One of my family members has been a victim of continued false debt reporting made by NCO Financial Systems. For years a double reporting of three different debts by NCO has been noted on his credit report, but he had no recollection of what it was for. He received the first written communication about this debt in a dunning notice from Boyajian Law Offices in August. At that time he closely inspected his credit file and found that these three debts were being reported by both NCO Financial Systems and Legacy Emergency Physicians.
He first attempted to contact Legacy Emergency Physicians to find out specifically about the unpaid services being reported. All attempts to find out information about Legacy Emergency Physicians have been futile. There is no information that can be found on the Internet about this agency ever existing. The hospital where these emergency services were allegedly provided was contacted, but no one in their billing department could find information about this agency ever billing my family member, nor did they have any recollection working with this agency.
He attempted to contact NCO in early September to find out more information about this debt. Both the individual (Nathan Grindes) and supervisor he spoke with (Ray Morse) were rude and unwilling to investigate if they were reporting this debt about the right person, and they verbally refused to send him any documentation that substantiates these debts. They stated "we have your name and current address. That is all the verification we need." Mr. Morse further continued to state "We will send this to litigation." When his bluff was called, he quickly changed his manner, asking "are you sure you want to go that route? We are prepared to settle for a smaller amount." My family member proceded to explain to him the Fair Debt Collections Practices act, and the numerous violations that individual made during that phone conversation. Apparently to no avail, because having read other people's recent comments about NCO, they still continue to violate consumer's rights in such a manner.
My family member proceded to request the Credit Bureaus investigate and remove all reportings by Legacy Emergency Physicians and NCO Financial Systems. The Bureaus, through their investigation, found no contact information on Legacy Emergency Physicians and thus removed those reportings. They also removed some (not all) of the reportings by NCO.
A "cease and desist" notice was sent to both Boyajian Law Offices and NCO Financial Systems after they failed to provide within 30 days any documentation substantiating this debt.
In late October another letter was sent by NCO claiming they have included documentation verifying these debts. Enclosed in that letter were charge-off statements (dated Oct. 01 2005!) claiming to be a billing service for emergency staff that provided services in March 1999. It was not indicated to who the services were provided, only my family member's name and most recent address indicated at the bottom. NCO stickered their mailing address and phone number over parts of these documents. When the original mailing address was uncovered (another PO Box number!) that information was investigated. According to a search on the USPS web site, that PO Box number was not owned by anyone. One tid-bit of information covered was an e-mail address to Emcare.
Emcare is a national emergency physician contract agency whose Pennsylvania brance happens to be in Horsham as well. A search for both NCO and Emcare's addresses on MapQuest revealed that the two offices are located right next door (if not in the same building with two different street addresses). Coinsidence?
Apparently members of NCO contacted Emcare in October to manufacture a charge-off statement indicating unpaid services my family member owed to Legacy Emergency Physicians. At no time has Emcare through letters or reportings indicated that they own the debt, nor that they had any relationship to Legacy Emergency Physicians. So why are they printing later-dated charge-off statements for them? Emcare prides itself with a reputation of integrity as well as service. It is a shame that certain individuals in one of their office will use their technology to help a disreputable company fabricate information in their continued illegal debt collection practices.
In our continuous investigations into this matter, all we can find is that Legacy Emergency Physicians does not exist, and if it did at one time and was bought over by someone else, we don't know. Being that this agency does not exist, how can it continue to report a debt to the credit bureaus? How can the credt bureaus accept these reports and use them to lower people's scores?
Obviously members of NCO Financial Systems will go at some length to fabricate documentation (in addition to itemized "print-outs" from their computer) in attempt to convince their victims that they need to pay them.
In the end, NCO has yet to produce any copies of original billing statements or contracts with my family member's signature authorizing such services be provided, or indicating that such services were ever administered.
This company makes mult-millions of dollars a year through various scare tactics, multiple reportings with inaccurate information (including frequently updated dates of delinquency), and now fabrication of statements through non-involved companies that apparently will conduct such illegal acts to benefit their friends at the expense of the unknowing public.
If you receive ANY notice about owing money to NCO Financial System, don't pay until you are satisfied in knowing for sure you owe that debt. There is a good chance you don't owe that debt, and are just another victim of their numerous scams.
Becky,
Chicago, IL
Becky
Chicago, Illinois
U.S.A.
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