Stop Calls and Harassment

Subject: Course of Action against Palisades Collection:

In February, Palisades Collection started calling me every day except weekends. I filed complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about it. The FTC handles complaints from the Federal Communications Commission because they are one in the same now. If you have a complaint about calls from Palisades, contact the FTC online and file a complaint. Also, if you do call Palisades, don’t give them your social security number. Chances are they only have the last four digits. Most companies you have accounts with protect your privacy this way. This way if thieves steal your mail, they cannot ruin your credit.

Palisades told me they know my whole SSN, but they want to make sure it’s really me they are talking to, so they can be sure -- Don’t do it! I checked my credit report and didn’t find anything on it. If Palisades gets your SSN, they may try to ruin your credit history by adding stuff to it With me, Palisades doesn‘t know my address or SSN. I never received one letter from them, but it doesn’t stop them from calling.

I also filed a complaint at the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in Palisades’ home state, New Jersey. I used the national BBB database online search engine to locate Palisades. I searched Palisades using two Ls and found nothing. I then searched using one “L”, I found one business listing. Here is Palisades address:

Palisades Collection, LLC
210 Sylvan Avenue
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632

The nearest BBB located to Palisades is located in Trenton, New Jersey. You can file a complaint online against Palisades at:

BBB of New Jersey (Trenton, NJ)
1700 Whitehorse Hamilton Square Road Suite C-3
Trenton, NJ 08690-3596
Phone: (609)588-0808
Fax: (609)588-0546
Email: info @ trenton.bbb.org
Web: trenton. bbb. org

You can also file a complaint at the Department of Consumer Affairs in New Jersey at:
http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/contractors/consumercont.htm

If you call Palisades and they give you a Washington, DC address, not one in New Jersey, contact the Washington, D.C. BBB:
grc.dc.gov/grc/cwp/view%2Ca%2C1253%2Cq%2C461618.asp

So far, the BBB sent two letters and asked Palisades to respond within two weeks. So far, Palisades ignored the first letter, so the BBB sent another one. The BBB is still waiting for a response. Also, Palisades is not a member of the BBB, and to my knowledge, the only listing found in a search on the national BBB website is located in New Jersey. If you have been contacted by Palisades in another state, check to see if they have a business license in the city they claim their business is located, if none can be found, contact the FBI and IRS and file a complaint. Sometimes scam artists use false company identities such as collection agencies to sucker money out of you.

Here is a copy of your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Act. This booklet tells you how to protect yourself against collectors who threaten and continuously call you. It also tells you the best way to contact Palisades is through an attorney,. Allow the attorney to send a letter to learn what debt they are trying to collect and to demand they stop calling you. It costs between $25.00 -$50.00 for an attorney to send the letter. It protects your privacy, especially if they don’t have your address. After the attorney’s letter, if they still call, you can sue them for harassment. If they try to put false information on your credit, you can sue them for slander. You can download a copy of the Fair Debt Collection Act online at:
ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf