Is First Financial Resources, Inc Calling You?*

Is First Financial Resources, Inc calling you? Here’s what you need to know.

If you fall behind on your monthly bill payments, you’ll eventually be targeted by debt collectors. Their goal is to get you to pay the debt or make acceptable payment arrangements. While collecting a debt is 100% legal, bullying and threatening you in the process is not.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was passed in 1977 to protect indebted consumers from being intimidated and harassed by third-party debt collectors. It regulates what collection agents may or may not do during their communications with consumers. Behaviors like those below are illegal and result in severe consequences:

• Using obscene or profane language
• Calling a person at inconvenient times, primarily before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. in their time zone
• Contacting them at their workplace after being advised that such calls are not permitted
• Contacting someone who has hired an attorney to represent them regarding the debt
• Threatening action they are not in a position to legally take, such as having someone arrested or jailed for nonpayment
• Discussing the debt with anyone except the consumer, their attorney, or their spouse

Alleged Violations against First Financial Resources, Inc.*

First Financial Resources, Inc is a debt collection agency located in Framingham, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1990, has 10 to 19 employees, and is managed by Jenna Gorzynski. Files archived at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website confirm that First Financial Resources, Inc has been sued for allegedly violating the FDCPA during certain debt collection attempts.

On April 27, 2010, an Illinois resident and his wife filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition. Among the liabilities listed on his bankruptcy petition were debts he allegedly owed to Harris Bank. On August 17, the plaintiff received a discharge from the Bankruptcy Court as to his debts, including the debts he owed to Harris Bank, and on August 19, 2010, the bank was sent notice of the discharge by the court.

Undeterred, Harris Bank had First Financial Resources, Inc send the plaintiff a collection letter, dated October 8, 2010, demanding payment of one of his debts. His attorneys notified First Financial that it had to cease collections because the Harris Bank debt was no longer owed. The agency allegedly sent two more collection letters, dated January 24, 201, and March 1, 2011, demanding payment of another Harris Bank debt that he had owed prior to the bankruptcy, and threatening to make a negative credit report about the debts.

The plaintiff hired a consumer attorney and sued First Financial Resources, Inc for the following alleged FDCPA violations:

• Using false and misleading means to collect a debt
• Attempting to collect a debt that had been discharged by a bankruptcy
• Threatening to make a negative credit report
• Threatening actions that could not be legally taken or that were not actually intended to be taken

The matter was later dismissed.

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for First Financial Resources, Inc are:

• 1-508-647-5155
• 1-800-747-2302

If you see either one of these numbers on your caller ID, a collection agency on the line. If they make threats when you refuse to pay a discharged debt, hire an attorney immediately. If you decide to sue First Financial Resources, Inc, you could potentially win $1,000 per FDCPA violation as well as attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages. If a debt collector pushes you, don’t be afraid to push back in court.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is 1:11-cv-02130 from United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.

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 First Financial Resources, Inc. or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.