Consumer complaint received 2019-10-04
Company: National Credit Processing Inc.
State: FL
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt is not yours

Complaint:
Yesterday XX/XX/XXXX I was called by an unknown number at my home. I answered the phone call and the woman claimed she had legal documents she needed to drop by my house. She said they were confidential & she couldn't give me any information about who they came from. I explained to her that if someone is serving papers as part of a public service, they would not call to verify that I am home to do so. She was unable to explain within good reason why I should be home to sign for these documents, only that if I refused that legal action would be started against me. 

I asked for the number to her company. She says that they are a National Credit Processor ad to call them directly at XXXX and to use my credit verification code XXXX & to ask about the package in question. I called and a gentleman said that he was collecting a debt from XXXX XXXX XXXX in the amount of {$400.00} for a check that had not cleared. He also said he was given the debt in XXXX. I argued with the gentleman for a while trying to understand how XXXX XXXX XXXX never sent me anything trying to collect the debt, and that I demanded to see something in writing before I pay anything or give out my personal information over the phone. He was able to try to convince me the debt exists by stating my social security number correctly, my maiden name, my company name, and my mother 's address which I used to reside at.I asked why they never attempted to settle this debt with me for pennies on the dollar before it came to this " judgement day '' and he says to me " ok, I will settle with you for {$300.00} '' His advise to me was to allow him to " email me a DocuSign with a payment agreement, filling out my credit card information for their merchant service '' If I should choose not to do the DocuSign then he was going to pass it off to his lawyer to allow them to start the legal proceedings. I got angry at this point because I am a businesswoman and I realize just how taboo all of this talk is. So I cursed at him, and he says " You do not need to talk to me like that .... '' & he passes me off to another woman within the company. 

As she answered the phone, I asked why I was transferred, and this woman claimed to be the department which holds the installment arrangement process. I told her I didn't wish to pay this way, why don't they use quickbooks invoicing or any other secure method where I had the opportunity to type in my personal information myself, and she assured me that it was a secure way to pay. She said " the form you will fill out will only agree to take the correct amount of money listed, not a XXXX more. '' I suggested to her that I want to see something in writing 1st showing that the debt really exists. She and the gentleman BOTH told me that XXXX XXXX XXXX would NOT have record of the debt because it had went to collection because of not being paid for so long. This sounded pretty convincing but still, I know when a company is after their money, they will make several attempts to collect, then send to collections, and I would still receive multiple attempts from them at that point in order to collect that debt in question. I never received anything of the sorts. 

I also suggested calling her back because I wanted to investigate the subject myself.She told me that would be fine but to call back at the end of the day or they would start the legal proceedings as if I was in contempt to pay ... 

Each of the 3 people I spoke to were well-educated, well-scripted, and very convincing individuals. The 1st woman actually admitted she used her cell phone to call me and that I could not call her back to make arrangements to serve the papers or not. She said " If you call the XXXX # and make a payment, they will put a STOP ORDER on her activities to my home. 

Upon further investigation, I found on XXXX, I searched their public records for a Judgement Lien on myself & it doesn't exist. 
I do not owe XXXX XXXX XXXX anything, and there is no such judgement on public record. 

I am writing to report this fraudulent attempt to collect a debt that was never owed. 

Thanks and have a great day.

Company response to consumer: Untimely response