This company sent me a notice alleging that I owed a debt to MCI. I did not owe the debt. I wrote them a letter disputing the debt, and then contacted via telephone to ensure that they knew I was disputing the debt and did not report it on my credit report.
When I contacted GC Services via telephone, they monitored and recorded my telephone conversation without my consent. Not once did GC Services ever tell me (much less ask my permission) that they might monitor or record my telephone call until I asked if they were in fact doing this. What is disturbing about this, is that I gave them my private confidential information during this telephone call and some unknown GC Services employee was secretly listening in on the information I was providing.
I later found out that GC Services does this to a lot of people, and that this conduct is a crime. GC Services brags on its website that it monitors and records over 100,000 telephone calls throughout the United States each year.
In California, victims of this crime may receive damages of $5,000.00 — per violation. Other states also allow recovery of money damages for such violations, but the amounts of recovery vary from state to state.
GC Services above conduct is also a violation of the FDCPA for which there is a $1,000.00 recovery. Specifically, it is false and deceptive when GC Services does not tell consumers they are monitoring and recording telephone calls.indeed, consumers would be far less likely to talk to GC Services employees if they knew that their calls were being monitored and recorded. This is especially true when one considers that sensitive information is often disclosed by consumers during these telephone calls (e.G. Social security numbers, bank information, credit card info, etc.). Like most collection agencies, there is a high turnover rate with GC Services employees, thus increasing the likelihood of identity theft involving these consumers.
You may be entitled to recover money damages if: 1) you had at least one telephone conversation with GC Services at anytime from May 4 to present; 2) the GC Services employee did not tell you that your call may be monitored or recorded at the beginning of the conversation; and 3) you live in the United States or Puerto Rico.
If you meet the above criteria, you could be part of a lawsuit. This is a very, very, bad company and I believe it has caused, and it continues to cause, a lot of harm to innocent consumers throughout the United States; GC Services must be stopped.
Thank you.
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