http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/03/rumson.shtm


As a Result of FTC Action, Two Defendants in Abusive Debt Collection Case Are Banned from the Industry, Will Surrender Assets
Operation Deceived Clients and Harassed Consumers, FTC Alleged
Two men who worked for an allegedly abusive and deceptive debt collection operation will be banned from the business as part of settlements reached with the Federal Trade Commission.  

The settlement orders against the two employees of the debt collection firm doing business as Rumson, Bolling & Associates are part of the FTC?s efforts against illegal debt collection practices.  The two men, both of whom were managers in the operation, will surrender assets and are barred from misrepresenting any claim, including those related to providing debt relief, mortgage modification, and credit repair services to consumers.  They also are barred from disclosing any consumer information they may have obtained, and are ordered to destroy it.

Frank E. Lindstrom, Jr. has agreed to a $673,000 judgment, representing the income he obtained from the operation since he began receiving a salary in 2005. This amount will be suspended except for $29,500, due to his inability to pay.
Kevin Medley has agreed to a $390,000 judgment,  representing what he received from the operation operation since he began receiving a salary in 2005.  This amount will be suspended due to his inability to pay, except for $17,500.
If the FTC finds that either defendant has misrepresented his assets, the full amount of his judgment will immediately become due.

At the FTC?s request last fall, a U.S. district court halted the activities of California-based Rumson, Bolling & Associates.  The order froze the assets of the company, and appointed a receiver to run it.  Lindstrom, Medley, and four other people, along with three companies, were charged with multiple violations of the FTC Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

According to the complaint, the defendants harassed and abused consumers by threatening physical harm and death to them and their pets, threatening to desecrate the bodies of deceased relatives, and using obscene and profane language. The defendants also allegedly improperly revealed consumers' debts to third parties, such as the consumers' employers, co-workers, neighbors, and family members; falsely threatened consumers with lawsuits, arrest, seizure of their assets, or wage garnishment; and falsely claimed that consumers would be liable for legal fees incurred in the collection of the debt.            

Using the slogan ?no recovery, no fee,? the defendants allegedly deceived small businesses and other clients and potential clients by claiming that they would collect debts on contingency ? charging a fee only when they successfully collected a debt, according to the FTC complaint.  But often, the defendants collected money from consumers on a client?s behalf and then allegedly kept more than they were entitled to, sometimes keeping all the money for themselves, instead of forwarding what was owed to the client.  At times, the defendants asked clients for additional fees, purportedly for legal expenses in filing a lawsuit that would ?guarantee? the successful collection of a debt, the complaint stated.  According to the complaint, many clients paid these fees, but the defendants often failed to file the promised lawsuits and the clients never received any money in satisfaction of the debt in question.

For consumer information about dealing with debt collectors, see Debt Collection FAQs:  A Guide for Consumers.

The Commission vote approving the proposed consent decrees against Frank E. Lindstrom, Jr. and Kevin Medley was 4-0.  The consent decrees are subject to court approval.  The FTC filed the proposed consent decrees in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on March 8, 2012. The court entered the Lindstrom consent decree March 13, 2012.

The complaint naming Lindstrom and Medley also named as defendants Forensic Case Management Services, Inc. (doing business as Rumson, Bolling & Associates, FCMS, Inc., Commercial Recovery Solutions, Inc., and Commercial Investigations, Inc.), Specialized Recovery, Inc. (doing business as Joseph, Steven & Associates and Specialized Debt Recovery), Commercial Receivables Acquisition, Inc. (doing business as Commercial Recovery Authority, Inc. and The Forwarding Company), David M. Hynes II, James Hynes, Heather True, and Lorena Quiroz-Hynes.  Litigation continues against these defendants.  

NOTE:  These consent decrees are for settlement purposes only and do not constitute an admission by the defendant that the law has been violated.  Consent decrees have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC's online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC's website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Betsy Lordan
Office of Public Affairs
202-326-3707

STAFF CONTACT:
Christopher Koegel
Bureau of Consumer Protection
202-326-3224

(FTC File No. X110053)  
(Rumson NR)

Rumson, Bolling has been CLOSED DOWN:

http://collectionagencyhallofshame.blogspot.com/2011/10/ftc-closes-down-collection-agency.html

YAY. The power of the Internet!!!

Caller wants us to pay them to collect our debts. We told them we were not  interested and to take our number off their list.
This S.O.B. Called back 3 times in a row insisting we HAD to do this.

These people call 4-5 times a week and are incredibly rude to our employees.  Even when the owner did tell them to go away, they still call back. Using your debt-collector phone skills will not earn you new business *** holes.

Received a call from a boy or man stating (my guess is boy based on his rudeness), "I want to speak to the owner or controller about a stimulus check".  He did not identify himself or his business.  I told him that I could not assist him and he had the wrong number.  I then hung up.

He called back immediately and proceeded to call me stupid. Very odd behavior for a someone trying to represent a 'business'.

Does anyone know of a way to trace this call?

this man called, said he needed the owner or controller. before i could get out "he's not in, do you want to leave a message", he hung up. VERY RUDE! this is ridiculous. what is the point in registering on the Do Not Call Registry? i dont know how many times i've done that, and yet still get calls, alot if them similar to the one i just received.

they called to talk to the owner about an unclaimed stimulus check.  told him he had a personal cell phone and to leave me alone.

Today a guy called and said "give me the owner or the controller this is concerning a stimulus package, I'll hold" when I told him he was not in he said he would call back and hung up, Very Rude. I got almost the same call yesterday and it was a girl, she said "let me speak to the owner or controller this is regarding an investigation." When I told her he was not in she just went "uuuhh" for for about 10 seconds and then hung up. When she called the called ID was 000-000-0000.
I had to hang up on a telemarketer for Pitney Bowles this morning because she ignored me when I told her we were not interested. I am now getting about 4 calls a day from different people and we are on the do not call registry. This is getting ridiculous.

I answered --and they asked for the owner or controller - I ask what is was concerning - he said a stimulus check - I know it was a telemarketer right off the bat -- I asked him if "he knew where he could put his stimulus check" !! haha...that really got him going...He said he was going to come through the phone and kick my a**!! I wish they would show up at my work...!! It would be the last "scam" phone call he would make! I don't mind "real" legit calls..they are just working people...but I HATE SCAMMERS!!!!

I received two calls in a row from a guy who said "Give me the owner or the controller. This is concerning a stimulus check. I'll hold."  I told him the owner was not available and he just hung up.  Less than 5 seconds after hanging up, he called again and said the same thing.  When I told him that he had just called, he hung up again.

Got a call from a lady claiming to be from "Rumsen, Bowling, & Assoc" looking for the owner or controller regarding "an investigation".  I told her I do not appreciate her tactics and would not do business with them even if I needed their services.  She said you can tell your secretary to remove you from the Yellow Book and I'll call you tomorrow.  Why bother calling back...you're not getting anything from me!!!!

A representative of "Rumson Boling & Associates" by the name of John Stalk (?) (888-861-4338 ext. 5106) called and said he needed to speak to my boss about collecting some money owed to us. I told him he was not available, but I would give the message to the bookeeper,  he asked me to transfer him to for the bookkeeper,since our bookeeper does not work in our office I told him I couldn't, he then proceeded to say ...and I quote: "You kow what I think....I think you are a [removed:lang]" and the he hanged up.
A company who uses representatives who talk this way to any potential customer should not be trusted, be aware!

888-861-4338 x5127 === Jerry Grin

Received a call from a woman who said she was calling regarding a financial investigation and to let her speak to the owner. Knowing this was likely a sales call, I asked her name and her company which she rattled off very fast. I repeated her name "Tracy Mayer" and again asked her the name of the company which she huffed "Rumson Boling & Associates". Then she said, again quite rudely, is he there? I replied, "maybe. hold on." I left her on hold while I did some xeroxing. When I finally got back to her, I said, "I'm sorry..." at which point she hung up. I googled the company, found this site, but also found their company number which I called. Needless to say, I wasn't to give them my company's name so didn't get to speak with TRACY MAYER. Ohhh, I hope she calls back soon. I'll be waiting...;-)

I know of this entity
I know there is something being done about it
Looking for people who have had experience with this firm: Large action looming. contact brejniak@aol.com

IF YOU HAVE SIGNED THEIR GAG ORDER: please contact and state so. Thank You

Rumson, Bolling & Associates/aka
Commercial Investigations, Inc./aka
Forensic Case Management Services, Inc./aka
Joseph, Steven & Associates
4570 Van Nuys Blvd. #331
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
888-861-4338

http://www.ripoffreport.com/Collection-Agencies/Rumson-Bolling-Assoc/rumson-bolling-associates-84cmf.htm

Commercial Investigations, Inc.: Harassing to Help

?Their representative . . . continues to call . . .  after repeatedly being told we want off their call list.  He calls several times a day and has said that he will have all his friends call also, just to annoy our company.?

If your guess would be that these statements came from a collection agency, you?re absolutely right.  But if your guess is that they came from a collection agency trying to collect a debt, you?re wrong.  They?re taken from a complaint about a debt collector who calls every bit as often as one trying to collect a debt, but in this case is trying to sell its collection services to a business that doesn?t want to buy.

Commercial Investigations, Inc. (CII), of Van Nuys, telemarkets businesses soliciting debts to collect for them.  Though many of its 64 complaints come from California, others come from all across the country.

Petaluma Valley Drywall in Petaluma, California, is one company who responded to CII?s call by asking them to collect a $74,000 debt.  Kat Burroughs, Administrator for the company, says they had to pay CII $3,000 to file a lawsuit.  When the defendant countersued, though, CII dropped the suit, telling Petaluma Valley Drywall that they ?don?t deal with counterclaims.?  Later Petaluma Drywall learned that only $400 of their $3,000 payment had gone to CII?s attorney.  Furthermore, CII refuses to refund anything to them or to provide them an accounting.  Burroughs says that when she tries to contact a company supervisor, she?s put on hold for 20 to 30 minutes or hung up on.  Yet the company still calls weekly to solicit business from them.

When CII called Fred Hoff, a painting contractor and owner of A Fresh Coat, Inc., of Saint Francis, Minnesota, they offered a 30-day free trial of their services.  Fred and his wife, Dustie, gave them a $1,200 invoice to collect.  After a few days, CII told them they would have to take the debtor to court and needed $2,500 in advance for court costs and attorney fees.

The Hoffs, suspicious about the request for such a sum, got a Better Business Bureau report on the company and cancelled CII?s services.  They report that by the end of the week they?d received a call from CII telling them they owed them 10 percent of the debt and threatening to take them to court and report it to the credit agencies if they didn?t pay it.  ?They tried any tactic possible to threaten us to pay them this money,? says Dustie.

Shad Johnsen, who offers designing and sales of kitchens and bathrooms through his business, Portrait Kitchens, in St. George, Utah, considered using CII?s services, but just reading the company?s contract made him change his mind.  ?They told me just to read the asterisked parts,? he says.  ?Those two parts were fine, but I read the rest, and it gave the company the right to negotiate whatever terms they wanted, including the final balance.?

Though Johnsen said no to CII, he soon afterward received a call from them, telling him that the client whose debt they were going to collect was very irate with him.  ?I have a great relationship with this client even though he owes me money,? Johnsen says.

Johnsen pointed out to CII that they did not have permission to contact this client on his behalf since he had never signed a contract.  Still, they sent him a bill for the work they said they?d already done for him.

CII wrote to cancel their charges, though, after Johnsen threatened to--and did--contact the Utah Attorney General and the Better Business Bureau.

CII, described by many complainants as rude, threatening, and abusive if they don?t give them business and money up front, does seem to back down sooner or later in a lot of cases.  But some business owners, especially those who don?t want to deal with CII, have to put up with incessant calls before that happens.  Greg Colby, for example, who owns a farm equipment store in Iowa, says they called him wanting to know if he had any outstanding receivables with which they could assist.  ?From that point forward, they were harassing us, calling us every five minutes . . . I felt they were forcing me into a collection process.?

Colby had indicated some interest and was willing to pay a percentage of that CII collected, but he was not willing to give them the $3,000 they wanted up front.  He got a Better Business Bureau report at that point and decided not to do business with them.  ?They got nasty on the phone,? he says.

Colby reports calls 15 times in 30 minutes until he threatened to file a complaint against the company.

CII?s complaints come from both businesses for whom they want to collect and debtors.  Debtors say CII tries to collect debts they don?t owe, continuing to pressure them for payment even when they deny the existence of the debt.  An Omaha resident says they sent her a letter claiming that she and her husband owed $1,200 to a company they?d never heard of.  ?When I called them about this, they said they would investigate it and return my call.  They called me a month later, wanting to know why I had not paid the money.?  When this consumer requested a written statement from CII, she was hung up on.  She, also, says they used abusive language.

Although California law offers consumers protection against debt collectors? unlawful practices, it offers no help to businesses hounded by debt collectors? (or any other type of business) calls soliciting business.  Even do-not-call lists won?t accept business numbers.  Our complaints do reveal, though, that even the threat of filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau or the Attorney General does stop at least some of the calls.

We assign CII an ?F? rating.  The company has not responded to most complaints presented to it, although three complainants do report that they were satisfied with the resolution to their complaint.  Only one of these involved a refund; in the other cases, the satisfaction resulted because CII simply stopped calling.  For a significant number of complainants, that?s all they wanted in the first place.

http://www.enewsbuilder.net/bbbsouthland/e_article001203854.cfm?x=b11,0,w

I received the similar type calls  

1. this is illegal  and if you file these reports with the FBI and your attorney General  after a set amountof damages is assessed  the Feds will shut them down. In some cases  the Feds have jailed illegal collectors and solictors. See the FDCPA and UCC Laws

2.There calls are creme pie lawsuits. Record them inform them after you caught them that you recorded them. Then SUE SUE SUE  you will get at least a couple of grand in punitive.

A man called and said he needed to speak to my boss. I told him he was not available so he asked for the bookkeeper, I said it was me and he said this is an attempt to collect a debt on behalf of our customer. The amount is $495.00 but I will  be willing to settle for $150.00. You guys geve him a bad check and a bec credit card number, the police department should have contacted you for the bad checks so can you pay me right now. He was very pushy and intimidating. I asked who he was and that in order for me to do anything i needed him to fax me something showing what he was talking about and who he was.  I asked if he was a collection agency and he ignored the question with going on about how if we didnt pay he would take us to court, but he would get out of our hair if we just paid to settle. " That way everyone can be happy", he said.He put a manager on the phone who also said the police department should have contacted me and that I needed to pay to cover the "bad checks."
I still have not received anything through fax...

Rumson, Bowling and Associates called my business and got me (owner) by tell my employee that they needed to talk to me about a financial investigation. When I ask to speak to his supervisor, some $10 hooker talking woman told me to hit myself in the face with the phone, she would wait till she heard it. I seriously need to talk to this person in person.
How is it that these companies can have #'s like this that can't be traced or can they?

Did you know its ILLEGAL to do spoof caller id?  Its the same as using a false name

This is a SCAM debt collector  - there is nothing legitimate in what they do!

Must be the guy doing the calling.

did you ever think that maybe debtors won't answer the phone if they see a collection agencies caller id? all you people who post on sites like this are complete idiots...i wonder what you said to the poor telemarketer on the other end trying to make a living? Im sure none of you mentioned how you insulted, denigrated, put down, cussed at, and demoralized them while you sat there drinking your superiority coffee with obviously not enough to do.

Got a call from this collection agency to do collections for me, sorry no one owes me money. Anyway they are not too smart when they have the "Tricky" caller ID 000-000-0000, oooohhhh so tricky. I asked for name and phone number and that's how I got the phone number and name to list here.  FYI Telemarketers, don't use 000-000-0000 because that is the first indicator that you are not to be trusted, your hiding something.
Too Agressive and talks down to people to demonstate how "Effective" they can be.  People need a job so God Bless the caller, BUT don't be deceitful with your tactics.

I got the same phone call, the first starting out with "stimulus package check" after I told him I was not interested and hung up, they called right back this time a female, and she told me it was regarding a "commercial investigation" when I asked for the phone number they told me they didn't have it and hung up on me. The third call came in with no one on the other end- 3 calls in a matter of 5 minutes.

These guys come across as fake and pushy. This is what made the red flag go up.

I am afraid now they will get my info and start to make trouble for me. As they said they are pumped up and all of them sounded like they were pumped up on some type of artificial stymulus "Drugs"

Caller Rumson, Bolling, and Associates

Got a call from this guy asking for the owner. I asked where he was calling from - I then repeated the name back to confirm. Proceeded to ask what the call was regarding and he said "commercial investigation." I repeated it to him as a form of a questions - asking what exactly he meant. He said "Oh, Jesus Christ" and hung up on me.

THIS COMPANY THAT CALLED ME IS FROM NCO FINANCIAL OUT OF PENNSYLVANIA
THEY SAID I OWED A CREDIT CARD BILL FROM 12 YEARS AGO

Like everyone else here, I got a rude call from this company about an "economic stimulus check."  He demanded to speak to the owner or controller.  When I pressed him for details, he hung up on me.

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rec'd 2 calls from Scott Stahl .. advised we don't need his services.. on 2nd call he hung up on us when asking what call was about.. called from 1-877-999-5555 which you can't call back.. you CAN call 888-861-4338 to demand that they stop calling you.. scott's extension is 7111.. go get 'em...