Consumer complaint received 2018-01-31 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Credit card debt
Issue: Written notification about debt — Didn't receive enough information to verify debt
Company: ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC.
State: AL

Complaint narrative:
I HAVE BEEN GOING BACK AND FORTH WIT THIS COMPANY SINCE XXXX OF LAST YEAR.  HEY TRIED TO PIN A XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ACCOUNT ON ME A MONTH BEFORE BUT AFTER NOT BEING ABLE TO VALIDATE THEIR DEBT THEY CLOSED THE ACCOUNT OUT AND CEASED ALL COLLECTION ACTIVITIES. ABOUT A MONTH LATER THEY CAME BACK WITH THIS SAME NONSENSE WITH ANOTHER ACCOUNT. SO SINCE DAY ONE I HAVE BEEN ASKIG FOR COPIES OF APPLICATIONS AND STATEMENTS SHOWING PAYMENTS AND WHERE THEY WERE COMING FROM. THE ONLY THING I RECEIVED WERE SOME LETTERS THAT MIDLAND CLAIMED CAME FROM XXXX XXXX ( NONE HAD MY ADDRESS ON THEM ) AND A FEW STATEMENTS THAT GAVE NO REAL INFORMATION. SO I CONTACTED XXXX XXXX 3 TIMES TO CONFIRM THAT EACH TIME THEY WERE TELLING ME THE SAME THING. WITH THE HELP OF A SUPERVISOR THE ALLEGED ACCOUNT WAS RETRIEVED AND I ASKED THE SUPERVISOR IF THEY HAD SENT THESE LETTERS TO THE PERSON LISTED ON THE LETTER AND SHE ASKED ME IF THEY WERE PRINTED ON XXXX LETTERHEAD AND IF THEY WERE DATED. I ANSWERED HER QUESTIONS AND SHE TOLD ME THAT THEY SENT ONE LETTER AND THAT THEY WOULD NEVER SEND OUT ANY INFORMATION AFTER THE SALE OF AN ACOUNT BECAUSE THEY NO LONGER HAD ANY RESPONSIBILITY TO IT. AHE TOLD ME THAT THE SECOND LETTER DID NOT COME FROM THEM AND IT HAD TO BE SOMETHING THAT MIDLAND WROTE AND USED THEIR LETTERHEAD TO DO IT. SO I CONTACTED MIDLAND AND TOLD THE LADY THAT I NEEDED THEM TO SEND ME ORIGNIAL COPIES AND I ALSO REPEATED TO HER WHAT XXXX XXXX  HAD TOLD ME. SHE WAS NASTY AND SAID THAT SHE COULD NOT SEND ME ANYTHING BECAUSE I HAD A CEASE AND DESIST ON MY ACCOUNT. NOW MIND YOU THAT MY CEASE AND DESIST WAS FOR THEM CALLING ME AND IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM SENDING ME VALIDATION OF THE DEBT. CONTINUED MAKING PHONE CALLS ASKING THEM FOR ORIGNAL DOCUMENTS AND NOT COMPUTER PRINT OUTS ALSO ASKING THEM FOR AN APPLICATION WHICH WOULD LIST PHONE NUMBERS, SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS AND ADDRESSES. BUT THEY REFUSED T SEND IT. SO THINKING I SHOULD TRY AGAIN I CALLED MIDLAND ON TUESDAY XX/XX/2018. ASKED TO BE TRANSFERRED TO CUSTOMER SUPPORT SERVICES I WAS SPEAKING WITH A GUY BY THE NAME OF XXXX XXXX. OR AT LEAST THAT IS THE NAME THAT HE GAVE. SO I TELLS HIM THE STORY ABOUT HOW I HAVE BEEN DISPUTING THIS AND THAT I WENT TO FILE A POLICE REPORT BUT HAD NO INFORMATION BESIDES SOME COMPUTER PRINT OUT OF A FEW STATEMENTS. AND THAT IN ORDER FOR ME TO FILE AN ACCURATE POLICE REPORT I NEEDED THE APPLICATION INFORMATION. BECAUSE SINCE THIS WAS THEIR SECOND TIME BRINGING UP SOME BOGUS ACCOUNT TO ME CLEARLY THERE NEEDED TO BE AN INVESTIGATION. THIS DID NOT GO INTO DISPUTE OR ANY OF THAT. THIS MAN DID NOT EVEN AGREE TO INVESTIGATE THE ISSUE. HE TOLD ME THAT SINCE THEY COULD NOT PRODUCE AN APPLICATION THAT I SHOULD GO ON THE FTC WEBSITE AND FILL OUT AN IDENTITY THEFT REPORT. I ASKED HIM WHY WHEN THEY COULD NOT EVEN PRODUCE A APPLICATION OR ANYTHING THAT HAD A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER OR PHONE NUMBERS OR ADDRESS. BUT BECAUSE THEY CAN NOT VALIDATE AN ALLEGED DEBT THEY WANTED ME TO GO AND FILE A IDENTITY THEFT REPORT. THAT IS NOT RIGHT. XXXX XXXX TOLD ME THAT WHEN THYE SELL OFF AN ACCOUNT THEY SELL OFF EVERYTHING! THAT COMES ALONG WITH THAT ACCOUNT. HE TOLD ME TO NOT ONLY FILE A FALSE REPORT BUT TO HAVE IT NOTARIZED AND SEND IT TO THEM AND THEY WOULD " TAKE CARE '' OF THE ACCOUNT. NOW I AM NOT SURE AS TO WHAT KIND OF GAME THIS COMPNAY IS PLAYING AND HOW MANY PEOPLE THEY HAVE ENCOURAGED TO FILE FALSE REPORTS BUT I AM NOT XXXX  NOR AM I SLOW. THIS COMPANY IS DISGUSTING AND CROOKED. IT IS THEIR JOB AS A DEBT COLLECTOR TO PROVE THEIR DEBT NOT ENCOURAGE CROOKED BUSINESS PRATICES. I HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH MY STATE ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE AND THE FTC AS WEL AS WITH CFPB.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation