Complaint Review: CREDIT COLLECTIONS DEFENSE NETWORK AKA CCDN - Bronx New York

http://www.houstonpress.com/2009-12-03/news/credit-repair

I'm a victim of CCDN's ongoing scam.  I've just finished filing complaints with the AG, FTC and also the BBB.  I don't expect that to do much about fixing my issue, but I hope it prevents more victims in the future.

I've hired an attorney.  If you're a victim of CCDN, I suggest you hire an attorney as well!

Good luck!

This is too funny. And you can look it up at the Harris County Clerk of Court's site. As you may know, the Texas Attorney General sued Robert Mitchell Lindsey, aka Bob Lindsey or Robert M. Lindsey, and his debt elimination scams The Credit Card Solution (TCCS), Jubilee Financial Solutions LP, and Jubilee Financial Management LLC. TXAG accused (very truthfully) TCCS of unfair trade practice by taking payments from people to "invalidate" their debt and "restore" their credit, as Bob Lindsey promised in about 40 videos. Some of them are still up, and you can see him wearing a shiny Christian cross so you know he's telling the truth.

Actually he wasn't. TXAG sued him and got the court to order his assets frozen and order him to quit lying, which effectively put him out of business. Also he was supposed to have been passing along those payments to the Credit Collections Defense Network (CCDN), who started TXAG's action by complaining that Bob Lindsey kept $469,035 of payments for what TXAG called "debt relief services." Uh huh. Well, what TXAG didn't figure out was that CCDN was the source of Bob Lindsey's scam, and everything he sold came from them. Why, then, doesn't TXAG sue CCDN too? Beats the tar out of me.

So, Bob Lindsey this week filed for permission to bring in CCDN, and the two lawyers behind it, Robert K. Lock, Jr. and Phil Manger, because he says they were all working together, and anyway the other guys have all the money, so they're the ones who really owe TXAG for damages. The judge might not let them do that in the same suit, but it's pretty interesting all the same. Thought it might be interesting for folks to know.

CCDN an all the other so-called debt elimination companies can all be summed up in one word: SCAMS They all use special monikers to call their programs such as: Debt Elimination Debt Invalidation Debt Resolution Debt Reconciliation list goes on and on. Their so-called program only accomplish 2 things: 1) The get you the consumer into deep, deep trouble (Yes you will be sued) 2) Make themselves a TON of money by charging high upfront fee's. The 'Credit Card Debt Termination, Elimination, Invalidation' Scam 'Legally terminate credit card debt! You can be debt-free in 12-18 months!' Advertisements like this are for a new type of program that has spread via the Internet over the past few years. It's called 'Credit Card Debt Termination,' and victims are paying up to $3,500 and MORE for this bogus service. In this article, I'll review the principles behind this program and explain exactly why it's a scam to be avoided. First, let's get our definitions straight. The scheme I'm describing here should not be confused with Debt Consolidation or Debt Settlement (also known as Debt Negotiation), both of which are legitimate and ethical methods for debt resolution. The easiest way to distinguish the Credit Card Debt Termination scam from other valid programs is based on the central claim that you really don't owe any money! With Debt Consolidation, you pay back all of your debt balances. With Debt Settlement, you pay back a lower amount (usually around 50%) while the creditor agrees to forgive the remaining balance. However, with the bogus Credit Card Debt Termination program, promoters claim that you won't need to pay anything at all (except their outrageous fees, naturally). They make the surprising claim that you can legally wipe away your debts simply by using their super-duper magic documents. Based on some legal mumbo-jumbo, the claim is made that you really didn't borrow any money from your creditors! In order to understand this scam, a little background is necessary. Remember the tax protest movement back in the 1970s? People were claiming that the IRS tax collection system was unconstitutional, and based on their misinterpretation of the tax code, they refused to pay taxes. The IRS came down hard on the tax protest movement, and through the court system, they blew holes in all the legal arguments put forth by the protesters. The Credit Card Debt Termination scam is a lot like the tax protest movement. In fact, among collection professionals, it's called the 'monetary protest movement.' Just like the tax protest movement, there is a common theme that runs through all of the promotional materials issued by the monetary protestors. The basic idea is that our Federal Reserve monetary system and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) do not permit banks to loan out their own money. Therefore, according to their interpretation, the credit card banks are the ones running the scam on the American public. Stay with me here, because the logic is pretty strange. If a bank cannot lend its own money, how does a credit card bank extend credit? The claim here is that your credit card agreement itself becomes a form of money (known as a promissory note) the moment you sign it. The idea is that the bank 'deposits' your agreement as an asset on their books, and then any credit you use is offset as a liability against that asset. In other words, the core concept here is that you literally borrowed your own money from the credit card bank. So let's say your balance with ABC Credit Card Bank is $10,000, which you borrowed against the card to make everyday purchases. The scam promoters say all you need to do is notify the bank that you want your original 'deposit' back. However, you will permit the bank to offset the amount you borrowed against the amount you have on 'deposit.' Presto! You don't owe the balance anymore! Now, as you can imagine, the banks don't take kindly to such tactics. Many of the consumers using this technique are getting sued by their creditors. But the scammers have more tricks available, as if the 'smoke and mirrors' financial nonsense wasn't enough. One of their techniques is the use of bogus 'arbitration' forums. Arbitration is of course a legitimate system that allows businesses and individuals to resolve disputes without going to court. What do the scammers do? They coach people on how to set up a fake arbitration forum, for the express purpose of making a dispute against their creditors! Naturally, the creditors will not send representatives to some non-existent arbitration forum, so the consumer gets to rubber-stamp their own arbitration award. If they get sued in a regular court, they present their bogus award to the judge in the hopes that the creditor's lawsuit will be dismissed. There are other techniques used by promoters of this scheme, but the key point to remember is the central claim that your credit card debt does not really exist. Of course, it's all nonsense based on a misinterpretation of our monetary system, and if you step back and think about for a minute, the truth seems pretty obvious. What these scammers are saying is that the entire $700 billion credit card industry is operating on an illegal basis! Even if the legal theory used by the promoters were true (which it isn't), do you think for a moment the government would allow this giant industry to go under? That's exactly what would happen if the promoter's claims were proven true and used on a widespread basis. The Federal Trade Commission, which has jurisdiction here, hasn't stomped on these con artists yet, but it's only a matter of time. Unfortunately, in the meanwhile, consumers are being bilked out of millions of dollars for a worthless program that will only get them into deep trouble with their creditors. If you are approached by someone offering to wipe away your debts using this system, I strongly recommend you run in the other direction while you hold on tightly to your wallet or purse. Remember, you can eliminate your debts if you take a disciplined approach to your finances, make a budget and stick to it, and don't use your credit cards unless you can pay off new balances in full each month. Good luck in your financial future!

I don't see where he ever stated that he was a client of CCDN. So is that your standard rebuttal? We've searched our database? Well, take a look because you will find my name in your database. And after reading these comments I now see a pattern. Someone posts & you rebut those that you choose...might be that you have even made up Paul Cohen? Please feel free to defend CCDN & R&G Marketing with respect to me and my client experience with your organized nightmare. The person who posted this comment appeared to have no real relationship with CCDN/R&G Marketing,Tracey Webster, Phil Manger,ect... I however have. My experience has been less than pleasant & if you are considering this program I would advise that you DO NOT, unless you want to experience wage & tax garnishments/property leins/judgments/frozen bank accounts....if you enjoy seeing judgments on your credit reports, don't need a decent job, plan on being on anxiety drugs for an eternity...then join up today. Otherwise, don't buy into it. It sounds wonderful and it very well presented but chances are very good you will regret it. I do, every day, I've been a client since July of 2006. Don't be further misled by them...there are many clients, past & present experiencing the same thing as myself.

We have searched our database. This person does not exist in it and therefore was never a customer. We have never had a customer with the first name of Arthur as well as never had a customer in East Haven CT.