NCO Financial Systems Collections Consumer Reviews - Page 2

First part of this is a repeat of comments posted under another review. Wanted it to be a bit more prominent. Second is info on bankruptcy law and court cases. If most of these letters are indeed attempts to collect on discharged debts, then the very act of sending these letters is illegal. Post Office doesn't take kindly to this. The form is a bit involved. I picked "False bill or notice" under the subject. This is the text of the complaint. Feel free to use it, changing amounts, etc as necessary.

I received a demand for payment for what, to the best of my knowledge, is a credit card debt that was discharged in bankruptcy in 1991. The total amount is based on an alleged original principal of $2842.93 and accrued interest of $2439.99. The interest rate stated on the letter is 6.000%. To accrue this much interest at that rate would take over twenty years.

I have read many stories from other people who have received similar letters. Though the amounts vary, the common thread with many is that they have had debts discharged in bankruptcy 10-15 years ago. I have also read that the very act of attempting to collect these debts is illegal. I believe this would bring it under the jurisdiction of the Postal Service if the mail was used to conduct illegal activities.

I have contacted NCO disputing the account as well as the Massachusetts Attorney General's office on this matter. I believe this should settle the matter as far as my personal credit report is concerned, but I also want to bring it to the attention of any other authorities who may have an interest in this matter. Thank you.

Also some text from the confirmation page after you submit. The more people who report this, the more likely it will result in action. Postal Inspectors base mail fraud investigations on the number, substance and pattern of complaints received from the public; therefore, we ask you to keep all original documents relating to your complaint, including the solicitation, any mailing envelopes and canceled checks.

Under our Consumer Protection Program, Postal Inspectors may contact individuals or businesses on your behalf to request that complaints be resolved. We will contact you if more information is needed. Postal Inspectors caution that, once you've been targeted in a fraud scheme, your name may be passed along to other con artists, so beware of future solicitations. If you know of others who believe they were victimized in a fraud scheme, we recommend that you encourage them to submit a Mail Fraud Complaint Form, as well.

And some info regarding attempting to collect on discharged debts. First part is California law, but other states and US Law should be similar.

TITLE 1.6C. FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES. Article 2. Debt Collector Responsibilities. California Civil Code Section 1788.10-1788.16. 1788.14. No debt collector shall collect or attempt to collect a consumer debt by means of the following practices: Obtaining an affirmation from a debtor who has been adjudicated a bankrupt, of a consumer debt which has been discharged in such bankruptcy, without clearly and conspicuously disclosing to the debtor, in writing, at the time such affirmation is sought, the fact that the debtor is not legally obligated to make such affirmation.

This is from a case very similar to the NCO situation. It relates to a secured debt discharged, so if others like mine are for unsecured debt they should have even less ground to stand on. Attempting to Collect Debt Discharged in Bankruptcy May Violate FDCPA.

Facts: Plaintiff filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy and received a discharge of her debts in 1997. Among the debts discharged was a note secured by a mortgage of real property. After the discharge, the note and mortgage were assigned to Ocwen, which is in the business of buying and collecting defaulted debts. Ocwen attempted to collect the discharged debt from plaintiff.

She sued, claiming violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act for attempting to collect money from her that she did not owe. Ocwen moved to have the claim dismissed, contending that her only remedy would be under the Bankruptcy Code.

Decision: Motion denied. Since plaintiff's debts had been discharged, she was not a debtor to Ocwen, who attempted to collect money from her. Ocwen's claim that only the Bankruptcy Code, but not the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, could apply is incorrect. Both laws can be violated at the same time.

Ocwen could be found in contempt of the Bankruptcy Code and in violation of the FDCPA. "Plaintiff's FDCPA claim, at its foundation, is no different from that of any other debtor who is dunned by a creditor who in fact is not owed any money; the fact that her debt was discharged in bankruptcy does not logically differentiate her case from that of a debtor whose debt was discharged in some other way."

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA -- NCO Financial is a company that I did not know exist until I applied for a home loan this year for the first time. Three credit reporting agencies and a service named "Fair Issac" rendered a score. Two out of three reported no problems, but one reported a past due account named "NCO-NOKOL" for over $3000.00. First I called the number listed for NOKOL and was told I had a past due MasterCard account.

I asked when this account was opened and in what name and the answer was 1992 and in my name. They asked for my SSN# but I refused to give that out and asked them what SSN# did they show for that account. They refused to give me a SSN# on the account, refused to give me an account number to verify, then refused to produce a bill or statement showing activity on the account authorized by my signature and positive proof of identity.

Now the law states that an account showing no activity must be dropped after seven years for a bad debt listed. This is how they get around the law. They apply interest every sixth year and eleven months to the account and claim it as "new" activity on the account. If you call to challenge them to prove it really is your account, they increase the frequency of applied interest on a yearly, quarterly, and then monthly basis for fear you are going to take them to court and sue.

I reported the account as not valid to the only agency posting this bad debt and requested that it should be removed because it is false and has also exceeded the time limit a bad debt can be kept on my file. THEY REFUSED to remove it.

I have a perfect credit report from two agencies and a bad debt from one and I would never had known there was a problem if I had not applied for a home loan. I'm not wealthy. I can't afford to pay lawyers for time involved to sue. In the meantime, I'm a disabled veteran trying to get a first home through a VA Loan and this NCO Services group will not hear me tell them they got the wrong guy.

My credit report shows every debt paid on time for the past ten years stating "never late". I don't know how I got on these ** list of people to extort. All I know is that if I can't get a letter from a Company I have never done business with stating this account is clear, I get no home loan.

I can buy a car, a boat, a motorcycle, anything but a home. That's the one thing in life that means anything, and that's how they extort money out of people. They tell you to settle the account at a reduced amount and get it off the record. If I owed the money I would just pay it like any other credit company I contract with for a loan. This practice is extortion and I can not understand how it is allowed to ruin a persons dream of home ownership in America.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA -- My son and I have the same name, except he has Jr. on the end of his. His money management is really bad and he has an account that has been sent to NCO Financial Systems. Last Tuesday, January 18, 2005, a representative from NCO contacted my home about this account. My daughter took the call and gave them my cell phone number by mistake. They contacted me, first by immediately insinuating that I owed the bill and they wanted a full payment immediately.

After finally telling them they had the wrong person, and giving them part of my social security number, this should have ended our conversation... instead, they suggested that my wife and I pay the entire bill and have our son pay us back. I responded "no", that I was not responsible for his bills. They tried to get me to send them a check and even went so far as to offer to put this on my credit card. The representative then tried to get me to write down where to mail the check and what account number to put on the check. As I was driving a truck in heavy traffic, I explained that that was impossible at the time.

Last Wednesday night, January 19, 2005, after my wife and I had talked about how to help my son, I called NCO to try to get the information that I couldn't write down the night before. For some strange reason, they would not give me the information, but, stated that if my wife contacted them they would provide her with the info. She contacted NCO at 1-800-485-2202 about how to make payments and where to mail the payments. NCO gave her all the info, without requiring any iota of confirming whom she was. NCO informed her that the entire balance was due and payable by the end of this month. They told her that it was to "not" be in money order form, it must be in check form.

My wife told them that our son does not have a checking account. They told my wife that we should write them a check from our checking account and let him pay us back. The conversation ended with my wife and NCO at this point. I then contacted NCO once again. Immediately they start on me about how we should pay this for our son, and let him repay us. They said they could do this by either our credit card or our checking account. I told them that this would not happen. I also informed them that when the payments began, they would be in money order form. They objected to this.

I explained to them that if they rejected the money orders, then they would be liable for rejecting payments. The bill that was turned over to NCO was for the amount of $949.23. NCO has attached an 18% collection fee on top of this, which brings the total to $1120.09. As my son has a problem paying the original amount, what makes it even a better situation by attaching such an outrageous collection fee on top of this. Does any of this sound strange?

NORTH CAROLINA -- I have a delinquent account with a credit card company and it has been turned over to NCO for collections. The company called and left a voice mail for me to call an 866 number and speak to a Mr. **. I called the number and a voice answers "This is Tom". I thought I had dialed the wrong number because usually when you call a business, they will answer "Business Name, this is ..." So I hung up checked the number again and redialed. Again I got the "This is Tom" answer, so I asked for Mr. **. I was told that he was busy. He asked if this was (my name), and I said yes. (The folks their must have caller id).

He proceeded to tell me I was being sued. Now keep in mind he never stated what I being sued for or when this was supposed to happen. He didn't state what company was suing me, just that I hadn't paid my debt and I was obviously trying to avoid the calls by stating that I had the wrong number when I called 15 seconds earlier. I stated that I had just gotten the message and called the number expecting a business to answer, and was taken off guard by the casual way the phone was answered. I also asked him if I was trying to avoid the calls, why would I call back 15 seconds later.

This went on for about 2 minutes while I tried to explain that I wasn't trying to avoid the calls. He then stated again that I was being and then hung up without ever telling me how much I owed, the company that was suing me or when I could expect to be served with papers. Now, I know that I owe the debt and am willing to make payment arrangements to pay it back. I am NOT trying to get out of paying this. I want to make good on this debt. When I called back, I got "Tom" again.

I explained that I wanted to pay the bill, but first I wanted to let him know I thought his behavior was beyond rude and quite possibly illegal since I had been threatened with legal action but had yet to receive anything in the mail. I think this is illegal according to the Fair Credit Act if legal proceedings have not yet been started. I then told him he could call me at my home number as often as he liked, but please don't call me at work. He then told me he would call me at work as often as he liked until the debt was satisfied. I KNOW that this is illegal. They can't call me at work if I expressly state not to call me there.

I called back a third time and finally got someone else who set up a payment plan for me. Again, I want to pay my debt, but these tactics are unacceptable. I noticed that someone named DebtBasher is posting who says they work for NCO and that that is NOT the NCO they work for. I think it's hard to dispute the dozens of postings that clearly state that it is.

HORSHAM, PENNSYLVANIA -- 1st NCO never billed me for a medical bill; but, the bill was reported to the collection bureau - l learned of it when my credit report was checked. 2nd in good faith I provided them with my bank account routing info., that they may debit my checking account on my pay day, a week later. However, they withdrew funds on the same day. Consequently, Medical debts incurred after I had gone to the emergency room (which I plan never to do again in life). Then on last Thursday 9/5/2013 I pre-settled three debts, including NCO.

NCO is the only collector that did not bill me, at all. NCO was the only collector to misrepresent themselves by withdrawing funds out of my checking account on the date that I did not agree to. When I asked them to return the funds and debit my account on the agreed upon date, they (describe this act of congress) needed my banking info, put me on hold to rid me. I eventually hung up.

This was my 2nd call to NCO that my 1st comment was after review of my files "I need you to take the money out of my account on the agreed upon day." The team lead Ms. ** did not listen; she immediately said, "When you called earlier today you were OK with this mistake."

Oh, when I called and ask for a manager, no can do. Of course, I was placed on hold and my call was disconnected several times. By the way, they have caller ID and know who is on the line. I hope and pray never to deal with them again in Life! Their service is poor and I will report this to the credit bureau. Ms. ** never offered to pay any fees that I incurred due to their neglect.

NCO is now defined by my handle... NewCrimeOutfit. Just as my wife and I were first meeting, certain personal things occurred that led to the unfortunate delinquency and subsequently default of her student loans. As things began to settle down, we both began trying to get the loans back into active/current status, only to get the runaround from the original lender and guarantor leading to a world of acronyms for programs and worse: collection agencies such as DCS and NCO. That was 7 years ago and I am almost ready to give up on trying to find any reasonable solution for repayment of these defaulted student loans.

After opening communications again with Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation, I find myself being forced by GLHEC back into the choking hands of NCO Financial (aka group, services, etc.). For the second time now they have done on AWG on my wife for her as yet unfinished degree. She is in a debtors' prison, unable to obtain her academic records to see how she might continue school and cannot even enroll because of the huge black ball of shame attached to a noose around our necks.

Fortunately, my wife's employer has volunteered to HOLD the AWG payment checks at corporate office until a reasonable repayment agreement (that we have requested) is offered to us. I openly asked reps of both GLHEC and NCO the other day if it is the God's honest truth that the ONLY way to get into the "Balance Sensitive Loan Rehabiliation Program" is through NCO. They both affirmed "YES." That doesn't ring true to me.

WHY is the government still directly or indirectly contracting with this outfit already fined $1.5-million by the FTC and under scrutiny of many State Attorneys General? How many of you here know of NCO being "kin" to OSI and offspring of SST -- all previously placed in the safety net of none other than JPMorgan Chase?! I am communicating with attorneys to see if I have been lied to by GLHEC and NCO... and I will post here if there is any genuine path for people who want to get back on track under the Federal Loan Rehabilitation Program.

I am also contacting various elected officials, including a State Rep, U.S. Rep, U.S. Senator and especially Attorney General of Florida, Bill McCollum. If there are other student loan defaulted borrowers from Florida that see this, please post comments below.

We need to make sure that this company is dealt with by an AG that does NOT tolerate abusive, deceptive or misleading practices by any business, especially collection agencies and more -- one outside of this State! Here is the Florida AG website: http://myfloridalegal.com/ - Select "Consumer Protection" from the left side menu and then click on "File A Complaint." Keep a look out for more info here soon. All consumer input welcome!

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA -- I was contacted about 7 months ago by this company regarding an outstanding credit card debt... They offered me a settlement which was about 15% off the total due. I accepted, but had to make monthly payments for about 6 months in order to buy the final amount together... Once I did, we make the arrangements and they have now taken all the money out of my bank account, which is a significant amount. I continue to get statements from them that my account is delinquent with THEM and showing the outstanding balance, which was the original amount I owed. Obviously they have taken all my payments and not passed them on to the original debtor.

There appears to be a problem with their system, as the representative I had worked with called to say they didn't have the payment - this was about 15 days AFTER they were supposed to take the last payment and about 2 days later the payment was taken from my account. Then they called about 10 days later and said they still did not have the payment.

We called my bank together, who verified the check did clear and the amount and the date and then I had to send them a copy of the cancelled check from the bank. Then about another 10 days later I get a call from the representative I was working with whom admitted their systems have been messed up and that the account was now cleared, but there was a problem with the debtor accepting the deal, as it was now late. She said "she was out of it now and her supervisor had taken over", and she gave me his name and telephone number... I called him twice with no return call... On the third try he did answer and told me "it was nothing I was to worry about".

It was all handled and OK and I would get my settlement letter. Now 2 weeks later I have received the 2nd of letters from them again stating that I am behind in my payments and still owe the original amount of the bill. They cannot be trusted and obviously are not honest. I plan to take all the cancelled checks to the original debtor and show them that I have paid the bill and that NCO is holding THEIR money... My attorney is also contacting their regulator to make an official complaint.... My attorney is also considering a civil suit if the regulator does not get my money back.

I have advised my original representative and her supervisor of these actions, however, neither seem to be worried, as I have had no reply from them. My suggestion to you if you are contacted by these folks is to refuse to deal with them, contact the original debtor and make your payments direct to them.

After receiving nothing from Capital One for over 3 years, I received a notice in the mail from NCO. I called them the same day to inform them that the account was closed over 3 years ago. The woman I talked to pretty much called me a liar and told me I had to live up to my responsibility. She then told me she would accept a payment of 900 (on an original balance of 200). I told her that I would not pay that and that's when she told me then "further action would be taken." I again told her that the account was already paid; she said that she had no documents proving that and unless I had the cancel check I needed to pay.

Who keeps cancelled checks for over 3 years? I told her to have a nice day and hung up. I called back a few minutes later after looking for the paperwork and calling my old back (who also do not check cancelled checks after the account is closed) and tried to set up a deal to pay the account again. I spoke with 3 people who were just downright rude. When I asked why it has been 3 years since someone contacted me I was told that that was not their problem and I should have contacted them (on an account that was settled!!!). I told them that the settlement price they were asking was ridiculous and that the account was almost 10 years old.

They told me that they spoke with Capital One via email and that is what they offered. I asked to be forwarded the email and was denied. Then the woman on the phone started to yell at me that that was the offer, take it or I could pay the balance in full. I asked her not to raise her voice to me and she said that she was "tired of playing my games" that I needed to finally take responsibility for my actions. I then told her that I did not appreciate the attitude and rudeness that I have encountered since I first called and she said that she did not appreciate my attitude.

I told her that I have been very good up to this point and even offered to pay again for an account over 10 years old that I already paid for once. She told me that she would not continue to have the same conversation and either I pay for the debt or they would further action. That is when I get the payment information and told her I needed time to decide. What kind of company is this? I offer to pay and get belittled by them in the process. I am tempted to not pay just because I don't want any of those people getting any money from me after the way they acted!

HARPERS FERRY, WEST VIRGINIA -- I contacted NCO about a letter received on January 15th. I informed NCO by phone that the charges on the account they referenced were most likely fraudulent, and I had no recollection of any business with the creditor--which was CapitalOne.

Later, through my own research, not through NCO, I learned that I had an account for only 3 months, three years ago (which is why I had forgotten it), but had closed properly closed at a zero balance, the final balance of which I verified by calling the company and sending a letter to close the account. The account was closed at zero. Three years later NCO is claiming a debt of $461. I claimed fraud immediately.

With the initial call, NCO said they would seek further information on the account (CapitalOne Credit Card) and call me back. Three weeks after my initial contact with NCO, there is still no information on the account in the hands of NCO. However, NCOs letter states that you ONLY HAVE 30 days to dispute the validity of the debt or any portion thereof.

Today by phone, NCO, informed me that the creditor has 30 days to comply with the request for information which directly works against the person being claimed against! I contacted CapitalOne directly for information on the questionable charges and was told I COULD NOT HAVE the information on account by phone even though I verified my security information and claimed fraud.

I am forced at that point to resort to letters to find out the nature of these charges. I still do not know what they are, as of this date, but because they will not tell me what they are I suspect usury and illegal practices and policies on the part of CapitalOne. Meanwhile the clock is ticking on the amount of time I have to dispute the charges, and neither company will disclose the nature of the charges. How can companies put accounts into collection and then claim they have no information on the debts incurred? How is it that they are allowed to demand payment, and yet have no records at hand to explain the nature of the charges?

How can they legally set these cases aside for 30 days if Fraud is charged? If these charges are the result of identity theft, these companies are negligent because they are not providing immediate information on the accounts to the proper person. Yes, I would like to join in class action against NCO because they can negatively impact your credit report, but do not have any documentation available to prove the debt exists. Also because they claim they have 30 days to get documentation on the debt, but you only have 30 days to dispute! Please contact me with any information on class action against NCO, or responses to my review. Thank you.

About three weeks ago, I had an issue with my daycare. They stated I didn't pay them, which is not true. I have a copy of the duplicate check. The SAME DAY they said I didn't pay, they sent me a letter stating that if I didn't pay in 3 days from the date of the letter, I would be sent to collections. I got this letter the day I left for vacation. During vacation, I tried 3-4 times daily to contact the director but she was never "in". I was calling to tell her I had a trace on the check and see what we could do until the check was cashed.

Today, less than two weeks after the first letter was sent, I got a collection letter from NCO. (I've still been calling the director daily, but no avail). I currently have a trace/track on the check, and it has yet to be cashed from what I can see. So what I'm wondering is this: Is it legal for the daycare to send me a collection letter 3 days after they lost the payment? I thought that I had at least 30 days to resolve the debt before they could legally send it to collections. How do I deal with NCO? Should I call them and tell them the situation or should I just pay them?

Can I legally take the stop payment fee out of what I owe as it was the daycare that lost the payment? I cannot go into the daycare to talk to the director because she leaves too early in the afternoon and I simply do not have anymore time off work. I'm NOT disputing that I owe, because the check has not been cashed at this point. It's a matter of WHERE the payment is. Does anyone have any suggestions? Any advice?