Consumer complaint received 2023-05-02
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt was paid
Company: Harris & Harris, Ltd. (PA)

I received a text message on XX/XX/2023 from phone number XXXX saying " XXXX XXXX Harris & Harris is a debt collector for the PA XXXX. '' It did not contain the required disclosures, but contained a link to make a payment or a phone number to call. I did not think it was a legitimate text message and I did not do anything. 

I received a second text message saying the same thing on XX/XX/2023. I had recently received invoices in the mail from the PA XXXX for toll roads I drove on, and I sent checks to the PA XXXX in the amounts due. I called the phone number provided for Harris & Harris ( XXXX ) and told them I paid and had photos of the checks cashed by the PA XXXX on my online banking account. They asked me to send copies of the checks to XXXX using Reference # XXXX. I sent an email with the photographs of the cashed checks on XX/XX/2023. I received no response. 

On XX/XX/2023, I sent a follow up email to XXXX, asking for an update on my account. I received no response. I sent follow up emails on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX again asking for an update on my account since I sent in proof of payment. I received no response. 

On XX/XX/2023, I received the same text message from XXXX XXXX XXXX saying they are a debt collector for PA XXXX and giving me a link to pay. I called the phone number and spoke with a representative. I told her I paid the amounts and provided Harris & Harris proof of payment in XXXX and received no response to any of my emails. She said she would look for my emails. After thirty minutes on hold, a different representative got on the phone with me and told me they are still looking and would call me back. I asked what they were looking for. She told me they were looking for my emails and needed to call me back. She told me " it has already been thirty minutes and you are tying up our lines. '' I told her I needed to be on the phone line with Harris & Harris because I was receiving debt collection notices for debts I do not owe, and when I tried to send proof of payment four times, I received no response, so I needed help from them. I told her I could forward the emails to her right then and asked for her email address. She provided the same email address : XXXX. I forwarded my earlier emails. She placed me on hold for twenty more minutes. She returned and said she received my email and would email her supervisor. I asked if she could copy me on the email since Harris & Harris has been unresponsive to me in trying to resolve this issue. She said she could not. She said Harris & Harris needed to verify my payment with the client. I said that the FDCPA requires debt collectors to verify debts and they did not do so and I believe they violated the FDCPA. She said yes, ma'am. I asked her to keep me updated when they speak with the client and verify my payments. 

I think my rights have been violated because I receive text messages attempting to collect debt that has not been verified and does not contain the required disclosures. I dispute the debt and provided proof of payment to the email address the debt collector gave me. I followed up three times in the next month and received no response at all. Three months later, they attempted to collect the debt again, ignoring the documented proof of payment that I have. As of today, they still have me listed as a debtor with an amount due and have not shown the proof to the PA XXXX.