Aggressive Debt Collectors Harassing Consumers Nationwide
BBB
Warns Consumers to Take Precaution and Guard Personal Information
San
Antonio, TX - February 11, 2011 – In
the past three months, BBB
has received 11 complaints from consumers nationwide regarding aggressive phone
calls from United Legal Alliance, a company that claims to be based in San
Antonio, Texas. BBB has issued the company an F
rating due to the number of complaints filed against the business.
Complaints
filed with BBB allege that consumers have received phone calls from company
representatives and were threatened with legal action or arrest if they did not
immediately settle an unpaid debt or set up a payment plan. Several consumers
were intimidated into allowing the company to debit as much as $800 from their
bank account. Other consumers refused to pay and requested written
substantiation of debts or receipts of payments made but never receive them.
Many consumers have stated that the debts this company attempted to collect
from them are not valid.
Due to the
insufficient company contact information provided, BBB has been unable to track
down a company representative to address the 11 recent complaints. The San
Antonio building address the company provided to consumers appears to be
non-existent and the phone number provided with a (210) area code is only
answered by a recording device. Messages left on the recording device have not
been returned.
Click here
for United Legal Alliance’s current BBB Business Review.
BBB
advises consumers to follow the tips below to avoid problems with debt
collection agencies:
1)
Ask Questions About the Debt. If the caller does not tell you who they
work for, where the actual debt is from or which business hired them to collect
the debt, these are signs the caller may be trying to scam you.
2)
Request Written Proof. Ask the caller for written documentation about the
debt and also request they stop contacting you. The Fair Debt Collections
Practices Act requires a debt collector to give you a validation notice within
5 days of contacting you about a debt.
3)
Don’t Give or Confirm Personal Information. Quite often the
purpose of a phony debt collection scam is to steal your identity or your
money. Until the caller can send you written proof, never give them your
personal information.
4)
Tell BBB.
You can file a complaint online at bbb.org if you believe a scammer has
contacted you to collect a phony debt.
To check
the reliability of a company and find
trustworthy businesses, visit BBB.
About Better Business Bureau:
BBB's mission is to be the leader in
advancing marketplace trust. BBB accomplishes this mission by creating a
community of trustworthy businesses, setting standards for marketplace trust,
encouraging and supporting best practices, celebrating marketplace role models
and denouncing substandard marketplace behavior.
Businesses that earn BBB
Accreditation contractually agree and adhere to the organization's high
standards of ethical business behavior. BBB is the preeminent resource to turn
to for objective, unbiased information on businesses and charities.
Contact BBB serving
Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas at (512) 445-4748.
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