Complaint Review: Cavalry Portfolio Services - Hawthrone New York

I wasn't applying for a mortgage or anything though, and this particular agency was SLICK! They looked back and found people I HAD actually owed money to 2 years prior and then sent me a collection notice. Then they called me on the phone and the woman on the line was REALLY rude. She became absolutely irate and hung up on me when I told her I didn't owe any money to a phone company and they weren't gettin a GD dime from me. I mailed their notice back and told them to PROVE IT. What I got was my statements from the company UP TO a point 18 months prior to the notice/call. At that point I DID owe the company the 80 bucks, but paid it off right after. I then took the liberty of filing a complaint with the BBB that these morons were attempting to collecting an invalid debt and they had provided no proof whatsoever that I at the present time owed any money. I demanded that collection efforts cease immediately and recieved a reply complying with my demands. Here's the fun part...six months later I got a letter from the same collection agency offering to settle the same debt for 60 bucks. I threw it right in the garbage!

Things to do: FIRST - Read the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act at hftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpa/fdcpact.htm. SECOND - send a certified letter, return receipt requested, to the DEBT COLLECTOR to dispute the debt and request written validation of the debt or any copy of a judgment, or the name and address of the original creditor, and a copy of such validation or judgment, or name and address of the original creditor. Also, include a statement stating that you do not wish to be contacted again until you receive all the written debt validation information you have requested. In your case you want to clearly state that this is NOT YOUR DEBT and you should specifically ask for the following documentation: 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. THIRD - Once you received the written validation information requested, contact the CREDITOR (who owns the debt) via certified mail to resolve the matter. It is important that communication between you and this debt collector be in WRITING! So, I wouldn't not talk to them, EXCEPT to obtain an address for sending a certified, return receipt requested letter to dispute and demand validation of this alleged debt. If they FAIL to validate the debt, THEN write to the credit bureaus to demand the entries be removed because they are not your debts and that the debt collector failed to validate per the FDCPA.

I applied for a mortgage. I then received phone calls from mortgage brokers all over. One in particular said he was calling on behalf of Experian. I kept asking him why he would be calling on behalf of Experian and that I don't understand why he would be using Experian's name. He saw I was looking for a mortgage and wanted a shot. From what I understood, it seems his company is notified when a mortgage inquiry is run so he can get business. What if collection agencies are a part of this same notification process? What if every time a mortgage company runs an inquiry, collection agencies are notified of this? Then they slap a collection on your report, hoping you'll pay them at the last minute to get your mortgage. I got a bogus collection slapped on my credit report about 4 days after closing (they were too late). Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas about this?

Filing a false report to blackmail consumers to clear their credit. =============== You got it...this is exactly what is happening to you and many others....The REAL problem lies with the big three credit bureaus who have enabled collection agencies who use this tactic. The credit reporting agencies are much more concerned with their profits than with the accuracy of the info they report...When any bottom feeder collection agency reports negative info about you...the credit bureaus post the info "as is" without confirming the accuracy...as this would force them to have to actually spend time and money to do a thorough investigation. Send a letter via Registered Mail with Return Receipt to the credit bureaus requesting that this debt be validated...If it comes back as "validated," send another Registered Letter with Return Receipt requesting copies of the original signed credit application and detailed billing statements for this alleged debt that led to this validation...If they again come back saying that this debt is validated....sue them for FCRA violations.