Complaint Review: Camco - Leading Edge - Rockford Illinois

I apologize for the rather harsh tone of my response. That being said; to the best of my knowledge Camco only collects on out of stat debts. If Leading Edge is now handling an account which comes from Camco, then it appears that your organization is also attempting to collect on out-of-stat debts. So far as I know, Camco purchases these debts outright. If your company did not purchase these debts from Camco, then they were hired to collect on these debts by Camco, or by someone who purchased these debts from Camco. Would Leading Edge agree to do collections work on paper which was clearly out of stat and for which it would be difficult-to-impossible to provide any kind of verification? There certainly are legitimate collection agencies which follow the FDCPA and applicable state laws, and which serve a useful purpose. In my experience, these agencies wouldn't touch this kind of questionable account with a 10-foot pole. If the original complainant is being contacted by Leading Edge regarding a debt which originated with Camco, then it appears that the answer is "yes, we would." In that case, my original characterization of your activity as a "criminal shakedown" would appear to be valid. If the original complainant is mistaken, that is another matter altogether.

Karen's complaint stated absolutely nothing about an out of statute debt. My rebuttal stated absolutely nothing about an out of statute debt. However, my rebuttal clearly indicated: Leading Edge has nothing to do with CAMCO. That would mean that CAMCO did not "hire" my company to do anything; as your rebuttal indicates. My company has neither bought nor purchased anything from them, ever. We have done absolutely no business with CAMCO, in any way shape or form, at any point in time. Additionally, anyone that is going to make claims that an individual or entity is breaking laws and "shaking people down" should educate themselves about the situation before doing so. At no point in time did Karen describe anyone breaking any laws. She asked a simple question regarding the relationship between CAMCO and Leading Edge. I took the liberty of providing her with an answer since no one else had. I sincerely apologize for the negative experiences that you have had in dealing with collection agencies, Kevin. However, that does not give you the right to make assumptions and accusations in a situation for which you possess no knowledge. It's unfortunate that you feel you must bad mouth companies that you know nothing about. I sincerely hope that you find a more constructive use of the knowledge that you do have regarding debt collection. You provided fantastic advice in you rebuttal. Unfortunately, the personal attacks and overall negative tone of your rebuttal take away from the valuable knowledge that you conveyed. Also, the correct address to send a cease and desist notification (or any correspondence) to my company should include "Suite 350" after the street name. Respectfully, Daniel G. Beam Leading Edge Recovery Solution, LLC

Be sure to send a cc: of any Cease and Desist Letter which you send to them to the Illinois Attorney General and to your state's Attorney General. You may also want to tape any conversations you have with Leading Edge collectors: that way there will be an indisputable record of any FDCPA violations, and you'll be able to shake them down the way they are trying to shake you down. No reputable collection agency would touch out of stat accounts. The fact that Leading Edge is willing to engage in this kind of shady, underhanded activity suggests to me that they're no better than Camco, the folks who "hired" them to collect on this debt. Send your cease & desist letters to LEADING EDGE RECOVERY SOLUTIONS 8550 W Bryn Mawr Ave Chicago, IL 60631 If enough people complain, maybe their "startup" will get its license pulled and be unable to do any kind of collections. That would be a fitting end to a company which thought it could break the law

We are a newer agency that opened our doors in May 2003. We are fully licensed and in compliance with all federal and state statutes and laws. To date, we have not begun purchasing debt but primarily deal with contingency placements from both original creditors and debt buyers. You can review our October 15 press release at collectionindustry.com; under industry news. My company has already been featured in articles from prominent publications, such as Entrepreneur Magazine and The Chicago Tribune. Although I cannot locate the account in question I can take an educated guess that the debt was sold to a different debt buyer and placed in my office for collections. To answer Karen's question: Yes, this is a standard practice. You would need to supply the new agency with a cease and desist letter if you wish collection activity to stop. Any further inquiries as to the legitimacy of my company can be addressed directly through me. Please feel free to publish my contact information on your web-site. Sincerely, Leading Edge Recovery Solution, LLC