Fake Debt Consolidation Scams To Be On The Lookout For: Part One
If you are being inundated with phone calls from debt collectors demanding money, and advertisements that blare "get out of debt now," debt settlement and debt consolidation companies might be looking pretty good right now. With debt settlement and consolidation centers, you merge your debts and pay a portion of the total. However, many of these businesses might be just too good to be true.
Categories: Scams Tags: accounts receivable, bad debt, business debt, collecting bad debt, collection agency, commercial debt collection, debt, debt collectors, debt consolidation, international debt collection, law, Scams, skip trace
Information On Credit Fixing Stings
You see the adverts in newspapers, on television, and on the Web. You hear them on the radio. You get fliers in the mail. You might even get calls from telemarketers offering credit fixing services. All of them make the same claims:
Categories: Fraud Tags: credit, credit repair, credit repair services, debt, employer identification, false, Fraud, mail, repair, services, Social Security
Los Angeles Consumer Sues American Express for Allegedly Charging Him Personally with a Huge Business Debt Belonging to his Former Corporate Employer
La Crescenta, CA (PRWeb) December 27, 2011 (PRWEB) December 28, 2011
Steven E. Warner is pursuing a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court against American Express. He has alleged that American Express effectively stole his identity to make him personally responsible for the corporate debts of his employer, and, in the process, has ruined his credit. He is represented by Brennan, Wiener & Associates of La Crescenta, Ca., which has issued this press release. Warner v. American Express, BC 430 180.
Mr. Warner has alleged the following sequence of events in his complaint against American Express: eight years ago Steven E. Warner was working as manager for a company named TPL Communications (TPL). One day, he placed a phone call to American Express notifying the credit card company that James Briggs, who was one of the original owners of TPL, had retired from the company and thus Briggs name should be removed from all TPL accounts. The AMEX representative asked Warner to identify himself, telling Warner it was only for the purpose of mailing the bills, and then informed him that AMEX would remove Briggs name as requested. Warner never signed any contract or agreement with AMEX.
Warners complaint alleges that AMEX then took Warners personal identity information to transfer the Briggs TPLs credit card accounts into Warners name, thereby making him personally responsible for the companys debt without his knowledge. In the ensuing half dozen years Warner had no idea that the former Briggs accounts were now in his name, as the bills when they came in went straight to the TPL accounting department for payment.
Warner has testified that in late February of 2009 Warner was laid off by TPL because of the economic downturn. The following month, according to Warner, he received a call from a representative of AMEXs Collection Department regarding a past due TPL credit card account of $ 55,750.69. Warner sent certified correspondence to AMEX disputing that he was financially responsible for any TPL credit card accounts or line of credit.
Warners complaint alleges that in late May of 2009, an AMEX High Balance Account representative called Warner asking him for payment on a number of TPLs credit card accounts. In June of 2009 Warner sent a dispute letter to the AMEX Fraud Department regarding the TPL accounts and line of credit, and included with the letter a copy of a police report he had filed, a Federal Trade Commission Affidavit, and a copy of his state of California drivers license. In his letter Warner requested: 1) copies of the original application for the credit cards and line of credit; 2) all copies of the billing statements and any other correspondence related to these accounts; 3) any other information with regard to these accounts; 4) application records or recordings of telephone applications; 5) investigators summary electronic or otherwise; 6) copies or transcripts of any communications with TPLs CFO or other company representatives regarding the credit card or line of credit accounts; and 7) a removal of the AMEX derogatory remarks showing on Warners personal credit reports as of January 24, 2008.
On August 6, 2009, TPL itself sent correspondence to AMEX exonerating Warner for any TPL debts, stating that [Warner] was never a corporate officer nor was he ever on the Board of Directors. Moreover, Warner was never authorized, never had the authority or the financial responsibility to open company accounts in his name nor have company accounts transferred to his name. He was however, authorized to charge on the account for business use [what AMEX calls an [authorized cardmember] but not someone who was fully responsible for the corporate debt. TPL was always responsible for the accounts and [Warner] should be released of all financial responsibility. Further, the letter stated that Warner did not open, request or authorize the accounts in his personal name using his personal Social Security number.
Despite these statements from both Warner and TPL, AMEX has allegedly persisted to this day in claiming that Warner opened the accounts and was personally responsible for TPLs debts. AMEX also allegedly cancelled Warners personal American Express accounts.
Finally, in October of 2009, after much discussion, AMEX by letter agreed to transfer the TPL accounts into the CFOs name, but with the ominous warning, should Plaintiff or TPL default, Plaintiff may be contacted in the future for payments. TPL has since paid the debt in full, but not after AMEX badly damaged Mr. Warners personal credit at a time when he needed it most, in transition after being laid off from his long-time job.
Warners complaint seeks damages from American Express for both credit damages and for his emotional distress and aggravation, as well as punitive damages.
This is one of several recent wrongful credit damage cases weve seen involving AMEX as the creditor, comments Robert F. Brennan, Mr. Warners attorney. Based on my observation, AMEX evidently does not believe in consumer protection laws when it decides to collect one of its debts. Here, there is absolutely no record whatsoever that Mr. Warner ever agreed to become personally liable for the corporations debt, and moreover, we have alleged in the complaint that AMEX duped him into becoming a basic cardmember, personally liable for the corporate debts. We think this is grossly unfair and we plan to present this case to a jury.
About Robert F. Brennan and his firm: Brennan, Wiener & Associates is widely recognized as the leading Southern California law firm on a wide range of consumer protection issues, including lemon law, car dealer fraud, identity theft, wrongful credit damage, unfair debt collection practices and landlord-tenant class actions, as well as serious personal injury cases. The firm enjoys an “AV” rating from the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell ratings agency, which is the highest possible rating for an attorney or a law firm and is based on pre-eminence in both legal ability and ethics. Mr. Brennan has been selected as a Southern California Super Lawyer for seven consecutive years.
###
Share and Enjoy
Categories: Identity Theft Tags: Allegedly, american, Angeles, Belonging, business, Charging, Consumer, Corporate, debt, Employer, Express, Former, Huge, Personally, Sues
You And The Finance Bill Collector
Business closure and international job recession had been a major problem of many people who have debt on several financial institutions like credit-card Company after Global Financial Crisis last 2008. They tend to borrow money to support their previous lifestyle without thinking twice. They didn't noticed that it only made their problem bigger, thus, burdening themselves to debt.
Categories: Scams Tags: alcohol, bankcruptcy, budget, budgeting, credit, crime, debt, family, finance, finances, financial, home, mortgage, Scams, sub-prime
Protect Yourself From Identity Theft
The statistical data of I. D. theft have become so high that the general public either know someone who's had his identity nicked or have experienced it themselves. It's a frightful thing to go through and a big mess to try to get cleaned up. It can suggest hours of work, telephone calls, court cases, and a lot of trouble that nobody wants to address. It can be something that may haunt you for years every time you attempt to purchase anything on credit. There are ways to protect yourself, and indeed all means of protection should be exhausted to keep your identity safe.
Categories: Identity Theft Tags: business, credit, Credit Cards, debt, debt consolidation, finance, Identity Theft, Money
What Are The Most Common Foreclosure Scams
Home foreclosure is a common problem that people face today. More often than not it starts from one missed payment which the spirals out of control. Before you know it you have missed three or four payments and the mortgage lender or bank wants you to pay everything you owe all at once. When the homeowners realize that they have made a grave mistake they resort to anything they can to get out of a tight situation.
Categories: Scams Tags: debt, finiancing, forclosure, help, investing, investor, Money, real estate, Scams, wealth
Credit Card Generator: Modern Fraud
It is first and foremost important to understand that using a credit card generator for purposes that are malicious in nature is definitely illegal. I am not condoning the use of credit card generators for any of the said purposes. This article is only meant to provide information on the generators.
Categories: Fraud Tags: budget, Credit Cards, debt, finance, Fraud, personal finance
Your Home Might Be Sold And You Don’t Know It
Foreclosure. In todays hard economic times, more and more families are facing this intimidating, confusing and often scary prospect. Like any problem that threatens the well-being of ourselves or our families, foreclosure can cause a lot of different reactions in the people who face it. One of the all-too-common reactions of many homeowners today is to simply ignore the warnings of foreclosure, destroying letters or hiding them from their spouse, hoping that something will turn up to prevent the process from going through.
Categories: Scams Tags: advice, credit, debt, finance, foreclosure, home, law, legal, mortgage, personal finance, real estate, Scams
Foreclosure Scams You Want To Avoid
Foreclosure is one of the worst things that can happen to a borrower. Knowing there are scammers waiting to feed on your fear and vulnerability makes the situation even more frightening. Hundreds have fallen prey to phony foreclosure counseling, phantom help, bait and switch, rent to buy, and bankruptcy foreclosure scams. Being able to know the telltale signs of a foreclosure rescue scam can save you the pain and embarrassment of becoming yet another victim.
