Are You Being Called By JM Associates, LLC*?

Every year, people across the country go into debt because they have experienced a wage cutback, accumulated medical bills after a major illness, or been forced to cover emergency house or car repairs. The reason rarely matters to a debt collector, who may threaten, bully, and even attempt to embarrass you. If this happens, you have the right to contact a consumer attorney.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

IN 1977, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, was passed. This was as a result of complaints about abusive tactics that were being used by debt collectors had became epidemic. Under this act, it illegal for collection agencies to do any of the following while collecting or attempting to collect a debt.

• Using profane and obscene language
• Pretending to be police officers or federal agents
• Telling your friends, neighbors and co-workers that you owe money and they are trying to collect it from you
• Failing or refusing to identify themselves as debt collectors trying to collect a debt
• Calling you before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m.
• Demanding outrageous ‘fees’ in addition to the original debt

Company Profile: JM Associates, LLC

If you are being called by JM Associates, LLC, more information about the agency is below.

JM Associates, LLC is a collection agency headquartered in Riverside, California. It was founded in 1998, has 20 to 49 employees, and is managed by owner Andrew Tyrrell. An examination of digitized legal records at the PACER website confirms that consumers who believed that they were being harassed by JM Associates, LLC hired legal counsel to protect their rights.

Alleged Violations against JM Associates, LLC**

According to PACER, in or around May 2008, JM Associates, LLC began contacting a California consumer to collect a college-related debt. She alleged that she had made no payment on the account since 2001, when the original creditor wrote it off. The statute of limitations for collecting debts in California was four years from the date of the last payment, but the consumer complained that the company threatened to garnish her wages and ruin her credit.

Feeling harassed by JM Associates, LLC, the consumer filed an FDCPA lawsuit against the agency for allegedly:

• Misrepresenting the legal status of the debt
• Threatening legal action it had no intention of taking
• Using false, deceptive, and misleading means to collect a debt
• Attempting to collect a time-barred debt

The judge ordered that the plaintiff’s motion to enforce the settlement is denied.

Hire a Consumer Lawyer

The phone numbers for this debt collection agency are:

• 1-951-710-1600
• 1-800-866-8062

If either number appears on your caller ID when the phone rings, it means that you are being called by JM Associates, LLC. If they demand that you pay a debt that you are no longer obligated to honor, stand your ground and fight back by hiring a consumer lawyer and filing a claim against JM Associates, LLC. Debt collectors who violate the FDCPA can be ordered to pay you $1,000 per violation, so never forget that you have rights no matter how much you owe.

Additional Resources

• Can a Debt Collector Collect Old Debts?
• Sue a Collection Agency for Threatening Wage Garnishment?

**Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 2:08-cv-04760-MMM-JWJ from the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

*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 JM Associates, LLC or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.