Consumer complaint received 2024-09-16 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Medical debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: Merchants & Medical Adjustment Bureau, Inc. dba Credit Bureau Associates
State: GA

Complaint narrative:
XXXX XXXX Credit Bureau Associates of Georgia Re : Formal Dispute & Cease and Desist Regarding Unlawful Reporting and Collection Practices To Whom It May Concern, This letter serves as a formal dispute and complaint against Credit Bureau Associates of Georgia regarding the unlawful and fraudulent reporting of a medical debt under my name. After a thorough review of my credit report on XXXX XXXX, I have found several serious violations that demand immediate correction. 

Credit Bureau Associates of Georgia is currently reporting that you are the original creditor of a medical debt, which is blatantly false. Collection agencies, by law, can not be the original creditorsthis role belongs to the original service provider ( such as a hospital or medical facility ). Furthermore, you are also operating under another name, XXXX and XXXX, and both entities are reporting the same debt, which is highly irregular and illegal under federal law. 

This duplicative reporting and fraudulent claim as the original creditor is not only a violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), but it also violates the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ) and provisions under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ( HIPAA ) regarding the unauthorized sharing of medical information. 

Violations I Demand to be Addressed : 1. Fraudulent Reporting : It is illegal for you to list yourself as the original creditor of this medical debt, as collection agencies can not be original creditors. I demand immediate removal of this false information from my credit reports with all credit bureaus ( XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX ). 
2. Unlawful Double Reporting : Having XXXX separate entitiesCredit Bureau Associates of Georgia and XXXX and XXXXreport the same debt is a deceptive and misleading practice. This appears to be an attempt to fraudulently inflate your claims. I demand that both listings be removed immediately from my credit reports. 
3. HIPAA Violation : In accordance with HIPAA, no medical information should have been transferred to your company without my explicit written consent. I have never provided express authorization for this medical debt to be shared with any third-party collection agency. I am now formally requesting full disclosure of how and when you obtained my personal medical information and whether there was any violation of HIPAA laws in this transfer. 

Legal Action Will Be Taken If You Fail to Comply : If you do not respond appropriately by removing these accounts and providing a full explanation for these illegal practices within the legally required time frame, I will take the following actions : File formal complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ), Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ), and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS ) regarding your unlawful handling of my medical information and fraudulent credit reporting. 
Seek legal representation to file a HIPAA violation lawsuit against your company for mishandling my private medical data without my consent and for violations of both the FCRA and FDCPA. 
Contact my states Attorney General and request an investigation into your deceptive practices, which appear to be designed to fraudulently manipulate my credit report and harass me over this debt. 

This letter also serves as a formal cease and desist request under the FDCPA. You are to immediately stop all collection activities and communications with me, except to provide written documentation validating this debt, as required by law. Failure to do so will result in immediate legal action. 

You have 30 days from the date of this letter to comply with my demands. If you fail to remove this false information and provide me with full debt validation and HIPAA compliance proof, I will have no choice but to pursue all legal remedies available to me. 

I look forward to your prompt response and expect resolution of this matter without further delay.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation