If you have an account in collections, you can expect debt collectors to contact you frequently about paying it. These companies often use tactics that pressure you to pay on the spot and in full.

Unfortunately, sometimes their methods can escalate into harassment, which is against the law.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was passed in 1977 to protect indebted consumers from harassing and abusive debt collection practices like those below:

• Discussing the debt with anyone but you, your spouse, or your attorney
• Using profane and obscene language to intimidate you
• Calling you at work if they know or have reason to know that such calls are not allowed
• Calling at inconvenient times, such as before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. in the consumer’s time zone
• Ignoring a formal request to cease communications
• Threatening consequences they cannot legally inflict, or have no intention of carrying out

Company Profile: Collection Professionals, Inc.

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

Collection Professionals, Inc. is a debt collection agency located in Missoula, Montana, with branch offices in Great Falls, Montana, and the Wyoming towns of Cody, Gillette, and Sheridan. It was established in 1922, has 125-200 employees, and is managed by its President, Dennis Lawrence.

Records archived at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website confirm that consumers who believed they were being harassed by Collection Professionals, Inc. hired consumer attorneys and fought back.

Alleged Violations against Collection Professionals, Inc.

According to PACER, in or around May 2014, Collection Professionals, Inc. called a Minnesota consumer in an attempt to collect a medical debt. The consumer disputed the debt, saying that it resulted from the medical treatment provider filing erroneous claims with his health insurance provider,which resulted in the claims being denied.

Nonetheless, Collection Professionals, Inc. allegedly continued in its attempts to collect the debt. To avoid the debt from being reported to the credit agencies, the comsumer finally agreed to tender monthly payments of $100.00 until it was paid in full.

He told the agency that he would pay only if it did not report the debt to the credit reporting agencies, and Collection Professionals, Inc. allegedly agreed.

On May 30, 2014, the consumer made the first of many monthly payments. Notwithstanding the fact that he disputed the debt to Defendant and was tendering payments, Collection Professionals, Inc. allegedly failed to report the dispute or the payments as agreed.

Feeling harassed by Collection Professionals, Inc., the consumer hired a consumer attorney and sued the company for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Misrepresenting the character, status, or amount of the debt
• Using false, deceptive, and misleading means to collect a debt
• Using unfair or unconscionable means to collect a debt
• Reporting inaccurate information to the credit bureaus.

The matter was later dismissed

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for this collection agency are:

• 1-307-672-6424
• 1-800-584-9151
• 1-307-682-0674
• 1-800-584-9152
• 1-307-587-4761
• 1-800-584-9153
• 1-406-721-2841
• 1-866-269-3432
• 1-406-542-3164
• 1-888-542-3164
• 1-406-761-2828
• 1-800-875-4223

If you see any of them on your caller ID when the phone rings, be aware that you may be getting a call from Collection Professionals, Inc.. If they report inaccurate or misleading information about your debt to the credit bureaus, hire a consumer attorney.

Such conduct violates the FDCPA, and if you file a claim against Collection Professionals, Inc. and win, you could potentially be awarded damages for your claim, along with court fees. If a collection agency oversteps its bounds, the law can help you rectify matters.

**Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is CASE 0:15-cv-02108-JNE-JSM from the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.

*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 Collection Professionals, Inc., or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.