For Immediate Release
Federal Collection Union
Collecting What You Don't Owe
Federal Collection Union
7095 Hollywood Blvd.
Suite 449
Los Angeles, Ca. 90028-8903
Phone: 800-283-3200
The following email came to our site and we did some checking on Federal Collection
Union. We could find no legitimate business registered at the above address or listed with
800 directory service. This scam apparently sends dunning letters to unsuspecting victims
and then harasses them for payment of non-existent debts. We changed the names in the
following email but left everything else intact for the sake of poignancy:
We received a leeter from this company about a week ago. The letter stated that Steve
owed $106.77. It did not say what the amount due was for. It didnt list what the charge
was used for or if it was a check, credit card, etc. type of purchase or the date of the
purchase he was being charged for.The letter itself looked fake. So we called they said it
was from Aug. of 1997 on a visa card. Steve has never owned a credit card so we checked
with the bank to see if maybe it was a debit card purchase. We were told by the bank this
would not be possiable because the bank would have covered the charge and then the bank
would charge us for the amount they payed out. The bank told us not to pay it and sent
copies of the bank statements which show no such activeties. So we called the collection
union and a brokerage firm awnsered the phone ???????? Now we were told that the
collection union was running off of the brokerage firms 1-800 number and the firm was
aware of this but didnt know how they were duing it.I then redialed the number and was
connected with the collection union. I was calling to inform them i was disputing the
charges I was very proffesional and polite about it and in return I was yelled at,
threatend, hung up on four times, told that Iwas not allowed to speak because no one
wanted to hear my petty complaints, I was refused the names of the people I was speaking
with along with the managers name, and told I was being sued for cridet card fraud. So
after all of this I looked up a list of every collection co. in Los Angeles and found ther
name no where. I then called the U.S. Postal Inspectors Office and was told that ther are
complaints and reports of the Federal Collection Union being a frud and they have to
investigate before just simply adding a company on to there fraud list. Sorry for the
lengthiness of this message. If you have any questions please contact me at this e-mail
and let me know what you come up with.
Another email about Federal Collection Union:
Dear Sirs:
I recently came across your scam alert concerning Federal Collection Union in Los Angeles
Ca. Federal Collection Union has also attempted to scam me out of $98.82 by sending me
fraudulent collection notices. My situation began in the spring of 1997 when my wife
received a payment demand from a collection agency located in Bellingham Wa. We did not
have any idea what this alleged debt was for. The notice they sent was a cheaply made
nearly illegible copy, used my credit card number as their account number, and was
directed toward my wife. Note: my wife's name does not appear on that card, but our
telephone number was in her name. When my wife called the collection agency in Washington
and inquired about the alleged debt, she was told it was the fee for a call to a 900
number in July 1995 which was charged to the credit card, but the bank issuing the card
had refused to pay. Note: Our telephone number has always had automatic blocking to all
900 numbers. We told that collection agency that we wanted them to validate the alleged
debt by furnishing us with the name and address of the original creditor, and that we
would not pay until they did verify the debt. We heard nothing from them until a year
later in the spring of 1998, and they told us it was a company called ABC Billing located
in Los Angeles. At that time, we again told them it was not our debt, and we refused to
pay. This was after I had called my credit card issuer and explained this situation to
them. The representative for the bank which issued my card nearly laughed when I told them
what the collection agency claimed. This alleged debt never showed up in my credit card
billing records, and the alleged call to the 900 number never showed up in our telephone
records. The bank which issued my card informed me that they beleived this to be a case of
card fraud where someone had obtained the account number, but didn't know the expiration
date on the card. I received this particular card in June 1995.
In the fall of 1997 when I applied for an auto loan through my credit union, I was told
that I had one derogatory entry on my credit report. The origin of this entry was
Collection Consultants of California, was in the same amount of the debt alleged by the
collection agency in Bellingham Wa. (North Washington Collections), and had been passed to
the Washington agency from the outfit in California.
And now we come to the involvement with Federal Collection Union. I received a demand for
payment of $98.82 from them in August 1998. This notice now was direct to me, and omitted
my wife's name. Federal Collection claimed that the debt was owed to a company called
Amtec. Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, I disputed the debt with them
in writing within thirty days, and demanded that they verify the debt by furnishing me
with the name, address, nature of business, description of any goods/services obtained by
me which caused the alleged debt, and a copy of any agreement between myself and the
original creditor for any goods, and/or services. I also informed Federal Collection Union
that unless they furnished me with the requested information within thirty days of receipt
of my dispute(federal law), I would consider the alleged debt invalidated and refuse to
pay.
Federal Collection Union did not respond to my correspondence within thirty days, but two
months later sent me a new demand for payment in the amount of $83.82. I believe this was
a deliberate act by them which was orchestrated to circumvent the federal laws pertaining
to debt collection, and which are provided for in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
Again I disputed the alleged debt in writing within thirty days, and told them I believed
they were in violation of federal law by sending me another bogus notice. I also again
demanded that they either validate the debt and take me to court, or stop sending me
fraudulent claims. Federal Collection Union did not respond to my letter within thirty
days, and sent me a new demand for payment. The recent demand from them came to me earlier
this month, and the amount they were claiming was back up to the original amount of
$98.82.
No one has ever answered the phone when I called their 800 number, all I get is a
recording that informs of their "office hours", and you can't leave a message.
Federal Collection Union has never acknowledged, or responded to my letters. I have filed
a complaint against Federal Collection Union with the California Attorney General's
Office, and am in the process of filing one with the Attorney General in the state of
Washington where I reside.
I apologize for the length of this E-mail, but after learning from your site that I was
not the only one victimized by Federal Collection Uinon, I though it was important for you
to have as much insight as possible into their fraudulent practices. Through some
investigation of my own, I also learned that there is no legitimate business licensed
under the name of Federal Collection Union at the address of 7095 Hollywood Blvd. Suite
449, Los Angeles, Ca. I believe that this is all credit card fraud, and they blackmail
people into paying the relatively small amount by putting a derogatory entry on credit
reports. The following are some names that have shown up in my situation, and some I have
come up with through my investigation into this matter.
Federal Collection Union
7095 Hollywood Blvd. Suite 449
Los Angeles, Ca. 90028-8903
(800) 283-3200
Collection Consultants of California
425 W. Broadway #200
Glendale, Ca. 91206
(818) 244-1104
North Washington Collections
1155 N. State #503
Belligham, Wa. 98225
(360) 733-5290
American Billing Companies (ABC)
Canoga Park, Ca. 91303
(800) 221-7999
