Are You Being Called By Olympic Collection?*

Are You Being Called By Olympic Collection?* Here’s What You Need to Know

No one wants to hear from a collection agency, especially when you’re in financial straits and can’t afford to pay what they’re demanding. When you refuse many of them can turn rude and relentless. You may be surprised to know, however, that by treating you this way, they are actually breaking the law.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) restricts what third-party debt collectors may say or do when trying to collect a debt. Bullying activities like those below are illegal and any agency caught using them faces serious consequences.

• Using profane and obscene language
• Contacting you at work if you are not allowed to receive calls there
• Threatening legal action they are not eligible to take or have no intention of taking
• Attempting to collect a debt that has already been discharged in a bankruptcy filing
• Threatening to have your wages garnished
• Demanding an amount that is not supported by law or the original debt agreement

Company Profile: Olympic Collection

If you are being called by Olympic Collection, information about the company is below.

Olympic Collection is a debt collection company located in Seattle, Washington. It was established in 1996, less than 10 employees, and is managed by its President, Farooq Ansari. The company is an active member of both the American Collectors Association and the Washington Collectors Association. A review of lawsuit files at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website reveals that consumers who believed that they were being harassed by Olympic Collection used the court system to assert their legal rights.

Alleged Violations against Olympic Collection

According to PACER, in or around early 2008, Olympic Collection started trying to contact two Washington residents to collect a medical debt incurred by their son. A collector named Sharon called on March 11 and allegedly left an answering machine message that did not identify her as a debt collector. She indicated that she was calling about Case No. 84-00329 in South Kent District Court.

Upon receiving the message, the plaintiffs called Sharon, who allegedly did not identify herself as an employee of Olympic Collections, but rather as the clerk of the South District Court of King County who was in in charge of collecting on debts for creditors. She said that the code on writs of garnishment had changed and the Court was only required to give debtors $150.00 per week to live on because of the exemption change.

When the plaintiffs asked why this was so, she allegedly responded that it was a direct result of Microsoft and Boeing having their employees garnished so extensively and that she was caught in the middle and had no choice in the matter. Some people, she added, had been evicted because they could not pay their rent after the garnishment amounts had been taken out. Certainly, the plaintiffs didn’t want to be evicted, did she?

The plaintiffs agreed to make three payments because she was in fear of being left with only $150.00 per week and the Court supposedly being allowed to charge 50% of the total debt incurred for processing fees. Despite this settlement agreement, Olympic Collections, through their attorney, filed a lawsuit in King County South District Court.

On or about April 2, 2008, Sharon allegedly left a voicemail on the Cooke’s answering machine, asking why they had retained counsel.

Feeling harassed by Olympic Collection, the Cookes hired a consumer attorney and sued the company for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Using harassing and abusive means to collect a debt
• Using false, deceptive, and misleading means to collect a debt
• Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt

The matter was later settled.

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for this debt collection agency are as follows:

• 1-253-942-4733
• 1-800-891-1054

If you see either number on your caller ID in response to an incoming call, it means that you are being called by Olympic Collection. If they blatantly deceive you and approach you directly even after you seek legal counsel, see a consumer attorney right away. If you file a claim against Olympic Collection and the judge decides in your favor, you could be awarded $1,000 per FDCPA violation plus related fees and costs. Don’t let a debt collector drive you to bankruptcy when you have means of fighting back.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 2:08-cv-00506-RSL from the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington at Seattle.

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 Olympic Collection or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.