forster and colmes

just wanted to say that they have been reported to the FTC.

Just start getting calls from them, I am trying to find out if they are legit !!! I received a mail from them with Headline from Company, but it looks so fake, so I am trying to get info....FTC ?? I am going to google that to see also....My intuition tells me they are scams .......THey told me they would get me arrested aswell !!!

Did the letter have a mini miranda warning on it? Did it inform you that you have 30 days to dispute the debt? If not, then I would not worry about it. They cannot have you arrested. In fact, threatening this is a violation of the FDCPA. If you are in a state that allows, you can record any phone calls, and if you can get a recording of them making such a threat, then you could use it to sue them. Violations of the FDCPA are worth $1000 if you win in court. You should be able to get an attorney that will work on a contingency basis, and if you win, then they will have to pay his fee as well.

wanna know the really stupid thing is... they threatened on the answering machine and disclosed information that only you are supposed to know. again, that is a violation of FDCPA. whether you owe a debt or not, no CA can make threats like that, this is the first thing that FTC says. call them and they will tell you that. and they will also tell you that you can't get arrested for owing money. you can contact the sheriff/police and they will tell you the same thing.

Wow, it's really unbelievable that collections agencies are still behaving like this, with the volume of FDCPA suits and case law out there, and the training process that each collector must go through for insurance purposes.

Most collectors see FDCPA suits as just the cost of doing business. The amount that they collect makes it worth it to them to pay off the occasional lawsuit. For every person that sues, there are countless others that just pay out of fear and intimidation.

I have been contacted by the same company harrassing me at work claiming that I owe an amount which I believe I do not owe. Please respond if you have more information on Foster and Colmes.

My mother-in-law received a voicemail at her home number with a message for me (do not know HOW they got her number or how they connected us, we have different last names and live in different cities) stating that I should call them back to take care of the "breach of contract with their client." When I called back and referenced the docket # they left on the message, it was associated with a different person entirely, not me. I sort of remember getting a wrong # call about this person around a year ago. When I tried to dig a little deeper to find out how they got my MIL's # and how can I get my name removed from this case the guy hung up on me. Who do I report these people to and how?? Nuts!!

I got a call from this debt collection agency calling about a past due Orchard Bank credit card for $500. Three things tipped me off that this was a fraudulent company trying to strong-arm me into paying a debt I don't owe - 1) They represented themselves as a law firm. This is an intimidation tactic where they try to scare the innocent victim on the other end of the phone. Think about it, would a lawyer go thru the expense of law school to make a career of collecting on teeny tiny accounts, like a $500 credit card? No they would not! Instead this is an ex-con trying to make a meager living ripping off those whose fall for their scam. 2) I have never held an Orchard Bank credit card in my life so I know that this story they're giving me isn't true. I last pulled my credit report 3 months ago and while I was on the phone with the lawyer (ex-con I mean) I did a search for "Orchard Bank" and got back "No Results". Of course when I mentioned this to the hostile caller they said that I was the liar! 3) They tried to further intimidate me by stating that they were "filing charges" tomorrow and that I better watch out. Filing charges? For what? What crime was committed? When I asked the ex-con that same question he couldn't tell me. As we all know over the past few years millions of Americans have lost their jobs, lost their incomes, and lost their ability to pay on unimportant things like credit card debt. Since when is it against the law to go thru financial hardship and not be able to pay a credit card bill? It's not. It is against the law for any collection agency to make these claims, as well as some of the other claims this ex-con made. I am reporting them to the state Attorney General's office and the FTC (the government agency that regulates the debt collection industry). If you get a call like this, don't be scared and don't panic. Instead know what your rights are and let them know that you know what your rights are. That scares them more than anything and they will stop calling you!

I will sum up a few of your comments SteveL,

Would a person go to law school only to collect debts? Sure they would and there is a lot of money in it, but the fact of the matter is a majority of people do not go just for that. Take Massachusetts for instance. There are way too many lawyers in this state, most are spending big $$$$ to go to law school only to find out that noone will hire them, except for debt collectors. Seeing as there are too many lawyers, there are never too many debt collectors out there and these lawyers fresh out get lixxed up in the crap hole,,,,I seen some do it for a year in their own practice only to fold up and move out of state in fear of being sued,,,,,I dealt with one who did just that. Now another young lawyer runs her firm and he is a piece of junk,,,I beat him in court and got a case dismissed with prejudice even though he said I was going to lose.

Tell me this, it you had a college degree that you couldn't do anything with and you had a choice of making $15,000 a year at Burger King or making $80,000 as a debt collector, which one would you pick?

Second, as you said there is no Orchard Bank, that is because they went out of business...I think they sold out to another company and the name was changed after huge lawsuits against them.

Yeah as for them threatening you, it really pisses me off. I am sick and tired of seeing people get bullied by these scum bags and these poor people end up paying due to these threats. The media really needs to get the word out on a weekly basis so EVERYONE knows that these threats are false and people should not pay a dime to collectors that do this.

I am glad to see you didn't pay them, pass the word around to everyone you know and tell them to do the same and so on.

My sister in law called me today saying that this company called her saying I put her down for a reference. Had her name and SS#. Me putting her down for a reference is impossible because of the fact that when I opened the credit card that is now in collections with them, I did not know her. She didnt even exist to me at that time. So I called them back and complained about that. They said that they got all her personal info from the court in a county that I have never lived in. And they told me that the company that I owe this amount to will be pursuing a lawsuit that will be in the courts on Monday morning. I have never received a letter from this company or any other phone call. Then they told me that they can put the law suit off if I can pay them less than half of the balance on the account. She told me to talk to my husband about it and get back to her on Monday morning, when the lawsuit will be in affect. I am working with a debt consolidation company for all my debt, and as soon as I got off the phone with Forster and Colmes I called them. They said that they are trying to scare me into making a payment arrangement with them. Because if they were actually pursuing a lawsuit that they wouldnt be able to do that. That they CANNOT sue you unless they have first sent you paperwork in the mail, which again I have NEVER received.. He told me that collection agencies are not allowed to call family member and also should not get their personal info ever. That I need to report them. He was calling them and finding out info on them. Was sending them the power of attorney that they have for us. I know that I owe this money. That is why I have it with a debt consolidation program. If I didnt care then I would just be completely ignoring them.
Can anyone give me the website to report collection agencies for threats?
Thank YOu

I got a couple calls from these guys. They left messages on my voicemail, one of which I saved. It said something to the effect of "If you do not contact us we will be forced to forward your information to ******* country for further action." For one thing, I am not convinced this is my debt, for another, they left this on my voicemail, and lastly (most importantly), they left it on a voicemail that is under my wife's maiden name that has no recorded message except the generic one. Isn't this a severe breach of the FDCPA?

they are not allowed to make threats that they do not carry out and not state will prosecute a hot check on a payday loan allow them to leave as many messages as they want record therm print off cell records it is p to 2000.000 per violation in your pocket depending on the frequency severity and blatant violation

I got a call from them as well, stating that a summons from my local county would be sought if they did not receive money by 5pm today. This is the first that I have ever heard of them! I requested that they fax me all of the info that I supposedly signed for this PayDay Services, and all they sent me was a letter stating that if I sent them $602.42 by 5pm today, they would consider the debt paid in full. They do have a website and are a legitimate collection agency, however, they definitely don't follow the law regarding debt collection! Where can I report against them regarding my situation?

I contacted an attorney and found out that they ARE acting fraudulently and against the law, by making threatening and harassing calls to consumers. They are a legitimate company, however, they have been getting a lot of complaints, and if you have had any dealing with them, you may actually be able to receive $1,000.00 in damages. I spoke with an atty on findlaw.com, and they are going after them to get my $1,000.00. And the best part is, all you have to do is send them whatever info you have received from Forster and Colmes, and there is no fee to you. And you will never hear from Forster and Colmes again!