I received a call today from 480-245-5868 and it seems to be the same people mentioned in this post. They stated that a claim cases was being charged he needed to verify correct address. He rattled off my current and two previous addresses, I'm assuming they gathered this information from a credit report, but I refused to verify. I asked what company he worked for and he said Claims Verification Department. I had poor credit about ten years ago but since worked to clean up my report so I was confident it was a debt collector SCAM and not legal. He gave me the phone number to call 877-787-4761 and mentioned Robert Mitchell and Scot Sweeney of Mitchell Sweeney & Associates. I did a quick Google check and there's no such firm.

877-653-7132
631-755-3093

PayStar International LLC
273 Walt Whitman Rd. Suite 310  (UPS Store)
Huntington, NY 11746
C. Barry  & Associates, LLC
CONSUMER SCAM
(Barry Calvagna)
aka/ United Abstract Group, Inc.
aka/ American Consolidebt, Inc.
aka USR Group, Inc.
Paystar International aka Conway and Phillips
The associates group
2387 New York Ave., #8
Huntington Station, NY 11746
Phone: (800) 344-1588
(631) 421-1397

They will call u from 653-755-3091 and then tell you to call this 877 number and try and scam you from their, they tried to get me on an old credit card from like 8 years ago!

okay people we just exposed another lying sleazy debt collector she doesn't post anymore about she doesn't work for this company...
stacy makes about 8.00 an hour and she also gets about 15%  of what she collects and as you can see she is not making much monies so she comes on here and lies..
so stacy what do you say to the bill collectors when they call your house and demand payment

I tried to get the address for the phone number 1877-653-7132 aka credit smart but they refused to give me their information. I wonder if this address is the same for the phone number listed previously. andrew simon has been contacting me and will not send me anything pertaining to the account in writing.

troll girl  troll girl...you are just a troll girl

stacy....why don't you quit being a sleazy debt collector and get a paper route you work part time and make more monies then being a sleazy debt collector.
you wish you had my life

lmao  you honestly have no life guy and seriously im really not a debt collector..try better comebacks tho its gettin cuter :)

stacy..i forgot to add this on my last post..
no your not a friggin troll ....your worst then that your a sleazy lying debt collector who is not making any monies

stacy....
people you just read what a sleazy debt collector would write,,she is a liar and works for this sleazy company  she is not making any monies so she comes on here and post lies.
get a security job they pay more then a sleazy debt collector

IM NOT A FRIGIN TROLL AND I DONT WORK FOR THEIR COMPANY I DONT EVEN KNOW WHERE THE HELL THEY ARE EVEN LOCATED SO SHUT YOUR MOUTH.

http://www.consumerjustice.com/consumer/agencydetail.aspx?id=7539
Credit Smart, LLC  
273 Walt Whitman Rd., 356
Huntington Station, New York, 11746

nfo@unitedabstractgroup.com
http://www.credsmart.org/id4.html

TROLL ALERT

Trolls ( employees of debt collectors or just scammers) are the ONLY ones who claim these scammers are legit when they are not.  They also type in ALL CAPS.

THIS INFORMATION THESE PPL ARE GIVING ABOUT THAT COMPANY BEING A SCAM IS A LIE THIS COMPANY REALLY HELPED ME GET OUT OF DEBT PAPERWORK THAT I WAS GOING TO BE SERVED...MY WAGES WERE ABOUT TO BE GARNISHED ETC.ETC. AND THEY PREVENTED THAT FROM HAPPENING BY GIVING ME A COURTESY CALL AHEAD OF TIME

Today message on machine urgent to prevent paperwork sent out to court system on this prelegal matter.
Call Ashley Stern. Claimed it was their second call and must respond within 24 hours. Caller said he was Matthew Cooper. Made it out to be of the utmost of importance to call back.They left this message on our Landline.

Got a message on my answering machine to contact Ashley Stern or Andrew Simon of their "Legal Verif. Dept." concerning someone who listed me as a contact....the message with it's stress on urgency to call them back reaked of "rehearsed" scam and I'm content ignoring it.  My strong hunch is some group of persons is preying on individuals & they want personal information to enrich themselves.  Hope some one in a fraud prevention capacity is able to clip the wings of these preditors to keep less suspicious folks safe from them--even temporarily.

Sounds like they are attempting to collect a time-barred debt. Also CANNOT PROVE THE DEBT IS VALID - Junk debt buyers these old debts for pennies then try to collect the full amount.  They get NO DOCUMENTATION to back up their claims.

10 year old debt is probably passed the Statute of Limitations - which determines how long YOU are legally obligated to pay it.


Time-Barred Debts
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt144.shtm

There?s no doubt about it: you are responsible for your debts. If you fall behind in paying your creditors ? or if you dispute the legitimacy of a debt ? a debt collector may contact you.

?Time-barred? debts are debts so old they are beyond the point at which a creditor or debt collector may sue you to collect. State law varies as to when a creditor or debt collector may no longer sue to collect: in most states, the statute of limitations period on debts is between 3 and 10 years; in some states, the period is longer. Check with your State Attorney General?s Office to determine when a debt is considered time-barred in your state. You can find contact information for your State Attorney General at www.naag.org.

Federal law imposes limitations on how debt collectors can collect debts, including time-barred debts.

Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), a ?debt collector? generally is any person or organization that regularly collects debts owed to others. The term includes lawyers who collect debts for others on a regular basis, but it does not include creditors collecting their own debts.

The FDCPA prohibits debt collectors from engaging in any unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices while collecting debts. It does not erase any legitimate debt that you owe. To learn more about your rights under the FDCPA, click on www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/fdc.htm.

Collecting Time-Barred Debts
Most courts that have addressed the issue have ruled that the FDCPA does not prohibit debt collectors from trying to collect time-barred debts, as long as they do not sue or threaten to sue you for the debt.
                                                        ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If a debt collector sues you to collect a time-barred debt, you can have the suit dismissed by letting the court or judge know the debt is, indeed, time-barred.

Whether a time-barred debt ? or any debt for that matter ? can appear on your credit report depends on how long the debt has been delinquent: debts that have been delinquent more than seven years cannot appear on your credit report, with certain exceptions. In addition, a debt collector may not try to collect a debt that has been discharged in bankruptcy, no matter when it was incurred. To learn more about credit reporting, click on www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/fcra.htm.

Contact with Collectors
Can a debt collector continue to contact you about a time-barred debt you don?t think you owe?
According to the law, if you send the debt collector a letter stating that you do not owe some or all of the money within 30 days after you receive written notice of a debt, the collector must stop trying to collect until you?ve been given written verification of the debt, like a copy of the bill for the amount you supposedly owe. The collector can renew collection activities once you?ve gotten proof of the debt.

You can stop debt collectors from contacting you about any debt, regardless of whether you owe it, by writing a letter telling them to stop contacting you. Once the collector gets your letter, it may not contact you again ? except to say there will be no further contact or to let you know that the collector or creditor intends to take some specific action. Sending a letter doesn?t absolve you of the debt if you actually owe it; the debt collector or creditor still could sue you for the debt.

Future Collection Efforts
The best way to protect yourself from future collection on any disputed or partially settled debt is to get a form or letter from the creditor or collector that releases you from further obligation. To make sure the release is valid, you may want to consult an attorney. If you believe that a debt collector violated the law, you have the right to sue in a state or federal court within a year from the date the law was violated. If you win, you may recover money for the damages you suffered, plus an additional amount up to $1,000. You also may recover court costs and attorney?s fees. You also may want to report any problems you have with a debt collector to your State Attorney General and to the Federal Trade Commission.
The FTC works 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 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. Watch a new video, How to File a Complaint, at ftc.gov/video to learn more. 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.
October 2004

1877 653 7132 ASHLEY STERN WITH CREDIT SMART.....IS A SCAM!!!!!!!

I JUST GOT A PHONE CALL TODAY AT 540 AM FROM A WOMAN SAYINY THAT THEY WERE TAKING LEGAL ACTIONS TOWARDS ME IF I DONT GET BACK TO THEM BY 2PM THAT DAY.THEY WERE CALLING ME IN REGARDS TO A CELL PHONE BILL WITH A NUMBER FROM OCT.2000.ITS 2010,AND I HAVE FRAUD ALREADY ON MY CREDIT.THEY WANTED MONEY TODAY,BUT THEY KNEW ALIL TO MUCH INFO ABOUT ME THAT I WASENT SURE,BUT I TOLD HER I HAD TO SEE IF IT WAS A SCAM CAUSE OF HEARING ABOUT THESE THINGS BEFOR,AND HEAR THEY ARE ALL OVER THE INTERNET.THE NUMBER WAS 1877 653 7132 THE LADYS NAME WAS ASHLEY STERN.I HAD CALLED THEM BACK,AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THEM BEING A SCAM,AND THE JUST SAID "OK MAM CHECK YOUR CREDIT REPORT AND HAVE A NICE DAY.THE NAME OF THE COMPANY WAS SMART.

They just called me today!!! hmm I love google. Thanks for the input on these scammers!!!

Thank you, LAMET, for your information about debt collectors!  
I still wonder how they got that old cell phone number ... which is now only used on a smart phone for data.  The ringer is always turned off.  Again, thank you.  The bums and scare'ums out there have no ethics, do they.... the bums.

ITS AN ILLEGAL DEBT COLLECTION TACTIC  - you received the call because of the same last name.


the intent is to scare the person they are trying to reach into paying money they PROBABLY do not owe in the first place, without the debt collector having to PROVE the debt is valid and owed as required by law or allow the person to DISPUTE it as required by law.    In most cases the debt collector is not even licensed or bonded in the states they are calling.  

its a favorite ploy of JUNK DEBT BUYERS - because they never get any PROOF - just a spreadsheet with info - BUT THEY CANNOT PROVE ANYTHING!  






THE CORRECT WAY TO HANDLE COLLECTION CALLS AND ILLEGAL TACTICS

HANDLE IT CORRECTLY AND THEY WILL END UP PAYING YOU

READ DEALING WITH DEBT COLLECTORS, RECORDING CALLS AND STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS BY STATE

You can also post your questions here http://www.collectorsexposed.com/forum/   NEW URL!    

These links are to attorneys for those being scammed www.naca.net or http://www.consumerjustice.com/consumer/searchattorneys.aspx

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/First.htm    
    
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

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

Got a message from a blocked number on my cell phone ... a number rarely given out.  Woman said her name was Lisa Gentkins (or "Tentkins" or something like that) from the "Claims Verification Department", calling for someone, not me, no one in my household, same last name, saying that there was a very important pre-legal action and that the requested person was to call the representatives handling the case at 877-653-7132, ask for Ashley Stern and Andrew Simon, and reference a case number which was provided.  The female caller further advised that they needed to receive contact by noon tomorrow in order to stop the paperwork from being processed.  She did not say the time zone she was calling from.  Well, since they got a wrong number, I am not calling them back.  Mysterious to me:  How they got my "old" cell phone that is only used for data these days... and decided to chance a call to it because the last name seemed to match.  Obviously the name of the company is not really the "Claims Verification Department" but as she gave no further information, it is the best that I can do to let you folks know about this call.