Oregon Attorney General John Kroger has reached an agreement with Allied Interstate which has them paying $90,000 to settle allegations of collection law violations. The action was in response to an investigation into approximately 200 complaints against the Minnesota-based debt collector over a 5 year period.
Allied Interstate has been blamed for violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) before. In 2010 the Federal Trade Commission resolved a case against Allied Interstate for FDCPA violations which had the agency paying $1.75 million in fines.
This time the collection agency is charged with violating numerous protections guaranteed by both Oregon collection laws and the federal FDCPA. The attorney general released the following statement about the settlement:
Allegations against the firm include the following violations:
- Using profane or obscene language during collection calls.
- Revealing details of debts to third parties without the debtor’s permission.
- Threatening legal action that was not authorized by the firm.
- Repeatedly calling the same number even after being told they had the wrong number.
- Harassment, including repeated calls and hang ups to the same telephone numbers.
The attorney general has advised the firm that failure to abide by the terms of their settlement agreement would result in an additional $50,000 owed to the state.
If you have been victimized by any collection agency or law firm attempting to collect on a debt, you should report any illicit behavior to the following authorities:
- File a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
- File a formal complaint with your state’s attorney general.
- File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
Remember that collection agencies do have a legal right to collect on a debt that you rightfully owe. However, you do not have to tolerate abuse by debt collectors that choose to violate your rights. Feel free to share your interaction with Allied Interstate.
Long is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Industrial Relations. He subsequently received his Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. His Certificate in Financial Planning was issued by Florida State University.
Long has achieved the Accredited Credit Counselor and Accredited Financial Counselor certifications through the Association for Financial Counseling, Planning and Education. Long originally achieved the Certified Credit Counselor designation through the National Institute for Financial Education.
In addition to years of nonprofit leadership, Long has been an innovator in the field of volunteer tax return preparation programs. He assists volunteer associations and nonprofit organizations who seek to integrate credit counseling and asset-building programs with free personal income tax preparation. His approach to using free credit reports as both an incentive and a screening tool for placement into asset-building programs has been shared with members of the National Community Tax Coalition, the EITC-Carolinas Initiative of MDC, Inc. and nonprofit groups across the Carolinas.
Long assists members of our armed forces in the Carolinas, Iowa, Rhode Island, Georgia and Germany with financial readiness. Please support our Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors!
Favorite quote:
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
Thomas Jefferson
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