The Attorney General of Ohio has announced the filing of a lawsuit against a collection agency, accusing it of attempting to collect on debts that have been discharged in bankruptcy or those that do not exist at all, and doing so by making threats and contacting family members and co-workers of the individuals from whom it is trying to collect.
The lawsuit, filed against Advanced Capital Solutions, was announced as part of Operation Corrupt Collector, a joint state and federal initiative aimed at protecting consumers from abusive collection practices and collectors seeking to collect on non-existent debts.
The defendant has been charged with violating Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
“Strong laws against abusive debt collection practices exist for a reason,” said Dave Yost, the Attorney General of Ohio, in a statement. “There’s a right way and wrong way to do business. This company chose the wrong way, and its actions will have consequences.”
Yost said his office began its investigation after receiving a number of complaints about the agency from consumers.
Among the claims made by the Attorney General in its suit are:
- Attempting to collect debts that are not owed, had already been paid off, or were discharged in bankruptcy
- Contacting third parties, including family members, co-workers, and employers and revealing it is trying to collect on a debt from an individual
- Threatening legal action against an individual if a debt is not paid even though it had no legal authority or intention to do so
- Implying that not paying a debt would result in the filing of a civil action, when it had no intention of doing so
- Failing to identify themselves as debt collectors when attempting to collect debts
- Contacting individuals after being told to cease communications
