Is Diversified Consultants, Inc. calling you? Here’s what you need to know.
Are debt collectors calling you every day, making demands you can’t meet and being rude when you try to explain your financial situation? If so, you’re likely ready to declare bankruptcy to make the harassment stop. Don’t be so hasty, as you can legally demand that the collector stop calling you and sue them when they don’t.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, is a consumer protection law that limits what third-party debt collectors can say or do when communicating with consumers. Since 1977, when the law was enacted, actions like the following have been illegal when used to collect a debt.
![]()
- Using profane or obscene language
- Calling you before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. your time
- Making legal threats they have no intention of following up on, such as suing you or garnishing your wages
- Sharing details of the debt with those not authorized to know, such as your neighbors and co-workers
- Failing or refusing to identify themselves as debt collectors
- Calling you at work when your employer does not allow such calls
Unfortunately, some debt collectors behave abusively toward consumers over 40 years later. They count on people being too stressed and frightened to report or sue them.
Diversified Consultants, Inc is a collection agency located in Jacksonville, Florida. It was established in 1993 and is a larger agency, with 250 to 499 employees who collect consumer debt all over the country. Court records on file at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website confirm that Diversified Consultants, Inc has been accused of breaching the FDCPA during its collection activities.
Plaintiff v. Diversified Consultants, Inc.
According to PACER**, in 2014 a Colorado resident started getting calls from Diversified Consultants, Inc about a debt she allegedly owed to Comcast. During one conversation, the collector allegedly told her that the debt would remain on her credit report until it was paid.
On July 21, 2014 The Plaintiff informed the representative who called that she was disputing the account. Despite this formal notification, Diversified Consultants, Inc allegedly failed to report the account as disputed to the credit bureaus.
When she realized that the statement on her credit report had not changed, The Plaintiff hired a consumer attorney and sued Diversified Consultants, Inc for the following alleged FDCPA violations:
- Using deceptive means in connection with the collection the alleged debt (15 U.S.C. §1692e)
- Misrepresenting the character, amount, or legal status of the debt (15 U.S.C. §1692e(2)(A))
- Failing to report the account as disputed to the credit bureaus (15 U.S.C. §1692e(8))
The matter was later settled.
The phone number for Diversified Consultants, Inc is 1-800-771-5361. If your phone rings and you see this number on your caller ID, a debt collector from the agency is trying to contact you. If they threaten to communicate information that damages your credit rating or fail to report an account as disputed, contact a consumer attorney.
Such actions contravene the FDCPA, and if you and your attorney pursue the matter in court, you could win $1,000 in statutory damages per FDCPA violation, as well as court costs and attorney fees. Collecting debts is legal, but using unethical methods to do so is not, and debt collectors who forget this can receive an expensive reminder.
**Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is (Case 1:14-cv-02315-MEH, from United States District Court, District of Colorado)
*Disclaimer:
The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Diversified Consultants, Inc or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.