Consumer complaint received 2025-03-17 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action — Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged
Company: Universal Payment Corporation
State: GA

Complaint narrative:
In XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX agreed to prepare presentation of our invention / product idea to present and/or submit to companies, to obtain a review to see if those ideas or inventions can be commercialized, and provide patent services to protect the product and idea in exchange for a fee, which was paid to Universal Payments. I entered a contract to receive product development and patent services with XXXX XXXX company for over {$13000.00} that were not performed. The company used a 3rd party finance company Universal Payments to collect monthly payments of {$320.00}. A few services were provided in the first few months, but stopped after the first 6 months, no longer delivering services, and no patent ser-vices were ever filed. After I paid all but $ XXXX, Universal Payments threatened me saying theyd show me what happens to people who dont pay and we will ruin your credit, demanding payment. I tried to resolve the clear breach of contract with both parties and each told me to contact the other one. They scammed me out of my hard-earned money and caused me terrible stress because of this. 

I paid Universal Payments {$320.00} each month from XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX on time, never missed or late - Until discovered I was scammed by XXXX XXXX and Universal Pay-ments who worked together to fraud inventors. I was advised & warned by state and federal legal counsel, and consumer protection agencies to stop making payments due to multiple reported complaints of fraud, and that I should not contribute any further payments as it is illegal to support known fraudulent activity. I filed complaints with the State of GA Department of Consumer Protection Division, the FTC/Federal Trade Commission , consumer protection agencies, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 
However, XXXX XXXX failed to disclose they do not have any reasonable and systematic procedures in place to ensure their data bank does not include companies that are no longer in operation and do not actually match their clients to companies most likely to be interested in a given idea. 

I do not find care of promise and the money they received from me for services not rendered with XXXX and their cohort Universal Payment as satisfactory. In light of XXXX gross misrepresentation of their services ; extreme overinflation of charges for their services and clear breech of the contractual agreement I entered in good faith, and consistently paid [ never late ] as agreed in with their company and Universal Payment affiliates ; I plead exigence for them to right this wrong toward me. I only asked for settlement of contract when fraudulent activity was discovered, as I had already paid XXXX of contract amount and their company had only delivered less than XXXX of the service agreed. 

The legal implications and applicable statutes for me participating in making payments to support known fraudulent activities include : 1. Wire Fraud ( 18 U.S.C. 1343 ) 2. Mail Fraud ( 18 U.S.C. 1341 ) 3. Money Laundering ( 18 U.S.C. 1956 & 1957 ) 4. Federal Trade Commission Act ( 15 U.S.C. 45 ) 5. Bank Secrecy Act ( 31 U.S.C. 5311-5332 ) and Anti-Terrorism Compliance 6. USA PATRIOT Act ( Public Law 107-56, Title III International Money Laundering Abatement and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act of 2001 ) 7. Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ( RICO ) ( 18 U.S.C. 1961-1968 ) 8. False Claims Act ( 31 U.S.C. 3729-3733 ) 9. State Consumer Protection Laws & Unfair Business Practices Acts 10. Uniform Commercial Code ( UCC ) Fraudulent Inducement & Voidable Contracts ( UCC 2-302, 1-201 ( 19 ) ) In addition, XXXX XXXX  did not provide disclosures as mandated under the American Investors Protection Act of 1999.

Company response to consumer: Untimely response