Debt collection is an industry worth billions of dollars and affects the lives of over 70 million consumers, especially those with credit card and medical debt. Collection agencies also generate more complaints than any other financial product or service.
While many debt collectors obey consumer protection laws, several engage in illegal practices.
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.
- Ignoring a formal cease communications request
- Calling you directly after you hire an attorney
- Refusing or failing the validate the debt
- Using an autodialer to barrage your cell phone with calls
- Calling before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. in your time zone
- Yelling and swearing at you
- Saying you will never get credit again unless you pay
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Company Profile: Seterus, Inc.
If you are being called by Seterus, Inc., a summary of the company’s background and operations is below.
Seterus, Inc. is a loan servicer and debt collection agency headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon. It opened for business in 2007, has 2,599 employees, and is managed by its President, Leslie Peeler.
The company deals primarily with mortgage-related debt. Litigation records at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website indicate that consumers who believed that they were being harassed by Seterus, Inc. demanded compensation.
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Alleged Violations against Seterus, Inc.
According to PACER, on or around May 2015, Seterus, Inc. started sending collection letters to a Maine consumer demanding over $200,000 due on a home loan. The consumer replied that this matter had been dealt with when he voluntarily vacated the property after falling on hard times, but the collection letters continued.
On or around November 20, 2015, a Seterus collector allegedly called the consumer to collect the debt. He said that the debt had been taken care of in court and he had an attorney but the Seterus representative allegedly claimed there was no attorney on record and that if he did not pay the over $200,000 he owed on the loan, Seterus would foreclose on his home.
Feeling harassed by Seterus, Inc., the consumer sued the agency for allegedly:
- Using harassing and abusive means to collect a debt
- Contacting him directly when he was represented by an attorney regarding the debt
- Misrepresenting the legal status of the debt
- Using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt
- Using false, deceptive, and misleading means to collect a debt
The matter was later settled.
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Hire an Attorney
The phone numbers for this debt collection agency are:
Seeing them on your caller ID is confirmation that you are being called by Seterus, Inc. If they demand that you pay a debt satisfied in an earlier court action, don’t pay twice! Hire a consumer lawyer and file a claim against Seterus, Inc.
Their actions against you could result in them paying you $1,000 per FDCPA violation, so don’t be bullied into paying what you don’t legally owe.
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Additional Resources
Case taken from PACER (pacer.gov). File number is Case 2:16-cv-00160-JAW from the United States District Court for the District of Maine.
*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 Seterus, Inc. or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.