Consumer complaint received 2024-10-30
Product: Debt collection — Medical debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt was paid
Company: United Collection Bureau, Inc. (TX)

There was a medical debt with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. Through a mistake of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, they erred and used the wrong insurance and sent collection notices to the wrong recipient resulting in bad faith attempts to resolve. XXXX referred this debt to United Collection Bureau who promptly put it on my credit report as a collection with 0 attempts at contacting and 0 attempts at collecting the debt and who continuously and blatantly falsely claims they have contacted me " at the address on file '' which is... not a valid address. 
After months of back-and-forth negotiating with XXXX they agreed to recall the debt and remove it from UCB and deny them the ability to collect it having realized the billing mistake was the fault of the hospital. UCB however, refuses to delete the false collection even though the hospital recalled the debt. The hospital confirmed it was removed from collections on their end XX/XX/year> but UCB still refuses to remove the false collection in violation of numerous laws. 

I am filing this complaint because United Collection Bureau ( UCB ) has violated multiple state and federal laws by attempting to collect a medical debt that I do not owe. Despite my efforts to dispute the debt and despite clear evidence of its invalidity, UCB continues to engage in aggressive collection efforts. Additionally, the original creditor ( the hospital ) has recalled the debt, yet UCB persists in their attempts to collect. These actions constitute clear violations of the following laws : Texas Debt Collection Act ( TDCA ) Violation UCB is in direct violation of the TDCA by attempting to collect a debt they know is invalid. They have misrepresented the amount, nature, and legal status of the debt, harassing me with ongoing collection attempts despite knowing the debt is neither owed nor collectible. 

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ) Violation UCB has violated the FDCPA by : Attempting to collect a debt they know is non-existent and invalid. 
Ignoring a cease and desist request and failing to cease collection efforts after the debt was proven to be invalid and subsequently recalled by the hospital. 
Using aggressive and harassing communication tactics, including repeated calls, despite being fully aware that the debt is not legitimate.

HIPAA Violations By mishandling my medical information, UCB has likely failed to adhere to HIPAA guidelines, which protect patient privacy. Their use of this information for unauthorized collection efforts poses a direct breach of HIPAA protections. 

Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act ( DTPA ) Violation UCBs continuous attempts to collect this invalid and recalled debt constitute a deceptive business practice under the DTPA. They are fully aware that the debt is not valid, yet they persist in misrepresenting it, knowingly engaging in misleading practices to intimidate me into payment. 

Given these violations, I request immediate investigation into UCB 's unlawful actions. Their continued harassment and deliberate misrepresentation are causing undue harm, and I ask that appropriate enforcement actions be taken to hold UCB accountable for these breaches of Texas and federal law.