debt collectors

Protect Yourself Against Phantom Debt Collectors

By Attorney Jeff Lapin|2012-03-19T10:00:29+00:00March 19th, 2012|

By: Jeffrey Lapin

Lapin Law Offices urges consumers to protect themselves against phantom debt collectors. A phantom debt collector is a “debt collector” who attempts to collect on a debt that never existed or that you do not legally owe. They may also be known as “fake debt collectors” or “false debt collectors.. As we recently posted, the FTC filed a lawsuit against phantom debt collectors who allegedly collected over $5 million dollars from U.S. consumers. In that case, the alleged phantom debt collectors obtained information about people when they applied for online payday loans. The people who paid these phantom debt collectors did do based on threats of lawsuits, going to jail or the loss of their job. […]

FTC Targets Phantom Debt Collectors

By Attorney Jeff Lapin|2012-03-15T11:45:20+00:00March 15th, 2012|

By: Jeffrey Lapin

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) many consumers throughout the country have reported getting telephone calls from phantom debt collectors trying to collect on fake or false debts. The FTC has started targeting these phantom debt collectors and have filed suit against a group that has allegedly collected over $5 million dollars. […]

Proposed FDCPA Amendment Would Allow Messages By Collectors

By Attorney Jeff Lapin|2012-03-06T16:45:44+00:00March 6th, 2012|

Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.) recently introduced H.R. 4101 (112th Congress, Second Session) entitled the “Fair Debt Collection Practices Clarification Act of 2012”, to the House Committee on Financial Services. The proposed Act would alter the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and permit debt collectors to leave voicemails and messages on answering machines, which is currently permitted only if the debt collectors provides certain information, which itself can cause a FDCPA violation. The proposed Act would require the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to set forth regulations regarding these messages. In addition, H.R. 4101 would limit the ability of a debt collector’s use of arbitration to settle a dispute. […]

A Victory for Consumers: H.R. 3035 (The Mobile Informational Caller Act of 2011) Killed By Co-Sponsors

By Attorney Jeff Lapin|2011-12-15T12:20:34+00:00December 15th, 2011|

By: Jeffrey Lapin

In a victory for consumers the co-sponsors of H.R. 3035 (The Mobile Information Caller Act of 2011) withdrew the bill from further consideration. The bill would have made significant changes to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the most significant of which would have permitted businesses, including debt collectors, to use automatic telephone dialing systems (auto-dialers; robodialers) to call a person’s cellular telephone regardless of whether the person had given “prior express consent” or even provided their cell phone number to these businesses. Opposition had been growing, both by the public and 48 state Attorneys General. […]

New Opposition To H.R. 3035 (The Mobile Informational Call Act of 2011)

By Attorney Jeff Lapin|2011-12-14T12:00:59+00:00December 14th, 2011|

New opposition has arisen against H.R. 3035, the Mobile Informational Call Act of 2011. Attorney Generals in 48 states signed a letter urging Congress to reject the bill. The proposed Act, among other things, would amend the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) by changing the definition of “prior express consent” and permit debt collectors to use automatic telephone dialing systems (auto-dialers or robo-dialers) to call cellular phones. In previous posts, Proposed Act Would Permit Debt Collectors to Use Auto-Dialers to Call Cellular Telephones and An Update on H.R. 3035 (The Mobile Informational Call Act of 2011) and a Call to Action, H.R. 3035 was discussed, how it will likely effect consumers as well as its current legislative status. […]

An Update on H.R. 3035 (The Mobile Informational Call Act of 2011) and a Call to Action

By Attorney Jeff Lapin|2011-11-18T13:13:41+00:00November 18th, 2011|

H.R. 3035 – The Mobile Informational Call Act of 2011
In a previous post, Proposed Act Would Permit Debt Collectors to Use Auto-Dialers to Call Cellular Telephones, H.R. 3035, the Mobile Informational Call Act of 2011, was discussed and how, if passed, would likely harm consumers. The Act, among other things, would amend the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) by changing the definition of “prior express consent” and permit debt collectors to use automatic telephone dialing systems (auto-dialers or robo-dialers) to contact a person on their cellular telephone. The Act was introduced by Representatives Lee Terry (R-NE) and Edolphus Towns (D-NY). It also had nine co-sponsors. […]

Proposed Act Would Permit Debt Collectors to Use Auto-Dialers to Call Cellular Telephones

By Attorney Jeff Lapin|2011-10-12T13:17:49+00:00October 12th, 2011|

Representatives Lee Terry (R-NE) and Edolphus Towns (D-NY), recently introduced the Mobile Informational Call Act of 2011 (H.R. 3035, 112nd Cong., 1st Sess. (2011)), in the House of Representatives that contains sweeping changes to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the most significant of which would permit debt collectors to use automatic telephone dialing systems (auto-dialers) to call a person’s cellular telephone. This proposed Act, which would amend certain provisions of the TCPA, can be viewed on the U.S. Government Printing Office’s website (Mobile Informational Call Act of 2011). […]

The Economy is Causing Big Business for Debt Collectors

By Attorney Jeff Lapin|2011-09-26T10:00:24+00:00September 26th, 2011|

By: Jeffrey Lapin

At a meeting of debt collectors last week in Atlantic City, it was noted that the current state of the economy has created even more business for debt collectors. In a article published today in the Lincoln Journal Star (Debt collectors: Business great but hard as ever) debt collectors at the meeting state that aggressive tactics, such as threats and repeated calls “just don’t work.” In addition, they allege that unpaid debt is never truly written off; it just gets passed on to new customers. […]

Lapin Law Offices Newest Television Advertisement: Abusive Debt Collectors

By Attorney Jeff Lapin|2011-08-26T11:05:33+00:00August 26th, 2011|

By: Jeffrey Lapin

Lapin Law Offices newest television advertisement is now available on our website, Facebook and YouTube. The advertisement is for our newest areas of practice: claims against abusive debt collectors (FDCPA) and telephone/ fax abuses (TCPA).
ABOUT LAPIN LAW OFFICES
Lapin Law Offices represents clients that have been abused, harassed, threatened, and lied to by debt […]

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