Are You Being Called By Credit Bureau of Panama City, Ltd.?*

Are you getting calls from Credit Bureau of Panama City, Ltd.? Protect your rights!

If you miss too many debt payments, your creditors will eventually turn the accounts over to a debt collector. Stress over financial hardship, but when an abusive collector gets thrown into the mix, it becomes a lot worse.

If this happens to you, stay calm. As a consumer you have rights that limit what third-party debt collectors can say and do to get your money.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

In 1977 Congress passed the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, because ruthless and unethical debt collectors were driving so many indebted consumers to declare personal bankruptcy. The FDCPA protects people from harassment by making it illegal for third-party debt collectors to use ruses like the following:

• Shouting and using profanities
• Threatening to garnish your wages or send you to jail if you don’t pay
• Refusing to validate the debt and prove that they are authorized to collect it
• Demanding amounts that exceed the original debt
• Calling you at work when your employer does not allow such calls
• Telling your friends, neighbors, and co-workers that you owe money

Company Profile: Credit Bureau of Panama City, Ltd

Credit Bureau of Panama City, Ltd., which also does business as Credit Business Services, Inc., is a debt collection office located in Panama City, Florida, with a branch office in Fort Walton Beach. It was established in 1953, has less than 10 employees, and is managed by its President, Tommy M. Cooley.

A search of litigation records archived at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website confirms that consumers who believed they were being harassed by Credit Bureau of Panama City, Ltd. filed lawsuits, often meeting with success.

Alleged Violations against Credit Bureau of Panama City, Ltd.

According to PACER, on or about April 27, 2005, Credit Bureau of Panama City, Ltd. sent a collection letter to a consumer regarding an alleged medical debt. The debt verification information included a collection fee in the amount of $510.60, which he did not feel he owed.

Feeling harassed by Credit Bureau of Panama City, Ltd., the consumer hired a consumer attorney and sued the company for allegedly violating the FDCPA by:

• Demanding a collection amount not supported by law or the original creditor agreement
• Using false, deceptive and misleading means to collect a debt

Hire an Attorney

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

• 1-800-666-9567
• 1-850-785-0281
• 1-850-862-2134

If you see any of them on your caller ID, it means that you are being called by Credit Bureau of Panama City, Ltd. If they attempt to include a massive and unauthorized collection fee in the amount they are demanding, hire a consumer attorney.

If you file a claim against Credit Bureau of Panama City, Ltd. and win, you may receive $1,000 per FDCPA violation in addition to court costs and reasonable attorney fees. The FDCPA grants you certain rights that debt collectors ignore at their own professional risk.

**Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 5:05-cv-00124-RH-WCS from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Panama City 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 Credit Bureau of Panama City, Ltd., or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.