Report: #234683

Complaint Review: AFNI

AFNI Ripoff Fraudulent Collections Bullies Bloomington Illinois

Reported By:

— Jacksonville Florida
Submitted:

Tue, February 06, 2007
Updated:

Thu, February 08, 2007

AFNI

404 Brock Dr. P O Box 3427

Bloomington, Illinois

U.S.A.
Phone:

866-647-0868
Category:

Collection Agency's

*Consumer Suggestion: STAY OFF THE PHONE .... THE SOL MAY BE OUT IN FLORIDA YOU WILL HAVE TO CHECK -- VALIDATION REQUEST *Consumer Suggestion: STAY OFF THE PHONE *Consumer Suggestion: Gregory

Yesterday, February 5, 2007, my husband received a collections notice from a company called Afni, INC. They claim that we had owed ALLTELL Communications, INC $483.55. We contacted this company immediately yesterday after reading the collection notice. We were told that this bill was for a cell phone he never had and it was opened in February 2002 through December 2002 in Pensacola. Additionally, they stated that the bill was being sent to a PO Box in Pensacola. My husband was activated for military duty in Pensacola immediately after 9/11 on 9/24/01 and returned home in July 2002. However, we live in Jacksonville, FL. We told them that he has always had a company cell phone for over 10 years and did not have this account. We have never received a bill from ALLTELL for 5 years, as they stated that this account is for. We have never seen this account on our credit report.

They began to ask for personal information, like our home and work number, our place of employment. We told them that we would not give them this information until they give us information about this bill and this company. They were very reluctant and told us to go to their website at afnicollections.com. In addition, to log onto their website to report this as a dispute, unable to pay and fraud. However, when you proceed to log this as a fraud onto their website, it asks for your DOB, Driver's License #, SSN, all necessary information to use against you in a fraud situation. We did not proceed with the dispute and exited this website. I did a search on this company and found hundreds of complaints from others who have received letters from this company, with many different addresses and P O Boxes.

We are afraid that they will send this unlawful and unethical collection notice to the Credit Bureaus. We have always had great credit and these scumbags' need to be stopped. I can only wonder how many people have fallen to this scam.

Gregory
Jacksonville, Florida
U.S.A.

3 Updates & Rebuttals

Lakewood,
Ohio,
U.S.A.

Gregory

#4Consumer Suggestion

Thu, February 08, 2007

You got to admit these bottom feeders are getting smarter, telling you to go to there web site and the only was to log in is by putting in your personal information.

dispute this by mail (RRR)also place in your letter, there not to contact you by phone at home or work, only communcation will be made, via U.S.Mail.

After you dispute this, wait until you hear from them, them check you credit files.

chances are when they send you validation, they will include a fraud affidavt for you to fill out, DO NOT FILL OUT ANY FRAUD AFFIDAVT FOR ANY COLLECTION AGENCY.

This information will be sold to another agency.

Most of the time there validation is there own, in house reports.

If you know this was never your debt, then you need to complaint to both the attorney generals in Ill. and Florida

Dallas,
Texas,
U.S.A.

STAY OFF THE PHONE

#4Consumer Suggestion

Thu, February 08, 2007

Corporate Headquarters
404 Brock Drive
Bloomington, IL 61702-3097
800.767-2364

Afni, Inc.
404 Brock Drive
Bloomington, IL 61702 USA
Contact: Jim Hess, Director, Business Development
Phone: 800-767-2364, ext. 3321
Fax: 309-820-2632
Email: jimhess@afninet.com Afni, Inc. IL 309-663-4510 Jim Hess
Website: afninet.com
President and COO:
RONALD L GREENE
404 BROCK DRIVE
BLOOMINGTON 61701

Secretary: GREGORY J DONOVAN same address

Bruce F. Griffin
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Ronald L. Greene
President and Chief Operating Officer

Greg Donovan, CPA
Vice President of Employee Services

Stenia Dziadiw
Vice President of Sales & Business Development

Michael D. Garner
Vice President of Call Center Services

John Mobley, Jr.
Vice President, Information Technology Services and

Chief Information Officer

John O'Donnell
Vice President of Credit & Collections Services

Organization Number 0491821
Name AFNI, INC.
Profit or Non-Profit P - Profit
Company Type FCO - Foreign Corporation *****
Status A - Active
Standing G - Good
State IL
File Date 3/27/2000
Authority Date 3/27/2000
Last Annual Report 5/1/2006
Principal Office 404 BROCK DRIVE
BLOOMINGTON, IL 61701
Registered Agent C T CORPORATION SYSTEM
KENTUCKY HOME LIFE BLDG
LOUISVILLE, KY 40202

Current Officers
President Ronald L. Greene
Vice President Gregory J. Donovan
Secretary Gregory J. Donovan
Treasurer V. Curtis Oyer
Director Bruce F. Griffin
Director Ronald L. Greene

This organization has no assumed names
Previous Names
previous company names:
06/24/1986 - CREDIT CHECK INC.
06/29/2000 - ANDERSON FINANCIAL NETWORK, INC.

For collection-related inquiries, contact our Recovery Team at 1.800.371.3645, by mail at Afni, Inc. PO Box 3517, Bloomington, IL 61701 or email at: recoveryteam@afninet.com.

To handle your collections account on the internet, visit the collections website at AfniCollections.com

Important Note Regarding Collection-Related Inquiries:
If you choose to communicate via email, please remember that no matter how many measures Afni takes to ensure the confidentiality of your email, the Internet may be a non-secure medium for communication. If you choose to communicate your collection-related inquiry via email, Afni cannot be responsible for any possible disclosure of an account to a third party

COLLECTIONS PORTION OF THE COMPANY URL APPEARS TO BE AFNINET.COM

Anderson Financial Network, Inc.
404 Brock Drive
Bloomington, IL 61701
Administrative Contact:
Girard, Chris g@AFNINET.COM
Afni
404 Brock Dr
Bloomington, IL 61701
(309) 828-5226 fax: (309) 820-2610

Technical Contact:
Anderson Financial Network, Inc. oktober_isbell@HOTMAIL.COM
404 BROCK DR
BLOOMINGTON, IL 61701-2654
US
309.828.5226 fax: 123 123 1234

GENERAL INFORMATION FROM VARIOUS SITES ON DEALING WITH COLLECTION AGENCY'S

Tell them to validate by

. What the money you say I owe is for;
Explain and show me how you calculated what you say I owe;
Provide me with copies of any papers that show I agreed to pay what you say I owe;
Provide a verification or copy of any judgment if applicable;
Identify the original creditor;
Prove the Statute of Limitations has not expired on this account
Show me that you are licensed to collect in my state
Provide me with your license numbers and Registered Agent

1. NEVER talk to a collection agency on the phone. Period.
2. Keep good records. This can be the difference between a good and bad settlement. Don't expect them to remember you or what you agreed upon.
3. Send all correspondence via registered mail, receipt requested and put the registered mail number ON THE LETTER. DO NOT SIGN THE LETTER TYPE YOUR NAME
4. Keep a copy of every letter you send.
5. Penalties and extra interest are typically fictious amounts of money added on by the collection agency to pad their profits. Sometimes as much as to 50% of the debt or more claimed to be owed by a collection agency consisting of interest and fees. This is illegal, every state has usery laws (which dictate the maximum interests allowed to be charged. That is except North Dakota. There are no such laws which is why most credit card companies incorporate there.) Junk debt buyer pay anywhere from 1 cent to 7 cents on the dollar, there is no way there is this much interest.
6. Time is on your side. As time passes, the creditors will likely stop calling and the debt will be filed away for future attention or until the SOL runs out ..

Dallas,
Texas,
U.S.A.

STAY OFF THE PHONE .... THE SOL MAY BE OUT IN FLORIDA YOU WILL HAVE TO CHECK -- VALIDATION REQUEST

#4Consumer Suggestion

Thu, February 08, 2007

Respond to this Report!