The attorney general of Georgia now appears to be the owner of $8.8 million of receivables that have been turned over by a debt collector following a settlement between the two parties.
The debt collector, Williamson and McKevie, was accused of violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Georgia Fair Business Practices Act. As part of the settlement, the agency has turned over nearly 11,000 accounts, totaling $8.7 million, to the Georgia attorney general’s office.
Among the tactics allegedly used by the agency are:
- Threatening consumers with arrest or imprisonment if they did not pay an alleged debt
- Falsely representing that consumers had committed criminal acts and that a lawsuit was about to be filed unless the debt was paid
- Falsely implying that representatives were attorneys rather than disclosing that they were, in fact, debt collectors
- Contacting third parties and divulging information about the debtors’ accounts
- Failing to disclose that they were attempting to collect a debt and that any information obtained would be used for that purpose.
Williamson & McKevie purchase debts and then collect on them. Along with turning over the accounts, the company must also pay a civil penalty of $20,000 and spend five years on probation. If the company violates the FDCPA or Georgia Fair Business Practices Act in that five years, a $230,000 civil penalty will be assessed.
