I haven't answered this number and I won't be...especially after reading the other comments.

I've been receiving numerous phone calls from this number at my work. they called today, Thursday 16th January 2014, at 12:52pm and 10:35am. 9th January 2014 at 2:47pm, 12:35pm,  7th January 2:33pm, 12:29pm; 4th January 2014 at 8:22am; 2nd January at 10:12am, 8:11am, etc... sometimes once a day, twice a day. I let my voicemail screen any unknown phone numbers, They do not leave any messages.

If you want to keep collecting, and just ignore a dispute, all you have to do is respond.  Your response doesn't even have to make sense.  Just throw out nonsense, and most people will give up and pay you.  This is the lesson that AFNI has learned, and they have been playing this game for years.  BBB is well paid by AFNI, so they get their A rating, and as long as there's any response, they can just check it off as "company responded".  How do you make any progress against "idiots"?

But these are not just ordinary idiots.  They apparently can plan, organize idiocy on a massive scale, and their idiocy always acts to their own financial advantage.  

For example, see this federal judge's ruling on one of their other dispute response letters
http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district- ... 03918/221638/83
"...
AFNI has sent the form letter Hale received in response to a wide range of consumer
communications, including letters from:

(a) a writer offering partial payment and stating that the writer could not pay more
because he or she was disabled and on state aid;
(b) an attorney stating that the debt at issue had been discharged in bankruptcy;
(c) persons stating that their respective debts had been discharged in bankruptcy;
(d) persons stating that the debtor was deceased;
(e) a writer stating that he or she was in prison and was prohibited by prison rules from
paying the debt;
(f) a writer stating that he or she had been in prison during the time the debt had been
incurred and who provided as proof his or her Illinois Department of Corrections
identification number;
(g) a writer who attached a credit report and who stated that he or she had spoken to an
AFNI representative that day who had (i) verified that the name and social security
number on the account were different from those of the writer and (ii) requested that
the writer send a credit report; and
(h) a writer claiming identity theft who attached twelve pages of documentation,
including a five-page fraud affidavit, a police log indicating a report of identity theft,
a copy of the writer?s driver?s license, and six pages of account statements and bills.
...
...Plaintiffs contend that AFNI sent this false, non-responsive form
letter to every consumer who wrote to AFNI without providing full payment; accordingly, this
letter represents AFNI?s effort to ?stonewall? customers, causing them to simply give up and pay
their alleged debt.
...
The Court finds that AFNI?s statements in its form letter are ?false, misleading, or
deceptive? in violation of 15 U.S.C. § 1692e,
..."

Just an "accident", or is it planned?
Confusion can be materially deceptive.  AFNI has a long history of using it for that purpose.

AFNI is notorious for these "half-off" letters, many reportedly received by people who never had any account with the alleged creditor.

We may assume this is the first letter you ever received from them..
There is particular legal language they are required to include, particularly with a first contact letter.

What else does the letter say?
(leave out personal details, of course)

Recieved a letter in the mail today. It was addressed to me in my maiden name which I haven't gone by in 7 yrs. Claims I owe At&t $300 some ought dollars and they are willing to take half. I have never, ever had an account with At&t even when I was unmarried and if I had, why didn't they send me a bill? What I want to know is how do I do something about these people??? Report them to someone? I know that there are a million companies out there like this, but is there someone out there that is doing something about it?????????

Take the call - Tell them you dispute the debt, & send proof in writing. Remember email, fax are no good. By US Mail. The letter must state their name, address, phone number, amount of debt, & who the debt was with. Do not give them your address. A real debt collector has it already. If they won't do any of the above, it's a fake.

If your phone can do it, one trick is to assign the number a no-ring ringtone. Won't stop the calls but at least you won't hear it.

Keeping track and I get 5 calls per day in January alone.  They claim someone (no one in my family) owes ATT a bill.  They just keep calling even after being asked to stop.  Just don't answer but it is hard when they call so often.

x9J7

After receiving a call from this number I googled it to see who it was...I found this website.  I laughed until I couldn't laugh anymore when I saw how they messed up the dates.  Then I read this....
"He is welcome to manage his account online at www.afnicollecitons.com or call a Consumer Relations Specialist at (866) 716-1284. Thank you."...and ALMOST fell out of my chair.  You would think an employee of a COLLECTION agency would know how to spell COLLECTIONS.

i finally ported my home number to google voice and now i just add the numbers to my spam folder and no more rings on my phone.  i only know these people are calling me cause i have it setup to email me on every call i get.  then before i waste my time returning the call i check google and see this.  i would recommend google voice for filtering crap callers like this, my phone hardly ever rings now.

Just recieved calls from this 8777-859-8779 on January 12, 2012, starting again. Recorded message  when the call was answered to contact  AFNI collection agency. ID shows as Toll Free Call. Just hung up the call.

Add this to the very long list of numbers used by PORTFOLIO RECOVERY.  They will not stop and use every phone number and false I D possible.

I agree to what you said. They are junk debt collectors and want to give more stress to people who are jobless like me. Hello!

it is so dumb, it is funny

there is a COLLECTIONS flag on credit reporting agency files entered by a cesspool called Afni Inc.  which claims they are collecting for ATT
a pure fabrication.  absolute, bald faced lie.... for the simple reason: i owe nothing to ATT.

this came to my attention recently. of course i contacted them...... everybody and their grandmothers.

filed complaint with state attorney's office, Illinois  (where afni is) state attorney's office, California (where i live) Federal Trade Commission,  who sets guidelines
for fair debt collection,  (they get after those who falsify info like Afni)  and BBB.

i rec'd an email from BBB/ central illinois,  that  Afni responded to their email to Afni in re: my complaint.

now....... you tell me if this makes any...... ANY sense to you....    

This is in response to your letter to Afni, Inc.   regarding the above referenced matter. We appreciate your assistance in bringing our consumer's concerns to our attention. In that regard, on or about March 2001, AT&T notified Afni the above referenced account remained due and owing from Mr.XXXX This account was established on March 1, 2008 and was considered delinquent by the creditor on October 24, 2008. The service address for the account was his still-current address. 

The communication through the Better Business Bureau, as well as his simultaneous multiple emails to various people within Afni, is the first indication that Mr. Celasun disputes the account, despite an initial notice being mailed to his current address on April 22, 2011. In response, I have requested an investigation and validation to be mailed directly to the consumer. This may take up to 30 days. He is welcome to manage his account online at www.afnicollecitons.com or call a Consumer Relations Specialist at (866) 716-1284. Thank you.

Sincerely, 


XXX   XXXXXXX
Compliance Manager
Afni, Inc.
404 Brock Drive 
Bloomington, IL 61701


you, any of you    tell me how is it possible for ATT to contact Afni  in "on or about march 2001"  about an account established on march 1.  2008?
and of course.........  that all consuming question:  what  was Afni  waiting for to contact  me  on april of this year (2011) about an alleged
debt that ATT contacted them about in 2001 which was not established until 2008?

funny....     i am going after them even if it will be the last thing i will do.

Got a phone call from this number. The caller did not leave any message.

that i owed a telephone and would settle for $200.00

AFNI is one of the many growing Zombie Debt collectors.   They fish the long dead waters of uncollectable, unresolved, or worse criminally acquired identities.  My suggestion,  the best option with all unknown callers is to allow the "answering machine" to take your calls.  The best way to keep Zombie Debt "dead" is to not acknowledge it's existance.  Never take a call from a debt collector if you can, Never respond to any mail, and Never ever speak to any one about your debt with out your right to representation (attorney).

I just pressed "4" or "___ does not live at this number"

I tried this and they keep on coming

I am getting calls from this number too. I now have my caller ID block their calls. I don't know who it is.

Some people have no conscience!They don't care how much they bug you.I mean someone could be really sick,and are bothered by these useless scam phone calls?

This phone number has called here many times in the last year with a recording looking for a Herbert
Berk.  They do not reference a company name.....when I pushed 1 to indicate I was Herbert Berk hoping I could find out who there were and why they were calling....phone just rang and rang with no
answer.

I received a call from this number for my Dad.  Don't know how they got my number.  When they finally answered they said it was a personal matter, would not give any details I told them to staop calling or my attorney would  br calling them back.  Definitely a phishing scam.

Just got a call from these people after getting a letter about a month a go about a bill that I supposedly had for an old phone account with a mobile carrier , problem is that I never had that carrier and the bill was supposedly over 10 years ago. So even if I had a bill with them they would be pass the SOL law. So will be adding them to the call blocked list. Also bill seemed funny like Kcspears mentioned. The account started with a dollar sign too. and name was spelled wrong. Think company is a bad debt collection agency called AFNI collections out of IL.   Afni Inc. | PO Box 3427 | Bloomington, IL 61702-342 | 800.767-2364 There website is https://www.afnicollections.com.

Sounds like they buy old debt that is pass the SOL and try to get people to pay something on it. Sound like junk debt collections . If you get a call from them it will be a recording asking if this is so and so they than give you 4 options. Pick the one that they have the wrong person and this should stop the calling.

Im not sure if this company is valid. I received a letter from them with this number but the whole letter is off. For one the account in question is stated as a joint account and we haven't had a joint account. 2 My name isn't even spelled correctly. 3 The address they sent it to is super brand new and I havent even changed it with the company yet. 4 the account number they gave me starts with a dollar sign. It all seems fichy think what you want.