The person at 800-678-7720 insists I am someone else and refuses to quit calling.  They try to get personal information from me.  They claim to be an attorneys office with the name "Dunst" in the title of their law firm.  Here is the other phone number they use to tell me to call if I am not the person they are looking for. 866-593-8775. they do not stop calling even when I call this other number.  I will report them to the attorney general.  It is against the law for them to keep harrassing.  I report everyone, even emails.

First I'm asked for my Social Security number - not giving that. Then when I asked the name they are trying to reach, I get an attitude about interrupting. When I told Charvella (?) they were calling a business, she simply hung up. Where do they find these "customer friendly" people?

Called today for the ist time asking for my husband left the 18006787720 number along with an extension #2122. Woman asked if he would please call her back at this extension but left no name???? Should he call it back. I think not, after what I have read here.

This is a credit card company calling to lower then intrest rates.The say in the call time is running out but the calls havent stopped they have been told 4 times to take me off the calling list and they still dont. I call the number back and it just beeps three times no one will answer.

http://www.budhibbs.com/collectorpages/wolpoff_abramson.htm

IF YOU HAVE BEEN ISSUED A NOTICE OF ARBITRATION BY

MANN-BRACKEN, LLC

CONTACT Bud IMMEDIATELY!

817-348-0818




Wolpoff & Abramson, LLP
702 King Farm Blvd. Ste 500
Rockville, MD 20850-5775
Phone: (240) 386-3000  800-850-0948   800-303-0930
800-678-7720 - 800-365-6584    888-200-4417
800-302-7933
Fax: (240) 386-3822 & 240-386-3823


Head Debt Collectors:
Stuart J. Wolpoff, President
Harry K. Wolpoff, CCCE, Partner
Laurence C. Abramson, Partner
Ronald Marc Abramson, Partner  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bud Says                         Consumer Comments Below

ONE OF AMERICA'S WORST

They have an incredible network of law firms across the country who sue on debt that were purchased for pennies, then many have arbitration claims files and/or sue upon. They buy themselves whatever they want and sometime, whomever they want to achieve their goals. To put this empire of scam in perspective here are some of the players:

Rumor is Wolpoff & Abramson (W&A) own the National Arbitration Forum (NAF); that is FALSE! They are the single largest supplier of claims to the NAF and at $ 250.00/per claim, it?s easy to see why they win approximately 95-98% of all claims filed.

This is further bolstered by the fact that NAF pays their arbitrators (attorneys, retired judges) a fee of $250/hour to handle claims. The rules state they must handle six claims per hour for this $250, so you can understand that any claimant would be lucky for even a cursory review of documents.

Buying bad debts for 2-3¢on the dollar (many for a lot less), paying the NAF $250 with an almost guaranteed award in your favor and a network of lawyers filing suits spells money on the level of a South American drug cartel to Wolpoff & Abramson.

W&A pulls the strings for NCAN; the National Collection Attorney Network which is comprised of over 100 law offices across the U.S. of attorneys who sue on debts. A few of these attorneys are good, honest, hard working, many more are inept, have very little understanding of the FDCPA, have no knowledge of any material facts other than what they are told to say and do. They get paid a contingency fee to show up in court, many never do, hoping to take default judgments.  

Think your going to beat an arbitration claim? Not when the arbitrator is being paid $250/hour and can be fed claims all day long. Think your rights under the law mean anything? Think again! I have been contacted on hundreds, perhaps thousands of arbitration claims and only one attorney from Texas had the guts to stand up and say??Hey! This is wrong!? The good news is he took his job seriously; the bad news is he is no longer an arbitrator for the NAF. Many of these arbitrators would feel very comfortable performing their jobs in a Nevada brothel as the two jobs perform similar services.

Think your going to get satisfaction from the Montgomery County, MD or Maryland State Bar for ethics complaints against W&A? NOPE! Seems Daddy sits on both boards and not many complaints ever go very far. Here is a partial list of collectors owned/used by W&A:

Alegis Group   Sherman Acquisitions
LVNV Funding, LLC   Arrow Financial Services
Asta Funding   Colonial Credit Corporation
Palisades Collections   Great Seneca Financial
Centurion Capital   Sage Financial
Monarch Financial   Hawker Financial

Preferred Platinum Plan aka The Porn Collectors

W&A cannot purchase debts as a law firm, so they apparently use these shell organizations to accomplish that goal.

Some of their largest NCAN Attorneys include:

Cohen & Slamowitz, LLP   Hosto & Buchan
Javitz, Block, & Rathbone, LLP   Mitchell N. Kay, P.C.
Mel S. Harris & Associates   Messerli & Kramer
Love, Beal & Nixon, P.C.   Riddle & Associates
Johnson, Riddle & Mark   Trauner, Cohen & Thomas

Weltman, Weinberg & Reis

W&A also has offices in many cities where the phones and faxes all ring in at Rockville, MD. They use an auto dialer that calls some consumers as many as 20 times daily (according to complaints I received) and make it near impossible to get wrong persons removed. They file cases by the hundreds every day and reportedly even supply court clerks to work side by side with real court clerks to get the filings done.

Want to validate a debt? Fuggettaboutit! ?Won?t happen! Slows them down, who gives a damn about the law and consumer rights? They have daily, weekly, monthly goals to hit. Besides, they will manufacture most documents in-house for court filings; even notarize them by employees attesting to hearsay facts that are not admissible in most courts.

Some smart consumer attorney may one day put W&A employees under oath and learn that Affidavits that are legally supposed to be signed in the presence of the person attesting to the truthfulness (?) of the documents, have instead taken them home to be stamped and signed because of the work load. Again, the law and consumer rights are not the issue at W&A, profits are!

NOTE TO EMPLOYEES AT W&A:

THINK YOU HAVE PRIVACY WORKING THERE? THE NEW SECURITY PEOPLE (former CIA?) HAVE CAMERAS EVERYWHERE INCLUDING SEVERAL IN AREAS YOU DON?T EVEN KNOW ABOUT. THINK YOUR COMPUTER ISN?T BEING MONITORED? THINK AGAIN! THERE ARE EYES EVERYWHERE, WATCHING YOU, CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY, THIS IS SECURITY ?CIA STYLE?? NOTHING IS SECRET AT WORK!

W&A will go to no end to protect their Niagara Falls of cash flowing into their coffers. Nobody is protected, nothing is sacred, whatever it takes. Money rules this organization, EVERYTHING else is secondary. They don?t own the NAF but they damn sure control them. My advice is to make them spend as much money as possible on each and every account they collect. Send them validation notices and tie up their collectors for as long as possible. NEVER fail to show up in court-- they miss a lot more court dates than they keep. Make the NAF work, send them validation notices, and force them to prove you are party to any arbitration agreement. Many, many courts are moving closer to consumers, and attitudes are changing, W&A has lost several BIG court decisions; keep as much pressure on them as you can. Each and every consumer fighting at the grass roots level will help, as well as making their illegal deeds known to your Congressman, Senators, and Judges. This is a struggle Americans can win, one account, one consumer at a time. After you get over getting mad, GET EVEN! Make it costly to come after every account, it adds up quickly, a phone call, a stamp, a collector who can?t collect; dispute, validate, make them pay with time and money at EVERY step.

CAUTION: I recommend you NEVER disclose your bank account or credit card information to a debt collector, as you risk them emptying your account, or maxing out your credit card. If you feel they are reporting on your credit bureau files in error or need assistance in dealing with them, email  the details w/your location.  Assistance and referral to a consumer legal specialist may be available.

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

keeps calling my house all time all hours of the day and noght .

don't know them

This caller is harrassing me at work!!!  It that not against the law??

We get calls regarding "debt collection" several days a week, and then several times a day. Usually 3-4 within an hour. However the caller ID says it is a firm called "Mann Bracken."  When it started, they claimed it was regarding "an important business matter."  At no time when we've attempted to return the calls have we found an actual person. Have demanded that they cease this harrassment (we have NO outstanding debt - and haven't for many years).

How do you report this? And to whom?

They called the house when i was not home. my parents dont know english well, esp. they both are disabled. They said my dad owe debt and they told the caregiver to tell him to call them at the number 800-678-7720. We don't owe any debt because my dad is very sick but has straight medical that pays for everything! I think they want to get our money. Stupid scammers, may you all be punish cruely in the deepest level of hell!!!!  

They are too chicken to meet me in person. When I try to call back, they don't even answer.

there is noome at my number by the name of Justin Michael Leveret, your continuing harrassment  I will be forced to take action.

I got the same recording messages as everyone else. Out of curiousity, i call back and he told me that i have very old debt and judge order already issued against me. When I asked him to send me a copy, he refused and told me to get it from the court in Los Angeles,  then i know it's a scam....not very convincing. I called my brother in LA and he gave this site.

im getting the same calls for a old debt that is being handled i called the people handling my debt they told me my case was never handed over to these people are gonna call back and ask to be removed asap from their list .

look at this!:
http://www.chargeoff.net/wolpoff.htm?gclid=CPGI6t67tpACFRpdagod7FbGLw

it's on an ad on this page. damn. google is good.and evil.

An elderly lady asked me to help her because she was getting repeated calls from these people..same recording. I called them back and got through to a representative who was immediately rude, harsh and blatantly out of line. I refused to give her name as she is not the person they have named on the recording. I gave them the phone number- that should have been enough...it wasn't enough. He said I had no business calling for her even after I explained she was elderly and confused and put her on the phone to ok my speaking on her behalf. He started going after her verbally and I took the phone from her. This is unbelievable!

They have been calling my house and have my first and last name correctly my mom talked to them, told them I didn't live there they had the wrong house and that there was a person with that last name that used to live there.. and the person asked my mom if the address was XXXX of course wasn't my address, and my mom just felt relief because it wasn't me at all. They mention some case# and also that this person had to go to court..
But my mom told her again that this person didn't live here...

I get the same phone calls.  You must report them to:
Federal Reserve Consumer Help
PO Box 1200
Minneapolis, MN  55480

Phone:  888-851-1920

E-mail address:  ConsumerHelp@FederalReserve.gov

They left a message our phone number at least twice a day to collect debt from a persone never living here. They asked me to call a 1st 800 number to take my name out it I am not that person. And that 1st toll free number is a number of a personal office of a local community college. What a cheap trick !!!!

I have received 3 calls from them saying I owe a debt. Today they  left
this reference #167601016. I owe no one. Can this place be shut down.

I have the same story as everyone else. I've never been late paying and I've checked my credit report and all is good. These people keep calling every day, however. Has anyone told them that you are recording the conversation while talking to them and while they tell you they will remove you from the list?
As far as I understand the way these people work is by calling everyone they can with the same of the person with the debt and then they cross out the wrong ones. Then they might sell the lists to a different agency and then you might get called again for the same stuff. It's annoying and should be illegal. Recording the conversation would probably scare them some and held them more accountable as it could be used later on in a lawsuit.

Same as everyone else "...if you are not xxxxx please call...."  It's really hard to believe that any decent law office would not have verified that they have the correct contact information.  They are asking for a person I have never heard of and whose name is not even close to ours. I called my local telephone company's annoyance call bureau.  The lady I spoke with told me what to do so that this # is registered with my carrier as an annoyance, but if calling the number W&A provided to have your phone number taken off their list, the only other options are to pay a monthly fee for call rejection or change your phone number.

Been receiving a call with a message that this is a private call for..........a name I have never heard of

hung up, first time call. Number showed up on caller ID, and as the 'name' was a 800 # 800 678 7720, just for future reference.

they have been calling me for months, they have my name and number correctly but we just hang up every time.  I know I have no old debts, I have always gotten  confirmation in writing from every credit card when I close the account. I have done a credit report and no old debt shows up. It is obviously a scam. If it was valid we would get information in the mail also. I am about to change and unlist my phone number because of it. they just won't stop. I did just report them to the national do not call list at donotcall.gov. I have been listed there since 2005.

Mine started here at work, the last name is the same but the first name is garbled.  There needs to be a law against this kind of stuff.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007: Call comes in three or four times a day for last week for a person that does not exist at this number or address.  The calls have the same recorded message. I am not well - these calls are a very annoying - can these numbers be blocked?  What recourse do I have?

Yes I received this same type of call from two different people, spread the word, these people are sly!!!

I received a call today!  We need to stop idiots like this!!!!

I started getting these calls a few months ago, they keep coming sporadically  usually in clusters of many calls in one day and then nothing for a few days then more calls.  Does anyone know how to stop of block them?  they have my name but i know i have no old debt and am sure from reading online that it is a scam.