People Come First At Our Consumer Rights Law Firm
As I have discussed in several posts throughout the year, new amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, (“FCRA”) require employers and credit reporting agencies to provide additional information to potential and current employees prior to accessing a credit file for employment purposes. Employers are also required to provide additional disclosures after taking adverse action against the individual based on…
The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) was created to aid consumers in preventing the occurrence of fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices. Over the last decade, the FTC has spent a considerable amount of time policing the Debt Collection Industry. In a recent opinion of a long-running investigation, the FTC ordered collection agencies, namely Rumson, Bolling & Associates (“Rumson”) to pay…
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) is a federal law that regulates the use of consumer credit and other background information. The FCRA was created to ensure the distribution of accurate information about each consumer and provide adequate notice and information to consumers whose credit or employment is affected by the information collected and disseminated. Today, in our strained economy,…
When being contacted by a debt collector, I often hear complaints from consumers that the debt is “too old” and the question, “how can a collector contact me about a debt that is so old?” While the answer to this question is simple, a debt collector can attempt to collect a debt from you forever as long as he or…
In the literally thousands of consumers that we have assisted here at SmithMarco, PC and our Protecting Consumer Rights website, we have seen what the most popular questions or concerns are about collections. Here we answer them for all: When can a debt collector contact me? Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) the federal statute specifically states that a…
In a post earlier this year I discussed the recent amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) requiring businesses using background checks on existing or potential employees to put the individual on notice of its intention to use the information in making its decision in hiring or firing employees. In ensuring compliance with the new regulation, the Federal Trade…
The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) is tightening the reins on data brokers to ensure fair treatment of consumers in the market place by making sure information reporting is more accurate than in years past. In its effort to promote this fair treatment, after numerous consumer complaints, the FTC launched an investigation against Certegy Check Services, a Florida based chec authorization…
Under Section 1692d of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) a collector may not engage in any conduct the natural consequence of which is to harass, oppress or abuse any person in connection with the collection of a debt. This conduct includes but is not limited to, causing a telephone to ring or engaging any person in telephone conversation…
There are many issues to consider when buying a used car. If you are purchasing a used car, review the following tips to avoid unexpected bumps in the road. Find a reputable dealer to purchase your vehicle. Talk to friends and family and see if they can recommend a used car dealer. Research the dealer that you are considering and…
Pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) upon receiving notice of a dispute from a consumer regarding inaccurate information on a credit report, the credit reporting agency (“CRA”) and furnisher of the account have a duty to conduct a reasonable investigation into the dispute within 30 days and report back to the consumer with the results. The law is…