Is Profit Services Group Calling You?*

Is Profit Services Group calling you? There are some things you might want to know.*

With student loans, medical bills, and credit card obligations being so common, most Americans today are carry some degree of personal debt.

When job loss, injury, or an expensive personal crisis like divorce suddenly limits cash flow, ‘regular’ debt can quickly transform spiral out of control and reach crisis level.

Once these accounts are too far in arrears, they are usually assigned to third-party debt collectors, who are not always courteous or professional in their pursuit of payment.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), which is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, places limitations on what third-party debt collectors can say or do while attempting to collect a debt.

Unethical and unprofessional tactics like the following are prohibited:

• Using profane and obscene language
• Calling you several times per day using an autodialer
• Pretending to be members of law enforcement
• Threatening to have you arrested if you don’t pay
• Telling uninvolved third parties like your friends and co-workers that you owe money
• Demanding an amount that is not supported by law or the original debt agreement
• Refusing to provide proof that you owe a debt and they are authorized to collect it

Although still illegal, these methods remain common today because too many consumers pay up rather than report the agencies or fight the matter in court.

Profit Services Group is a collection agency located in Savannah, Georgia. It was established in 1986, has a small staff of less than 10 employees, and collects all types of consumer debt.

Records on file at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website indicate that Profit Services Group has been sued by angry consumers who felt that their rights were disregarded during collection attempts.

Alleged FDCPA Violations

Many of these people have posted negative Google reviews and aired their frustrations on consumer complaint boards.

In or around late 2010, a Georgia resident began getting calls from Profit Services Group about an alleged debt. He later complained that the company used an automatic telephone dialing system to repeatedly call his cell phone without his consent.

One collector who identified herself as Sophia Medley allegedly left a voice message on September 13, 2010 in which she failed to disclose the true business name of her company and further failed to notify Mr. Smith that the communication was from a debt collector.

He responded by hiring a consumer attorney and filing a complaint accusing Profit Services Group of allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Using an automated dialer to place regular and annoying calls
• Leaving messages that failed to disclose that the caller was a debt collector

The matter was later settled.

The phone number for Profit Services Group is 1-912-629-7500. If you see it on your caller ID, a debt collector may be trying to collect money from you.

If they constantly call your cell phone by means of an autodialer and leave voice messages that do not identify the caller as a debt collector, see a consumer attorney.

Such collection methods violate the FDCPA, and you could potentially receive $1,000 per violation plus attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages.

Even if you owe the money, debt collectors must obey the law when trying to collect it, or face financial penalties that may exceed the amount you owed.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is 4:10-cv-00274-WTM-GRS from United States District Court, Southern District of Georgia, Savannah Division

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 Profit Services Group, or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.