Are You Being Called By NPAS, Inc.?*

Have you ever signed up for a debt, such as a mortgage or credit card, only to experience financial problems and have trouble paying it afterward? If so, you may have had the unpleasant experience of dealing with third-party debt collectors who call you at home and work and pressure you to pay.

Collecting debts is legal, but if a debt collector goes too far, your rights are protected.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, dictates what a collection agency can and cannot do when communicating with you about a debt. Below are some examples of collection behaviors that remain illegal.

• Swearing and using aggressive language
• Ignoring your written dispute
• Threatening to call your payroll department about wage garnishment
• Claiming that you can be imprisoned for nonpayment of a debt
• Calling your employer and neighbors to embarrass you
• Not reporting a dispute to the credit bureaus

Company Profile: NPAS, Inc.

If you are being called by NPAS, Inc., more information about the agency is below.

NPAS, Inc., which also does business as National Patient Account Services, is a debt collection agency located in Louisville, Kentucky. Other business aliases include:

• EMBS Medical Billing
• Parallon Business Performance Group
• Columbia Collection Services
• Columbia Patient Accounts

It has been operating since 1980, has 17 employees, and is managed by Robert Foster. Court files archived at the PACER website suggests that consumers who felt that they were being harassed by NPAS, Inc. took the agency to court to make it prove its claims.

Alleged Violations against NPAS, Inc.

According to PACER, in or around December 2014, NPAS, Inc. allegedly started calling a Georgia consumer to collect a medical debt. He alleged that they contacted him using an autodialer and that each time he picked up, he heard a prerecorded message which instructed him to hold for the next representative.

The consumer spoke with NPAS, Inc. and explained that the debt should have been paid by Medicaid. He provided his Medicaid information and instructed the company to cease all calls to him, but the automated communications allegedly continued.

Feeling harassed by NPAS, Inc., the consumer retained an attorney and filed a lawsuit against the company for allegedly:

• Harassing him by using an autodialer
• Using harassing and abusive means to collect a debt
• Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt

The matter was later settled.

Hire a Consumer Lawyer

The phone numbers for NPAS, Inc. are:

• 1-800-223-9899
• 1-866-258-1104
• 1-502-572-3100

Any time they appear on your caller ID, it is confirmation that you are being called NPAS, Inc. If you ask them to stop contacting you and they fail or refuse to comply, protect your rights by hiring a consumer lawyer and filing a claim against NPAS, Inc.

A successful outcome means that you could be awarded $1,000 in statutory damages plus legal costs, so remember that in cases like this, the law is on your side.

Additional Resources

• How Can a Lawyer Help Me with an FDCPA Claim?
• How Do I Pay an FDCPA Lawyer?

Case taken from PACER (pacer.gov). File number is Case 1:16-cv-00753-CC from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

*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 NPAS, Inc., or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.