Consumer complaint received 2026-04-24 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Rental debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: FAIR COLLECTIONS & OUTSOURCING, INC.
State: TN

Complaint narrative:
The collection agency ( FCO ) is actively reporting and attempting to collect a fabricated debt of {$1300.00}, despite their own agent verbally admitting on a recorded line that the original creditor has no grounds to pursue the collection. Furthermore, the original creditor is using the collection agency as a punitive tool to extort a fabricated XXXX-star review from me. Timeline of Violations & Bad Faith Practices : XXXX. The Fabricated Debt and Extortion : In XX/XX/XXXX, my property management explicitly agreed to a mutual early lease termination due to severe habitability and health issues ( secondhand smoke infiltration and unresolved maintenance ). I have written confirmation from the Assistant Property Manager orchestrating our move-out. Subsequently, the creditor fabricated a lease-break charge of {$1300.00} and verbally implied it would be waived only if I provided a fabricated XXXX-star review of their property. When I refused to post a dishonest review, they sent the fabricated charge to the collection agency. XXXX. The Collection Agency 's Admission of Invalidity : I disputed the debt with the collection agency in writing, providing my evidence. Approximately XX/XX/XXXXdays ago ( XXXX XXXX ), I had a recorded phone call with the collection agent assigned to my case. After reviewing my written evidence, the agent explicitly admitted that the property management " has no grounds '' to pursue this debt because there is XXXX proof of any XXXXstar review contingency. The agent stated a request would be made to clear the account. XXXX. The Runaround and Refusal to Assist : Seeking resolution, I contacted the original creditor 's Assistant Property Manager on XX/XX/XXXX. They refused to assist, stating in writing that the matter is " out of our hands '' and must be settled with the collection agency. However, the collection agency claims the original creditor must recall the debt. Both parties are willfully ignoring evidence and passing the burden, leaving me trapped in an administrative runaround. XXXX. Willful FDCPA and FCRA Violations : Despite the collection agent acknowledging the debt is invalid on a recorded line, the collection agency 's management has refused to close the account, citing an outdated, generic ledger from XX/XX/XXXX. Worse, on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXXafter their agent acknowledged the debt 's invaliditythe collection agency maliciously updated my XX/XX/XXXX credit report with a " XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XX/XX/XXXX) '' status for the {$1300.00} balance, causing severe damage to my credit profile. Reporting a known disputed and invalid debt to a credit reporting agency is a blatant violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ). Resolution Requested : Immediate deletion of this trade line from all credit bureaus ( XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX ). Written confirmation that the account is permanently closed and returned to the creditor. Cease all collection efforts immediately. Collection agency management must pull and review the call recording with their agent to verify the admission of the debt 's invalidity.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation