A settlement has been reached with three defendants who allegedly posed as lawyers and falsely threatened to sue consumers, even have them arrested for failing to pay on debts they did not owe. The settlement resolves an FTC complaint filed in July 2017, alleging that the defendants told consumers they were attorneys or calling from a law firm and that a lawsuit had been filed or would soon be filed against them for an unpaid debt. We originally wrote a blog on the topic, entitled: FTC Shuts Down Debt Collector for Allegedly Threatening Lawsuits.
The FTC alleged the defendants Hardco Holding Group LLC, S&H Financial Group Inc. and Daryl M. Hall (DBA- Alliance Law Group) threatened consumers with prison time and claimed police would show up at their home and arrest them if the debt was not paid. The threats and harassment on the so called, “phantom debt” are all a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
According to the settlement order, the defendants are banned from ever participating in debt collection activities, buying or selling consumer or commercial debt, and trading in consumer information related to a debt. They are also prohibited from making misrepresentations about any product or service, profiting from consumers’ personal information obtained from any debt collection activities, and failing to dispose of consumers’ information properly. The order imposes a $702,059 judgment that will be partially suspended upon the surrender of certain assets.
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If you have any questions on this topic or are in financial crisis and considering filing for bankruptcy, contact an experienced Miami bankruptcy attorney who can advise you of all of your options. As an experienced CPA as well as a proven bankruptcy lawyer, Timothy Kingcade knows how to help clients take full advantage of the bankruptcy laws to protect their assets and get successful results. Since 1996 Kingcade Garcia McMaken has been helping people from all walks of life build a better tomorrow. Our attorneys’ help thousands of people every year take advantage of their rights under bankruptcy protection to restart, rebuild and recover. The day you hire our firm, we will contact your creditors to stop the harassment. You can also find useful consumer information on the Kingcade Garcia McMaken website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.
