Are You Being Called By Zakheim & Associates?*

Debt collectors are not legally permitted to pursue consumers to the point of harassing them, but it happens so often that the Federal Trade Commission receives thousands of complaints a year. If you find yourself on the receiving end of an over-zealous debt collector’s antics, read on to learn what your options are.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, gives indebted consumers the right to dispute a debt and makes it illegal for third-party debt collectors to use tactics like those below to bully or harass you into paying.

• Using profane and abusive language
• Refusing to validate the debt and prove that they are authorized to collect it
• Threatening to have you arrested, seize your property, or garnish your wages
• Calling you before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. in your time zone
• Maliciously reporting inaccurate information to the credit bureaus
• Pretending to be lawyers or members of law enforcement

Company Profile: Zakheim & Associates

If you are being called by Zakheim & Associates, information about the company is below.

Zakheim & Associates, which now does business as the Zakheim Law Group, is a debt collection firm located in Plantation, Florida. It was established in 1988, has approximately 93 employees, and is managed by Scott C. Zakheim.

Complaints on sites such as RipOff Report accuse the firm of unethical debt collection practices.

Litigation files archived at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website confirm that consumers who felt they were being harassed by Zakheim & Associates hired consumer attorneys to protect their rights.

Alleged Violations against Zakheim & Associates

According to PACER, in or around late 2009, Zakheim & Associates allegedly started trying to collect a consumer debt from Florida resident Robert Waite. He complained that collectors called him on a constant and continuous basis, leaving messages requesting him to call 800-531-5490.

None of the voice messages identified the caller as a debt collector. He also accused the company of failing to provide him with a debt validation letter.

Feeling harassed by Zakheim & Associates, Mr. Waite hired a consumer attorney and sued the company for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Harassing him by phone
• Failing to identify the caller as a debt collector every time
• Threatening legal action it could not take
• Using false, deceptive, and misleading means to collect a debt
• Failure to properly validate the debt

The matter was later settled.

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for this debt collection agency are:

• 1-800-531-5490
• 1-954-735-4455

If either one pops up on your caller ID when the phone rings, it’s a sign that you are being called by Zakheim & Associates. If they fail to send you a debt validation letter and leave voice messages that do not properly identify themselves, hire a consumer attorney.

Such conduct violates the FDCPA, and if you file a claim against Zakheim & Associates, you could be awarded $1,000 per FDCPA violation in addition to court costs and attorney fees. You have rights that you should always be prepared to defend.

*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 Zakheim & Associates, or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.

**Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 8:09-cv-01415-SCB-MAP from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division.