Steve
Bradenton,#2Consumer Suggestion
Thu, November 08, 2007
1. Stay off the phone!! NEVER call, or speak to ANY debt collector on the phone. Do EVERYTHING in WRITING and send ONLY by Certified Mail, Return Reciept requested. Be sure to put the certified# on the letter itself. This is VERY important. ps..John..NOTICE: Certified Mail, NOT Registered Mail! Do you know the difference? 2. NEVER call an "original creditor" when dealing with a third party debt collector or junk debt buyer!! Refer to rule #1 and stick to it. You can only hurt yourself by making this call. 3. NEVER give ANYONE your SS# over the phone!! NEVER DO THIS!! 4. Never sign anything you send to any kind of collector, as your signature will most likely end up on a "contract". 5. The ENTIRE "legal burden of proof" is on them to prove that you owe the debt. You NEVER have to prove that you do not owe it. 6. Businesses don't provide SS#'s when opening utility accounts. Therefore, it wasn't a REAL business, it was an individual with a sole proprietorship. Now that you have already contacted the "original creditor", you need to request in writing a complete history of that account including the original application and picture id provided.
John
Louisville,#3Consumer Comment
Fri, October 26, 2007
This probably isn't a case of "identity theft." Be careful before you place an identity theft alert on all your credit files...this can cause problems. The real problem is NCO...which is a highly predatory, bottom feeder collection agency that is notorious for trying to collect on bogus debt. NCO received the largest fine on record for Fair Credit Reporting Act violations. Send a registered letter with return receipt to all three credit bureaus stating that this alleged debt is not yours and that per the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you are requesting that it be validated. If you're lucky, all three will pull it off...If one (or all) of them don't, it's time to get tough. If any (or all) of the credit bureaus come back and say that this debt has been validated, send a registered letter with return receipt to the credit bureaus requesting the written communication between the credit bureaus and NCO which led to this validation of this alleged. Send a registered letter with return receipt directly to NCO, stating that if they do not remove this entry from your credit files that you will file complaints with the Pennsylvania Attorney General...NCO is located in PA. If they still won't remove this bogus negative entry after these actions, it's time to consult an attorney specializing in Fair Credit Reporting Act violations.
Bart
Springfield,#4Consumer Comment
Fri, October 26, 2007
Appears that is what they do: manta.com/coms2/dnbcompany_9mk370 Health Guard Labs Inc 209 Mclean Blvd, Paterson, NJ 07504-1005, United States (Map) (Add Company Info) Phone: (973) 925-1001 SIC:Medical Laboratories Line of Business:Mfg Vitamin Company Profile: Health Guard Labs Inc Year Started:1994 State of Incorporation:N/A URL:N/A Location Type:Single Location Stock Symbol:N/A Stock Exchange:N/A Also Does Business As:N/A NAICS:N/A SIC #Code: View Details Est. Annual Sales: View Details Est. Employees:45 Est. Employees at Location:45 Contact Name:Sal Brander Contact Title:Chief Executive Officer