Consumer complaint received 2023-07-20
Company: ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC.
State: CA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Credit card debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Seized or attempted to seize your property

Complaint:
XX/XX/XXXX, I went into XXXX XXXX furniture store, browsing for a bed set, an eager saleswoman ( XXXX ), showed me around. She dishonestly convinced me to apply for a loan. After I was approved for {$4000.00}, she proceeded to writing a purchase receipt. I told her that her explanation to me was that checking for a loan approval did not mean that I have to purchase. She confidently told me that she has my signature, and whether I took the furniture or not, I would be charged. I told her the furnitures seemed broken and very low quality, and I really did not want it. I asked to speak to her manager, and she told me she was the manager. There was no other workers in the store, so I could not get any help. I retrieved the papers she had written on with a bank name ( XXXX XXXX  ) and the account number. I went outside and called the bank, spoke to XXXX XXXX, and explained the scam. XXXX told me, she would take it off and report it to fraud department the following day due to that at the time the fraud department was closed, late afternoon. 

XX/XX/XXXX, I called XXXX XXXX  to make sure that it was reported to Fraud Department, the service person told me Fraud Department was probably handling it because there was no record of my call the previous day, so I explained again. This person told me again, it would be reported. 

XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter from Midland Credit Management dated XX/XX/XXXX, telling me that my account of {$1900.00} was sold to them on XX/XX/XXXX. I called Midland Credit Management immediately and told them that they were sold a fraud account. I did not purchased any product other than signed for a loan qualification. Midland told me they would launch an investigation. 

XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter from Midland Credit Management stating that they have initiated delete the tradeline of reference to my account from the three major credit reporting agencies. 

XX/XX/XXXX, I called Midland Credit Management, spoke to XXXX XXXX, he told me, considered taken care of, meaning that it was dismissed and I would no longer have problems. Pandemic came, and I moved to live in the mountain. 

XX/XX/XXXX, I received from my employer a writ of execution, a judgment to garnish my wages from Midland Credit Management in the amount of {$2300.00}. I seriously thought that it was another scam, so I took it to Superior Court to check its validity. It is legitimate, and I have missed my opportunity to defend myself in court due to that I have moved and court appearance papers must have come to my old address. 

Criminals continue to commit crimes because they feel that they CAN, and that they can get away with it. In this case, I feel that there are three criminals working together : saleswoman ( XXXX ), XXXX at the XXXX XXXX, and Midland Credit Management. Each time I called, I felt as if the person on the line just gave me answers to please me, telling me that it is in the process of being solved or is solved, but really they continue to scam me further. 

I believed that there are a lot more people out there being scammed by these systematic, professional scammers, and I am just a number. I am so upset that they have been getting away with it. I am just an honest, God loving, hardworking woman, and I dont even know where to begin to fight such scammers. I need help.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation