A fellow business owner was having trouble collecting outstanding checks and invoices from some of his clients. When we began having trouble collecting a check from one of our clients, this business owner gave us the information about this company that he would be using in the future to collect his debts. The company name is Commercial Investigations Inc.
My first contact with this company seemed on the up and up. Spoke to a nice young man named Bruce, who would be handling my case. I sent him the documentation that he requested, including a contract allowing them to persue the collection of this debt. I faxed the invoice, returned check for NSF and the banks statement to such. While I was on the phone with Bruce, he received the fax and told me some information about the client we were trying to collect from. I was impressed. Bruce told me that he would have some information for me as early three days from our initial contact. At the close of business on the day Bruce was to call, he hadn't so I called him. I first got suspicious when no one that answered the phone knew a Bruce person, but I was transferred to "Ed". Ed then proceeded to tell me that because the check came back to us NSF, and they had the client on the phone stating that he never intended to pay us, that we could now file charges and receive 3 times what the check that bounced was for, plus attorneys fees, and plus this company's fee of 20% of the judgement.
Ed was going to fax to me an affidavit, help me fill it out, then fax that, and a check for $750.00 for "good faith attorney's fees". NOW I am really feeling something is amiss.
I told Ed that I was not comfortable sending a stranger a check for this, or any amount of money. My husband entered the room, and picked up his cell, called our friend who is an attorney who told us that this was indeed a scam. Any law firm that feels that they will win a case for a client will NEVER take the money up front. They take their money when the judgement is awarded.
My husband then gets on the phone with "Ed" and my husband tells him that he is not comfortable sending him any money, and wants to wait till tomorrow to send the affidavit, etc. Ed then tells my husband that perhaps the law firm will only take $600 instead of the $750. My husband hangs up, I fax the company to the two fax numbers that I had, requesting that they NEVER contact us again.
Folks, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck... IT IS a duck! Beware of this company. They are slick, and have a good answer for all your questions. I will be talking with our business friend who recommended this company at the start, and warn them as well. I can't believe that it almost sucked me in too.
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