Credit Bureau Collection Services and its officers, Brian Striker and Larry Ebert, have been charged with violating consumer protection laws through illegal debt collection tactics. As a result, the company will pay a $1.1 million civil fine to the Federal Trade Commission.
The FTC charged that the company committed numerous violations on a large scale. These include:
- Reporting inaccurate information to credit bureaus even after consumers proved the debt was inaccurate.
- Illegally trying to collect invalid debts.
- Failing to investigate disputes submitted by credit bureaus.
- Asserting that debt was still owed even after receiving proof that the debt was paid.
According to the FTC, the company violated the FTC Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The defendants did not admit guilt, but have agreed to pay the fine to settle the allegations brought by the FTC.
If you believe that your rights have been violated by any collection agency, the FTC requests that you report your encounter online or call 1-877-382-4357.
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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