These people keep calling all days of week...all hours day /night(up to sometimes)10pm at night. They don't stop calling. This si fraudalent and against State statutes as well as against the law! When are these type of calls going to be OUTLAWED?

Received a call from this number, they left a garbled message but the part I could make out said I must call this number immediately, but could not understand the number.  I checked out this number and they are a collection agency called CAC Financial located in Oklahoma.  They only called that one time but could not leave a message you could understand.  I don't know who they were calling, if they said I could not understand.  Reading the messages on here, I don't think they are a reputable outfit so won't respond to any of their messages if they leave one I can understand.

I use a google voice phone number for my business. This number contacted me and this is the message or the part that was picked up by the answering machine..."I think will be used for that purpose. Please call me at 1(800) 303-7276 Thank you." I even listened to it to make sure that's what was said in the message. "I think will be used"? Seriously?

My guess is that when you took out credit you got a bunch of terms and conditions that you had to agree to (send back the card without using it if you didn't agree to them); most of those include information on collecting the debt if it is unpaid.  So if you used the account and didn't pay & they sent it to collections you've already consented to be contacted about it.

Given directly to the debt collector does not mean that you have to directly give consent to them; if they were given a copy of your agreement from the original lender it was still given directly to them, it just wasn't given directly to them from you.

Your reading of the statute would make it virtually impossible to collect or even investigate a consumer debt.

O.M.G.  you, too--- faced the wrath of Mr. J. Lacy? He is the biggest jerk I have ever dealt with & there've been a few. I didn't know I owed a debt to a Fashion Bug store until it showed up on a credit report. A year ago apparently I'd applied for their card. I also gave them my credit card and thought it was paid. Instead it was charged and I never recieved a card agreement, card, statement, or so much as any call from anyone. I immediately went to the store next day and paid off the $91.14 I agreed I did owe. When I asked to report my card lost or stolen as there was a $305 bal reporting to the bureau, I had been transferred to Mr. Lacey. He confirmed what the store manager told me in that my address was wrong all along. He immediately offered to 'give me a deal' to settle up for $182.28...which would have been double what I owed AFTER I'd paid what I'd owed. I told him it was boloney and he made some stupid remark he wasn't offering me baloney because he wasn't a meat salesman. I was not amused and told him I was disputing the charge. He told me to go ahead, the amount he wanted was now going to be $213.86 and he would continue to keep making sure it stayed on my credit.

A Mr. Wilson called me at work- said that if this is Stephanie Lekowski, please listen to the following message: he is calling to collect a debt,must return call...if this is me? is this anyway to conduct business? Obviously he knows it's me. I'm going to call back, too. If the person gets snotty, God help them.

Called my work phone and left a message to pelase call back - it was only a partial message and there was no company name or reason for the call.

Confirmed- debt collection agency..

Woman called left messages three days in a row asking for my brother and sister-in-law. Tis is the number that was left for us to call back Miss Grant at ext. 108.

I looked through the caller ID call log and there is an ID with a # of 405 286-0610 that corresponds to the days and time of messages.

I am assuming this is some kind of debt collection thing. I think it is extremely rude and obnoxious for these people to leave messages on the machine of a relative in another state over and over again -- harrassing us is not going to help!

Some young girl called my home wanting me or my 16 yr old son call them back.  She said she was from sayha, which is the name of our Hockey club.  I called the number back to see who this was. It's some financial company. I immediately hung up when she said the company name.  I think this is wrong using my children to get to me!!!

Called my place of employment several times, left messages on company voicemail. One collector called my job and was rude. I told him this is place of employment and that I will not pay anything if you cannot prove I owe said debt.

This company is CAC, a collection agency for World Financial which handles the financing for Catherines, Lane Bryant and one other fat woman's store. I used to handle this account for my wife before World Financial took over for the other lender. My wife charged up $100 in bras and this bank refused to let me tell them when the account would be paid. They wanted only a call from my wife and added $195 in fees to the $100 we owed. So we keep dinking around with this crap; she can't make personal calls from work and they won't talk to me, and together we won't pay $195 in fees when I offered to put half the balance on my debit card at $130. Anyway, it's just the run-of-the-mill collector with a stupid 80% balance offer to settle and nobody there that he works for to talk to me about paying even $160. Odd that the bank won't talk to me, but the collection agency will talk to the dog if she answers.

Great info. Thank you!

That guy broke the law. Once they have spoken with you, it is illegal for them to call you again.

I was a reference for another party and this company calls and calls me and I gave them the persons number. I didn't sign anything and just becasue I was listed as a refeence does not mean you can call me trying to collect. This company needs to be reported to FTC

its illegal to call you at work when you have told them not to!
READ THIS INFO - ITS IMPORTANT AND WILL HELP YOU IN DEALING WITH THESE CALLS

File complaints with

Federal Trade Commission  https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en

Your State Attorney General
State Attorney General is every state they have offices

Link to all State Attorney General Websites www.naag.org

If you or they are located in NY ? use this SPECIAL Link  www.NYDebtHelp.com
This special website was created by NY AG Andrew Cuomo specifically for reporting illegal debt collection practices.  HE?S CRACKING DOWN AND SHUTTING THEM DOWN!

Also report your calls and contacts with debt collectors at http://www.budhibbs.com/index.html  If the company is listed under agencies ? report there. If not on the list YET, click on Watchlist! and add to the list.   You can also post here http://www.collectorsexposed.com/forum2/index.php?board=2.0

Debt Collectors DO NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW THIS INFORMATION!    
The INFORMED CONSUMER IS THE DEBT COLLECTORS WORST ENEMY!

Dealing with Debt Collectors
http://www.budhibbs.com/start.html


Statute of Limitations by State ? always double check YOUR OWN STATE Government Website
http://www.budhibbs.com/statute_of_limitations.htm


Recording calls from Debt Collectors - always double check YOUR OWN STATE Government Website
http://www.budhibbs.com/record.htm


From Federal Trade Commission Website ? FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT
Debt Collection FAQs: A Guide for Consumers
If you?re behind in paying your bills, or a creditor?s records mistakenly make it appear that you are, a debt collector may be contacting you.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation?s consumer protection agency, enforces the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), which prohibits debt collectors from using abusive, unfair, or deceptive practices to collect from you.
Under the FDCPA, a debt collector is someone who regularly collects debts owed to others. This includes collection agencies, lawyers who collect debts on a regular basis, and companies that buy delinquent debts and then try to collect them.
Here are some questions and answers about your rights under the Act.

What types of debts are covered?
The Act covers personal, family, and household debts, including money you owe on a personal credit card account, an auto loan, a medical bill, and your mortgage. The FDCPA doesn?t cover debts you incurred to run a business.

Can a debt collector contact me any time or any place?
No. A debt collector may not contact you at inconvenient times or places, such as before 8 in the morning or after 9 at night, unless you agree to it. And collectors may not contact you at work if they?re told (orally or in writing) that you?re not allowed to get calls there.

How can I stop a debt collector from contacting me?
If a collector contacts you about a debt, you may want to talk to them at least once to see if you can resolve the matter ? even if you don?t think you owe the debt, can?t repay it immediately, or think that the collector is contacting you by mistake. If you decide after contacting the debt collector that you don?t want the collector to contact you again, tell the collector ? in writing ? to stop contacting you. Here?s how to do that:
Make a copy of your letter. Send the original by certified mail, and pay for a ?return receipt? so you?ll be able to document what the collector received. Once the collector receives your letter, they may not contact you again, with two exceptions: a collector can contact you to tell you there will be no further contact or to let you know that they or the creditor intend to take a specific action, like filing a lawsuit. Sending such a letter to a debt collector you owe money to does not get rid of the debt, but it should stop the contact. The creditor or the debt collector still can sue you to collect the debt.

Can a debt collector contact anyone else about my debt?
If an attorney is representing you about the debt, the debt collector must contact the attorney, rather than you. If you don?t have an attorney, a collector may contact other people ? but only to find out your address, your home phone number, and where you work. Collectors usually are prohibited from contacting third parties more than once. Other than to obtain this location information about you, a debt collector generally is not permitted to discuss your debt with anyone other than you, your spouse, or your attorney.

What does the debt collector have to tell me about the debt?
Every collector must send you a written ?validation notice? telling you how much money you owe within five days after they first contact you. This notice also must include the name of the creditor to whom you owe the money, and how to proceed if you don?t think you owe the money.

Can a debt collector keep contacting me if I don?t think I owe any money?
If you send the debt collector a letter stating that you don?t owe any or all of the money, or asking for verification of the debt, that collector must stop contacting you. You have to send that letter within 30 days after you receive the validation notice. But a collector can begin contacting you again if it sends you written verification of the debt, like a copy of a bill for the amount you owe.

What practices are off limits for debt collectors?
Harassment. Debt collectors may not harass, oppress, or abuse you or any third parties they contact. For example, they may not:
    use threats of violence or harm;
    publish a list of names of people who refuse to pay their debts (but they can give this information to the credit reporting companies);
    use obscene or profane language; or
    repeatedly use the phone to annoy someone.

False statements. Debt collectors may not lie when they are trying to collect a debt. For example, they may not:
    falsely claim that they are attorneys or government representatives;
    falsely claim that you have committed a crime;
    falsely represent that they operate or work for a credit reporting company;
    misrepresent the amount you owe;
    indicate that papers they send you are legal forms if they aren?t; or
    indicate that papers they send to you aren?t legal forms if they are.

Debt collectors also are prohibited from saying that:
    you will be arrested if you don?t pay your debt;
    they?ll seize, garnish, attach, or sell your property or wages unless they are permitted by law to take the action and intend to do so; or
    legal action will be taken against you, if doing so would be illegal or if they don?t intend to take the action.

Debt collectors may not:
    give false credit information about you to anyone, including a credit reporting company;
    send you anything that looks like an official document from a court or government agency if it isn?t; or
    use a false company name.

Unfair practices. Debt collectors may not engage in unfair practices when they try to collect a debt. For example, they may not:
    try to collect any interest, fee, or other charge on top of the amount you owe unless the contract that created your debt ? or your state law ? allows the charge;
    deposit a post-dated check early;
    take or threaten to take your property unless it can be done legally; or
    contact you by postcard.

Can I control which debts my payments apply to?
Yes. If a debt collector is trying to collect more than one debt from you, the collector must apply any payment you make to the debt you select. Equally important, a debt collector may not apply a payment to a debt you don?t think you owe.

Can a debt collector garnish my bank account or my wages?
If you don?t pay a debt, a creditor or its debt collector generally can sue you to collect. If they win, the court will enter a judgment against you. The judgment states the amount of money you owe, and allows the creditor or collector to get a garnishment order against you, directing a third party, like your bank, to turn over funds from your account to pay the debt.
Wage garnishment happens when your employer withholds part of your compensation to pay your debts. Your wages usually can be garnished only as the result of a court order. Don?t ignore a lawsuit summons. If you do, you lose the opportunity to fight a wage garnishment.

Can federal benefits be garnished?
Many federal benefits are exempt from garnishment, including:
    Social Security Benefits
    Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits
    Veterans? Benefits
    Civil Service and Federal Retirement and Disability Benefits
    Service Members? Pay
    Military Annuities and Survivors? Benefits
    Student Assistance
    Railroad Retirement Benefits
    Merchant Seamen Wages
    Longshoremen?s and Harbor Workers? Death and Disability Benefits
    Foreign Service Retirement and Disability Benefits
    Compensation for Injury, Death, or Detention of Employees of U.S. Contractors Outside the U.S.
    Federal Emergency Management Agency Federal Disaster Assistance
But federal benefits may be garnished under certain circumstances, including to pay delinquent taxes, alimony, child support, or student loans.

Do I have any recourse if I think a debt collector has violated the law?
You have the right to sue a collector in a state or federal court within one year from the date the law was violated. If you win, the judge can require the collector to pay you for any damages you can prove you suffered because of the illegal collection practices, like lost wages and medical bills. The judge can require the debt collector to pay you up to $1,000, even if you can?t prove that you suffered actual damages. You also can be reimbursed for your attorney?s fees and court costs. A group of people also may sue a debt collector as part of a class action lawsuit and recover money for damages up to $500,000, or one percent of the collector?s net worth, whichever amount is lower. Even if a debt collector violates the FDCPA in trying to collect a debt, the debt does not go away if you owe it.

What should I do if a debt collector sues me?
If a debt collector files a lawsuit against you to collect a debt, respond to the lawsuit, either personally or through your lawyer, by the date specified in the court papers to preserve your rights.

Where do I report a debt collector for an alleged violation?
Report any problems you have with a debt collector to your state Attorney General?s office (www.naag.org) and the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov). Many states have their own debt collection laws that are different from the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Your Attorney General?s office can help you determine your rights under your state?s law.

For More Information
To learn more about debt collection and other credit-related issues, visit www.ftc.gov/credit and MyMoney.gov, the U.S. government?s portal to financial education.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad
February 2009

This collector keeps calling my place of employment. I have asked them to call me at home but they refuse and it's affecting my job. can anyone help me?

They call my # every day and ust the name "Mr.Wilson" "Mr. Lacey" "Ms. Lacey"......has to be a low class debt collection agency to think that I am so stupid not to check into who they are!

There was a message on my answering machine from a woman who said she was collecting a debt and needed any information that could be helpful, asking me to call back at 1-800-303-7276.  The number is not my home number and in any case, when I am there I never answer it when the CID does not show the number or name of someone I recognize.  Since I owe nobody anything, it was clearly a fishing call and, from reading the posts here, her mentioning a debt appears to be a violation of the FDCPA.

These people called a family member whom I have not spoken to in 6 years. I called the number given:  800-303-7276. They said they did an investigation as to who my relatives were and were willing to call each one until the debt is resolved.
I asked them to send me something in writing then I would make arrangements. he said it will come in a white envelope from Oklahoma. I said Ok. once I receive it in writing I will contact them.
Mr. Lacey started yelling at me I had to pay it right then and there by Mastercard, Visa or check by phone. I said I would contact him when I receive a written letter from them. He said go ahead and hang up or you better call me in 10 minutes to pay.
I hung up and he has called me numerous times tonight.

cac has called me to collect a debt. i dont dispute that i owe it,i just dont have the income to pay it.they tell i have a credit card with 500. available and should max it out to pay on this debt,but i dont even have a chase card.they told me to to defer the payment on my wifes car,she makes the payment with her income so i wont do that.then they gave me a false zipcode which i discovered when they finally mailed me a letter, the agent seemed to get a little cranky when i told him again my employer does not like personal calls at work and i mentioned the fdcpa and asked for some sort of validation

a message was left for me to call this number in reference to a family member

I have spoken with a man (CAC) regarding a JC Penney account I OWE. He gave me a few alternatives and told me I had two days to come up with the money for either or. I was at work and I could not speak with him... He was very RUDE.. When I called him back he said what he needed and hung up on me before I could request another arrangement. I was at WORK!! So I was unable to speak for a long period of time! Why are these folks RUDE... I know I owe the debt but I can not pull money from were there is none. Are they required to atleast try and figure a reasonable payment plan with a person who is willing to pay their debt??? 1-800-303-7276
Ext.517 that was the number...

I am a friendly debt collector, but also a debtor.  I am not perfect, and knowing the FDCPA as well as I do, I am more than happy to sue any third party collection agency that violates the FDCPA as well as help the public to understand when a violation has occurred....about the Mini Miranda answering machine message, it goes like this...."This message is for (Johnny Debtor).  If this is not (Johnny Debtor), please hang up or disconnect.  If this is (Johnny Debtor), please continue to listen to this message.  There will now be a three second pause.  (Three seconds of silence).  By continuing to listen to this message, you acknowledge that you are (Johnny Debtor).  This is an attempt to collect a debt; any information obtained will be used for that purpose.  Please contact me about an important business matter at 1-800-xxx-xxxx."  Any variation of this message will be allowed, as long as the Johnny Debtor states the persons full name as listed in the account and the front part is NOT changed or altered in any way (front being everything before the 'three second pause').  However, they MUST leave this message if they believe this is your HOME number, cell number, or your PRIVATE POE (collector jargon for place of employment) voicemail box (i.e. 'This is Johnny Debtor with Custom Services'.  NOT 'Thanks for calling Custom Services.)  I know it sucks, but it is the FDCPA law.  By the way, I am about to sue a 3rd party collection agency for leaving a message on my answering machine saying that they have some good news for me of a financial nature.  @ words will get me out of an old debt.  Shame shame....J from STL

Reading all the entries before me is distressing as I recieved a call and the Call came up Unknown but left a message.  Woman said her name was the same as my case worker at Social Security Admin.  Left her number and said I should call.  I returned call.  A man answered and said something like CAC Financial Instition, I said Excuse me? Where am I calling?  He repeated himself and I said I'm sorry I thought I was calling the Social Security Administration, not a Bank. This man then said my first name and I quickly hung up as it scared me as I thought how do you know who I am. I thought it was some kind of scam or something playing on those of us that are disabled and receiving disability pay.  So I got on the Internet to try to find the number and came across this web site with all these entries. But I don't owe anyone anything so why would this place call me and leave the same name as my worker or know my name or number? If this place is as horrible as the other entries seem to indicate it scares me to think why they would pose as a Gov't Worker and then be some kind of financial institution, whom all the rest of the entries here say are some kind of a debt collector. I think I will call my State Attorney General's office as this has to be some kind of scam.

CALLED AND SAID SHE WAS WITH A COMPANY CALLED BAC THEY LIED IT WAS CAC A COLLECTION COMPANY

caller calls leaves no name or company or who they want to talk with.  Or who they are calling for.

Party called and left a message that they were trying to collect a debt.  Left this number to call "immediately!" They did not tell who they were seeking, they just left the info on my machine.

I have gotten 2 calles in the last 3 days stating that I owe dept. The 1st call was a man, the 2nd was a lady that did NOT say where they were from or what their names were. The 1st phone # was 405-425-1500. the 2nd # was blocked(on my cell phone) and she gave me the 800-303-7276 number to call back on. What is with these people?

This is a clear violation of the FDCPA. Her is some a text rom the law.
It' illegal to:
(8) Communicating or threatening to communicate to any person credit information which is known or which should be known to be false, including the failure to communicate that a disputed debt is disputed.

§ 805.  Communication in connection with debt collection   [15 USC 1692c]
(a) COMMUNICATION WITH THE CONSUMER GENERALLY.  Without the prior consent of the consumer given directly to the debt collector or the express permission of a court of competent jurisdiction, a debt collector may not communicate with a consumer in connection with the collection of any debt --