Are You Being Called By Lewis Shapiro, LLC?

Is a debt collector calling you so often that you actually hate having a phone? If this is the case, they’ve gone too far. Collecting debts is allowed, but harassing you to do so is not, so if your anxiety spikes every time the phone rings, it’s time to do something about it.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, was passed in 1977 to protect consumers from being bullied and manipulated by collection agencies. If you’re faced with a collection agency that does any of the following, you have legal remedies available to you.

● Contacting the consumer directly after they hire an attorney
● Calling someone at work when they know that the employer doesn’t allow such calls
● Calling before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. in the consumer’s time zone
● Using profane and obscene language
● Telling The consumer’s friends, neighbors, and co-workers about the debt
● Misleading someone on their dispute rights

Company Profile: Lewis Shapiro, LLC

If you are being called by Lewis Shapiro, LLC, here are some additional details about the business.

Lewis Shapiro, LLC. is a debt collection agency in Amherst, New York. It opened for business in 1988, has 35 employees, and has been accused of presenting itself as a law firm when calling clients. Holdings at the PACER website include records confirming that consumers who believed that they were being harassed by Lewis Shapiro, LLC took the company to court.

Alleged Violations against Lewis Shapiro, LLC*

According to information on the PACER website, in or around October 30, 2009, Lewis Shapiro, LLC attempted to collect a debt by calling an Arizona consumer at work and leaving a voice message. When she returned the call later that day, the agency allegedly identified itself as a law firm and threatened to obtain a judgment against her if she didn’t pay. She also claimed that the company representative threatened to garnish her wages and suspend her nursing license.

Feeling harassed by Lewis Shapiro, LLC, the consumer engaged an attorney and sued the company for:

● Calling her at work
● Misrepresenting the character, amount, or legal status of the debt
● Threatening action that could not legally be taken
● Using false, deceptive, and misleading means to collect a debt
● Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt
● Using harassing and abusive means to collect a debt

The matter was later settled.

Hire a Consumer Lawyer

The phone numbers for this debt collection agency are:

● 1-716-204-7537
● 1-888-243-4406
● 1-877-458-8320

Their presence on your caller ID at any time is confirmation that you are being called by Lewis Shapiro, LLC. If they pretend to be attorneys and try to scare you by threatening actions they cannot legally take, hire a consumer lawyer and file a claim against Lewis Shapiro, LLC. Their actions could cost them $1,000 per FDCPA violation, so a debt collector assumes you have no rights, let legal action remind them.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). Case 2:10-cv-00283-GMS from the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, Phoenix Division.

Additional Resources

• Starting a Claim Against a Collection Agency
• Did A Collection Agency Make False Statements Regarding Your Debt?

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 Lewis Shapiro, LLC. or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.