JBC Legal Group threatened to sue me Bloomfield New Jersey
A 'pre-litigation specialist' called me one day and asked if I was to 'rectify the situation' by paying for a bounced check dated fall of 1994. He sounded very rough and uneducated, it was quite an unnerving experience. I refused to pay them without any additional information regarding this so called 'bounced check'. After a long 'questions and vague answers' session the representative finally became irate, he began 'aksing' me repeatedly if I was refusing to pay for the debt as of now. I persisted on not paying until I receive additional information regarding this issue. He then threatened me with some kind of 'legal action' and hung up on me.
Eventhough all the posts here stated these guys from JBC are fraud artists, I am still worried and would appreciate any advice on how to protect myself from this specific company.
Bob
Burbank, California
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Scott
Akron,Ohio,
U.S.A.
take these steps
#3Consumer Suggestion
Thu, April 08, 2004
1)file a complain with the FTC, the california attorney general, and the New Jersey attorney general. Mention how they threatened a lawsuit on a time barred debt and how he deceptively passed himself off as an attorney. Also mention that he refused to send proof of the debt
JBC is simply a band of criminals and thieves. They will call constantly but keep in mind everything they say is illegal. they cannot sue, you cannot go to jail, they cannot garnishe, ect. You have the power.
I highly suggest you log every call with the date, time, and what was said and who said it. You can tape the call if you say 'all calls may be recorded' if they call you but if you call them in NJ you can tape away without letting them know. JBC has already been hit with a class action lawsuit and there is another starting up soon. Get the proof of their harrassment and sue them. They deserve no mercy.
Chris
Raleigh,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
SUE THEM NOW -- that was ILLEGAL!
#3Consumer Suggestion
Thu, April 08, 2004
I'm a consumer lawyer in NC and about to file a nationwide class action against them, but you can certainly find good counsel in CA without having to wait for the class notice. The phone thug who repeatedly lied to you is not a "specialist" in anything but abuse and bluster. Just for a start, I am reliably told that collecting out-of-statute debt in California is plain illegal, unlike almost all other states.
In any state, for sure, they cannot threaten to sue you; they cannot add on hundreds in fees; they cannot put a 10-year-old debt on your credit report; they cannot have you arrested; they cannot do squat, other than ask you nicely to pay it. They can't even do that in this case, because obviously the check never existed. If they had a copy of the check they would send you one. I know because one of my clients really DID bounce a check (although he paid the previous creditor in full with a money order, they didn't give him the check back) and JBC sent him a copy, so if they refuse to provide any evidence or validation, they don't have it and they are only trying to scam you.
JBC is supposed to be staying out of California altogether. They PROMISED a federal court they were, but that was a whole three years ago and they figure nobody's looking now. Don't bust a gut--bust a move:
Mail them a cease-and-desist letter, form certified mail return receipt requested, keep the green receipt, count up how many times they call you after the date on the receipt, find a lawyer, and sue the living daylights out of them under FDCPA and CUDPA. They will have to pay your attorney fees when you win. And tell 'em I sent you.