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CB Collection Agencies Afni 404 Brock Dr, Bloomington, IL, 61701, US
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Afni
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Afni

404 Brock Dr, Bloomington, IL, 61701, US
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Afni - alleged phone bill i dont owe

Afni Inc. alleges that i owe ATT $80.00 dollars which afni claims ATT has placed this acc with them for collections.
ABSOLUTE LIE!
After getting a better deal from a local cable company (Time Warner) for a service bundle of cable TV, digital phone service
and high speed internet, i took the offer, which involved transferring the ph service from ATT to cable service comp.
At the time of of transfer acc balance at ATT was $0.00
ATT continued billing me for four month after the transfer. Each month i got in touch with ATT just to hear them telling me
how sorry they are. i should not be concerned with the bills because they are taken care of... EACH moth.. for four months...

After four months, i got tired of playing their game, thinking they would have to get their their heads out of their butts to do
their accounting, i electronically sent them $80.00.
They caught it. within weeks i received an ATT refund check for the amount i sent them with a note saying i must have made a mistake since i didn't owe... etc, (ATT Ref Ck #[protected] amount: $80.00 issue date 07/01 /2008)
Wouldn't one think its done? heh, heh, heh, he... we are dealing with ATT, don't you know...
A month later, i received a collections notice from Money Control, informing me they are collecting for ATT.
I sent them the info i had ck number the date the amount and asked " if i owe money to ATT why are they giving me a refund
after i sent it? which evidently made sense, after checking to see if i am telling them a story or...
A month and a half or so later i received a collection notice from Collection Bureau of America, who bought the bill from
the first dip... Of course they received the same info, the ck number etc... The third came from Bay Area Credit Service LLC
after getting the same info to check and seeing nothing to collect who promptly sold the bill, after harassing me a bit...
to our friends at CBCS. who tagged some more money on the original "debt", and receiving the same info wrote back to tell me
they would settle the "bill" for only $43.50! Now there is a collector with a heart...
That brings us to Afni inc. they did like the others, sent me a collections notice, i sent them the same info, and...
About a week ago i became aware of some changes... on files at credit reporting agencies, Afni alleging that ATT placed the
account for collections with them BUT... WAIT! I am going to post (cut and paste) their email to BBB after I filed a complaint
with them (state attorney of Illinois, state attorney of california where i live, FTYC and bunch of boards as well)

AFNI's reply to BBB/ central Illinois:

This is in response to your letter to Afni, Inc regarding the above referenced matter. We appreciate your assistance in bringing our consumer's concerns to our attention. In that regard,

The communication through the Better Business Bureau, as well as his simultaneous multiple emails to various people within Afni, is the first indication that Mr. Celasun disputes the account, despite an initial notice being mailed to his current address on April 22, 2011. In response, I have requested an investigation and validation to be mailed directly to the consumer. This may take up to 30 days. He is welcome to manage his account online at www.afnicollecitons.com or call a Consumer Relations Specialist at [protected]. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Lisa Anderson
Compliance Manager
Afni, Inc.
404 Brock Drive

OOOOOOO Lisa, Lisa, Lisa... How did that go again? "on or about March 2001, AT&T notified Afni the above referenced account remained due and owing from Mr. Celasun. This account was established on March 1, 2008 and was considered delinquent by the creditor on October 24, 2008. The service address for the account was his still-current address.

Looks like Afni is a tat confused... how, just how did ATT deemed appropriate to contact Afni "on or about March 2001
an acc established on October 24 2008?

See, people what i have to deal with...?
When I got the wind of it they are claiming i owe money to ATT but should pay them... but weren't too pleased with the info,
a particulars of refund check, etc. and in retaliation flagging my credit files with "collections" notices... as I mentioned above,
with the State Attorney's Office, California, State Attorney's Office Illinois, FTC What they are trying to do is legal? HAH! They are claiming ATT referred the alleged acc at alleged amount TO AFNI on 2011. ( like they contacted afni "on or about year 2001 for an acc established 2008) Total falsification of records which i have copies of. See what they are trying to do? By claiming without shred of evidence ATT placed the said bill with Afni.
I am an old man. i am deaf cannot use phone for voice communication. I have worked hard to stay on top of bills THEIRS
IS THE ONLY COLLECTIONS NOTICE ON MY FILES AT CREDIT REPORTING AGENCIES...EVER!
I will pursue this matter, will post for all to see what they are about.

Thank you.

for collections (ATT DID NOT. They placed it with "Money Control" ) they are trying to extend the life of the alleged debt.

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yoitsbill
Marietta, US
Feb 10, 2009 8:51 am EST

AFNI Inc has reported a negative Claim on my Equifax Report that was disputed and resolved in 2004. I have to go through another round of phone call to try my time & patience

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Nancy
, US
Dec 15, 2008 9:27 am EST

I just received a collection notice for an alleged phone bill from QWEST. This is a totally bogus collection attempt for a phone number from 7 years ago. I have read other such postings on this site. How can these people get by with this? I'll be checking my credit reports and if this is posted on them, will write to get it removed.

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lacey nala
846 n milford, US
Feb 21, 2011 11:32 am EST
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sent a cellphone bill in my name i have never had t mobile in my name we have had t mobile for 10 years but in my wifes name so they sure didn't do there homework on this before they tried. talked to t mobile they said we owe nothing can someone do something about this company this is ridicules.

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Faith1103
Florence, US
Feb 20, 2011 3:00 am EST

I have received a collection notice from this company stating that I have a balance of $810.00 with T-Mobile ...which I have NEVER had service with this company, then I try 2 look at account online & see I am not the only 1 this has happen 2, can not call until Monday! This must be some scam people has came up with...

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kyliebling
murray, US
May 27, 2010 3:59 pm EDT

showed up on all three credit reports reporting that I owe a bill to charter that I am completely in disagreement with as to that i owe

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rufusana
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Jun 02, 2008 2:29 pm EDT

It happened to me today. Got a "collection notice" on a MCI account I never had. After reading all your stories here, I have filed a complaint with the BBB. Suggest you do the same.

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Andrew Smith
,
Mar 26, 2008 11:48 am EDT

Afni trying to collect on supposed 6 year old unpaid Verizon bill from New York. I have never lived outside California and have never had any other credit problems. Seems they think that by keeping the number low ($60.02) we will just pay up to make it go away.

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kathleen downey
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Jun 15, 2007 12:00 am EDT

They are seeking money for a phone bill dating back to 1996. They are very pushy on the phone. I do not understand the years of limitation. I thought it was seven years.

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Mike Jones
,
Mar 15, 2008 8:36 pm EDT

I do not have a Verizon account and they say I owe $ 400. It is a scam.

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Christine
,
Oct 31, 2007 12:00 am EDT

afni inc is sending me a collection bill for service I never had with verizon

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Afni - forgery

I am a forgery victim in the state of california for forgery with a bill I cannot clear out of my credit report with t-mobile for 389.04. I have filed a complaint with the ftc and sent in appriopiate paperwork incuding a police report and filed affidavits with this organization. Over 80% of the case has been cleared including the credit report. The case started in 2003 with 2 final bills left to clear out . I am fond of the company's but not the situation.

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Afni - I think this is a scam!

I have received a paper in the mail from Afni Inc stating that I have a balance due totaling $214.70. It states that the original collector is Contel of the South Inc and this is their attempt to collect a past debt. They are offering that if I pay half they will consider my account settled. It says that the disconnected phone number the balance is attached to is [protected]. I don't have that number nor do I ever recall having that number in the past. I have never even heard of Contel of the South Inc. I am afraid that this is a scam. I tried to call the number they gave me on the letter and the options the automated person gave me are check your balance, pay your balance, and speak to a representative. I tried to speak to a rep however I waited on the line in silence for over ten minutes without anyone responding. I have looked a little bit online to find a lot of other people with the same exact problem. I have found that this is affecting people's credit and I sincerely hope that you can help before it affects to many more!

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Afni - Suspicious Settlment Offer

I have been contacted by this "company" and offered a settlement of half of the bill (200.76, asked to pay 11.38) that I owed for Verizon North Inc. Smells fishy since this is NOT the collection agency that was dealing with this (true) debt. (my sister was divorced and I got her a phone in my name and she honestly forgot to pay the bill when she moved again) and we had no idea about this debt until I was attempting to buy my house and checked my credit report and I contacted Verizon MYSELF to get this debt resolved and they sent me to their collection agency, which was NOT AFNI!

I recieved this settlement offer from AFNI on 7/7/2009 and I was staying with friends at the time and it came to their address in my name, how they got that information, I have no clue. I did not move into my new house until 7/14/2009 so this was fishy from the start.

We got our tax returns so I was settling debt and when tried to go to the website listed on the collection it didn't exist, and upon a google search I found this site, and thank goodness!

BE CAREFUL out there!

I hope people do realize that by law a company cannot attempt to collect a debt that is over 7 years old. If you are being billed for a debt that is older than that, the most likely scenario is that it is fraud.

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Update by consumeroftheworld
Feb 05, 2010 6:12 am EST

just wanted to also add that it seems that when you contact Verizon about a bill you owe in collection they tell you to go directly to the agency you got a notice from, that they cannot handle it any longer, it seems this is what makes Verizon such an oft-used guise for this fraudulent company. They count on Verizon not actually discussing this with you and you have to take AFNI's word for it...I hope more people read these complaints.

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George W.
Potsdam, US
Mar 29, 2010 12:41 pm EDT

same deal, AFNI has harrased me for over a year on an amount I had paid Verizon, and Verizon credited me on my phone bill by not owing for like 6 months. Now afni offers a settlement amount of 50% of original bill. I am thankful for this site, as I just sat down, with tax return to settle some debts, I stumbled upon this site. I never called Verizon to check validity, I was just going to pay to clear things up. Now, afni can kiss my ###! If there are this many complaints, where is BBB, or fcc, or some government agency to stop this fraud, or are they behind it all?

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Afni - ripoff - fraud

These people lie! Why aren't these people stopped? They said I owed AT&T or Bellsouth 74.31 from an account in 2003. I have NEVER had a phone company account in my name for AT&T, Bellsouth or any other company.

The interesting thing is that they said they would "settle" the account for $25.00. How many unsuspecting people would think maybe I should just pay this so I won't have to worry... it's only $25.

Well, $25 here and $25 there adds up quickly and easily become $1000's and that falls into the felony range. Why isn't law enforcement doing something? Judging by the other complaints I'm obviously not the first!

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Afni - Bogus charges

They sent us a collection notice for $246.77 original creditor being Verizon California. Well the strange thing is the bill came on my wife and her ex husband name to our address which is located over 2500 miles away. They mentioned that the account is for a phone number which my wife never had before, and she lived in Redondo Beach, which is not true...

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Afni - Collection bill for phone service

My name is Kimberly Utz and the collections letter that we had recievced was in my 14 years old son's name. His name is Nathaniel Moore, but they have it spelled Nathanial Moore. I looked up the phone number on switchboard and it is a active number and I also called the number and the answering machine came on and it said to leave a message for Bennits. the collection letter said that the number had been disconnected for some time. And switchboard said that the number was a landline number and was under Verizon company. The number disconnected is [protected] and that number is in Madison, Indiana and we live in Carrollton, Ky. We have lived here since 1996. Nathaniel was born in Madison but we moved by to Carrollton when he was 8 months old. He was born in 1995. If you need anymore information please called me @ [protected] or [protected].
Thank you very much and please help,
Kimberly Utz and Nathaniel Moore

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Afni - Wireless Cellular

I received a collections letter stating that I owe T-Mobile $690.04 and that I need to pay or else they will report me to the Credit Bureau. I knew immediately this was bogus because I have been a client of another wireless provider for the past more than 10 years and I have never been remissed on payment of bills. Should I even bother to respond to this?

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Afni - alleged overdue bill

My name is Victoria A Morgan. I have not had an account with Sprint PCS since 2005. I at that time was n ot the primary account holder. The Bill was paid in full in 2005. We have our receipts. Any further harrassment in reguards to this SCAM of Afni Collections will result in a bitter lawsuit, inwhich you Afni Inc. will lose. I have already contacted the Attorney Generals Office in both states, Illinois and California. Any other contact with me other than a letter of apology, again as ststed above will result in a lawsuit. Thank You for Time, Victoria A Morgan phone number [protected]

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Nessa01
, US
Nov 02, 2009 2:15 am EST

I received a bill from AFNI for a Verizon bill for $201.44 but settling for $25.00 that is a big difference. My bill does not even mention a phone number that the bill is for. So how am I suppose to know if I owe this bill or not. I was planning on paying the bill but decided to look up the website and found all these complaints about AFNI. Now I am not going to pay this bill. Maybe if it showed what phone number I owe for I would recognize the number but nothing!

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salixo
Johnstown, US
Aug 27, 2009 3:51 pm EDT

i received a bill today from afnicollections for a bill of 200.00 for a phone that we did not have for over 24 years. i called verizon and they said the phone bill was sold to someone . they gave me a number to call and it was the collection agency that send me the bill. why would anyone send a bill that is due for over 24 years. i call the number and the women said if i pay 50.00 the bill would be forgiven. she wanted me to give her my checking account over the phone. i told her i will be seeing a lawyer about this and she wanted the name. i told her he will get in touch with her company. this is faurd if i ever heard of faurd . my son is a policeman and he will check into this.

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Afni - Scam Debt Collector

I received a bill from them from 2017 for 35.00. I sent them a letter like this one http://www.creditinfocenter.com/forms/sampleletter9.txte5c
In return I got a letter from them telling me they made a mistake and they will take no further action. It was all very simple and cost me about $5 to sent the letter return receipt request. I realize I was lucky they only wanted $35.00 from me. I almost paid them just to get rid of them. It was all very simple in the end. And I filed a complaint with my State Attorney General and the FTC. By law you have 30 days to dispute any charges. The only way to keep the rats in the sewer where they belong is to fight back.

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Joseph Hayse
,
Jul 20, 2007 12:00 am EDT

My wife received a notice of collections for an Alltel bill from this Afni collections agency for nearly $800 for some cell phone service I was supposed to have had. I HAVE NEVER USED ALLTEL in the 10 years I have been using cellular phone connections. This has got to be some sort of fraud scheme going on. I recently received a loan to have a home built, pay ALL my bills on time and then some, and take great pride in my AAA credit history. I have never heard of or seen or have ever received anything from Alltel EVER. What the heck is going on Afni? Also, the day after my wife received the notice I called the toll free 866 # to dispute this matter; the number would not go through. Some sort of funny business you guys got going Afni. I am currently serving in Iraq and if this matter is going to go further Afni will be hearing from my JAG officer faster than they can accuse me twice of owing Alltel one red cent!

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Robenson Joseph
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Aug 03, 2007 12:00 am EDT

Received collection letters from AFNI regarding Verizon telephone service for multiple accounts dated from 1994 to 1998. I really doubt the authenticity of the charges since common sense business practices would not allow a customer to open successive account while carrying balances from previous accounts. I can't understand how Verizon would open a new account for an individual while have an unpaid balance from a previous account.

I'm afraid this is a scam!

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Lisa Benites
,
Aug 11, 2007 12:00 am EDT

I think I have everyone beat. This company sent me a letter saying that I owe Verizon $944.84. Here is the funny part, I lived in NY about 25 years ago and never had a phone because I moved out my mothers home to NJ and had a phone under my married name. If anyone finds a lawyer that is interested in suing these ### for doing something like this PLEASE post it.

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Kristin
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Mar 13, 2007 12:00 am EDT

I didn't even get a letter from Afni. I just found their entry on my credit report last year. It was for a piddly $39 on a cable bill that I had paid in full to another collection agency 2 years before. They never sent me any documentation on the debt, just a letter saying it was verified. To make matters worse, the cable company was bought out by a different company several years ago. I contested it on my credit report just recently and got a letter saying that it had been verified with the agency. So now that it's on my credit, how do I get it off? I'm so glad I googled Afni tonight. I haven't found a single positive thing about them and I'm really glad to find that this is just a scam.

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Melissa Kleckner
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May 18, 2007 12:00 am EDT

I received a collection notice from Afni stating that I owe over $700 for a Verizon bill I had in NYC over 7 years ago. I had dealt with Verizon directly on this matter when I first received the bill from them. The statute of limitations is up on this bogus debt. When I explained that to the Afni rep. he said there was "no such thing" as a statute of limitations. They are obviously a scavenger debt collector. I will not have my good credit ruined by these thieves!

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Chris Ridenour
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Oct 29, 2007 12:00 am EDT

hi, i have noticed that alot of people have the same problem as i do. afni says i owe a 191.00 charter cable bill from 2017 in a different city than i live in South Carolina and have turn it in to the 3 credit reporting agencies. i have never done business with charter cable, never lived in that city and they don't even have my correct name. it is for a Christine Smith, which i have never heard of? i have contacted them numerous times and gotton the run around. i have sent certified letter, contacted the BBB and the Attorney Generals office of Illinois and they refused to believe me and say that afni has verified the debt as mine? go figure?
what do i need to do next? i have always paid my bills on time and did have excellent credit now this mess! i have spent months trying to get some help with this. any advice appreciated...thanks

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Teresa Martinez
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Jul 25, 2007 12:00 am EDT

I received a Collection Notice from Afni, Inc. on 6/29/07 saying that I owed Verizon California Inc. $268.43 on a phone number that I had 10 years ago. So I called them and they told me that my Verizon account had been turned over to them for collection. My first thought was to pay the amount owed or at least a settlement amount, as I did not want this to reflect on my credit. After some thought I asked AFNI, to send me proof/validation that I did owe this account to Verizon, and they told me they would be the end of July. I did not get proof from them, instead I received another letter dated 7/17/07, asking for payment again. This time I decided to call Verizon and have them check their records for any amounts outstanding that I may have owed them. They could not find any records of any amounts I owed them. They told me to call AFNI, back and speak to the Verizon liasion, which I did call them and they told me anyone could help me and that the Verizon person there is for cell phones only and not land line phones. I know now that I do not owe this money after reading other complaints filed on behalf of this Company, they were just trying to see how much money they could get from me. I am glad now that I did not send them any money. I am going to write that letter to them, disputing this debt that I found on this complaint board.

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mtostenson
Omaha, US
Jul 01, 2010 2:04 pm EDT

These people call us non-stop all day long, 10, maybe 12 times a day. They tell my husband he owes for service he had with a cellular carrier, Alltel. They kept telling him he owed for this service, several hundred dollars, but he never had an Alltel account except back when they had the unlimited service and you pay as you go with that, you don't pay, you don't have service, you would never get the chance to have a bill that high, or a bill at all cause you had to pay first if you wanted service. That is the ONLY account him or I ever had through that company. This Afni Company (if they are even a legitimate company) is constantly harassing us by phone, yet we have NEVER received any kind of correspondence by mail from them. they have tried to talk my husband into a "Sell your soul to the devil" offer on several occasions, and have attempted to obtain his banking information this way...you know, "if you pay us x amount right now we will forgive the entire debt" and when that didn't work, they want to throw threats out there of being sued, etc... This has to STOP. Last I knew it was illegal to harass people, any people, anywhere. Please help.

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William R Sutton Jr
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Jul 24, 2007 12:00 am EDT

My daughter had an account with Cingular many years ago, which, after the telephone stopped working, she canceled and went with another company. In addition, at that time, she was a minor. This happened over 5 years ago. Mysteriously, Cingular has no record of the cancellation and has turned the account over to AFNI which has started harassing her for a payment in excess of $450.00, which she does not owe. They even lied to her, saying she had made a payment on the account within the past year or so, knowing that the collection, if valid, would be barred by the statute of limitations. Despite repeated demands for some type of verification and itemization, all requests have been ignored. I would like to hear from anyone else that has had problems with this company, as I am gathering information for a formal complaint with the Florida Attorney General's Office for investigation.

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Marana, AZ
Marana, US
Jul 09, 2007 12:00 am EDT

I just received a bill from afni, saying that I owe verizon of Ca. $249.00. I have never lived in Ca. Afni has now determined that I have lived there because my name and SS# was used on the account. The operator keeps says "how would you like to pay this?"

OMG, what a fraud...

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Afni - Zombie Debt

Buying "zombie" and "false" debt from AT&T, MCI, and AT&T Mobility! We also need to file complaints with the companies that are selling our information! Accordiing the the FBI's definition of money laundering, these cases would seem to apply, here, because most of the monies they are collecting are NOT going to the original companies to begin with! Check it out on the FBI's website! Also I've reported the companies that have sold our information to the Attorney General's Office, Georgia State Consumer Protection Agency, The Governor of Georgia, and to Peter King, director of Homeland Security. Who knows who and where OUR information is being sold to! This is real scary! I've also e-mailed Nancy Polski, Speaker of the House, demanding that something be done about this! I would highly suggest we all take similar action! It may help change things to help secure our personal information! Good Luck everyone, our country is going where, and what's with the handbasket?
Katrina
Macon, GA

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Afni - fraudulant charges/collections

I recently received a letter from a collection agency called afnicollections stating that I owe an outrageous amount of $893.65. Now I know for damn sure I don't owe any money to any phone company in any amount. I tried calling this company to find out about these allegations, but could not get through. After trying to call this number all day, I decided to go to this website to see how else I could get through. after seeing all these complaints of fraud charges/collections I am convinced that this letter is bogus. shut these guys down!

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emerald24
Kewanee, US
Jan 30, 2012 9:23 pm EST

We just received a bill in the mail stating we owe money for a telephone bill from a carrier we never had, nor ever had that telephone number . We had recently moved, so wondering if that somehow triggered scam in the mail . Hopefully, others do not send people money and realize it's a scam collection. I notice other complaints have been a few years, so they must have started back up.

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wendy
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Nov 06, 2008 1:45 pm EST

I CALLED THEM ASKING WHY I OWE $145.42, THEY SAID ITS A PHONE BILL WHEN I USE TO LIVE IN COLORADO, BUT I NEVER LIVED IN COLORADO. THEY SAID I NEED TO PAY THIS BILL.

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gergana
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Nov 24, 2008 7:43 pm EST

attempt to collect money on nonexisting verizon account

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Mallory Johnson
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Dec 01, 2008 11:27 pm EST

I am so glad I looked this number up, b/c I got a bill in the mail for my husband saying he owes money, for QWEST...for some phone number, but I'm pretty sure that the phone he had there was not in his name, even though they had the phone, I am almost positive it wasn't in his name, because his mom put everything in her name. Sooo...this was when he was in college. Had I not looked this up, I would have called, and probably believed them, because my husband is in Iraq.

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Laurie
Haslet, US
Nov 25, 2008 7:48 am EST
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www.budhibbs.com

learn about AFNI and how to fight them

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Michael
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Nov 19, 2008 4:53 pm EST

I also received a bill for a BOGUS amount of money for a past due bill from a "phone company" that I have NEVER used. 8 years old. Unfortunatly, I gave up important information that I shouldn't have never given up. 'THEY' have too much correct info. to think it's not real. These people are wrong, and should be investigated before any additional info. is given up. I closed out all of my exsisting accounts with currant companies and was forced to change everything. Ironically, I have family in law enforcement in Illinois. We may never know the out come, but it's a start.

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bajaskier
Fond du Lac, US
Nov 06, 2008 1:53 pm EST
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It's a running scam as you see by the other comments. Ignore them or take them to small claims court and collect triple damages for harrassment.

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4:30 am EDT
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Afni - Scam and rip off

Wow! I really thought I was alone with my AFNI issues until I see all these reports. I've been monitoring my credit reports almost weekly for the past several months due to being on a contract to buy a new home. Back in March I see a collections account reported by Afni on my credit reports, which I have no clue on. Never even got a letter until weeks later, stating that I owed them something and I had 30 days to dispute or it would be put on my credit reports. THEY ALREADY HAD IT ON MY CREDIT REPORT before the date listed on the letter. So I write them a certified letter requesting to validate the debt before the 30 days... no response. I still give these idiots 2 more months and send them a second letter... NOTHING... I again send a 3rd letter 2 more months later and of course NOTHING. I disputed this account to the credit bureaus and it came back as verified. I am now getting ready to send a letter to the credit bureaus to request which methods they used to verify this bogus account and I am sending them proof of all the letters I have sent to AFNI. This is outrageous that these people can get away with this. I am about to loose my house because this is not getting resolved. But rest assured that if that happens I am filling a charges.

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5:42 pm EDT

Afni - cingular

What is it with CINGULAR I just got a bill from this collection saying I owe Cigular $65.95 but, afni Balance due $75.84. I had Cigular about 8 years ago I had settled out. Then year later a different collection angcy saying I owed them money it seem every year or so collections are saying I owe them money which now AT&T own them now. I;m getting really tired of these collections. The bad thing about this they like to wait a few years and scare you then you can't find your proof cause it was missed placed then when you call the company you had paid to the can't open your file. How can you put, a stop to this hassle? Thanks, Paula

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6:52 pm EDT

Afni - False info on credit report

I was contacted by Identity Guard Service about a change in my credit report. They gave me the info on the company giving the change along with their phone number to reach them. When I called Afni the recording tells you that they are a collection agency and they are looking for info on a debt. When I got to a real person she was very nice but was looking for info on me. I gave her the number I had gotten for an account from Identity guard but she said it was not the hole number. Told her it said I owe $447.00 to a Factoring company, no other name. I had given her my name, address, old address and again she wanted my social security number. They had nothing on their computer about me. I asked how you can put something on my account without knowing who I am. I told her I had very good credit and it looks like a scam to get money from anyone that they want to by putting something on their credit report to make it look bad. Now she tells me to contact Equifax to get the right number with my credit report. I received the report Afni did put it my report. I called Afni gave the man my name and the account number on from the credit report an was told it is not the right number again an to call Equifax back to find the right number. He again tried to find me in their computers file but still could not find my name. He was helpful in checking but nothing was found.

I called Equifax an talked to a woman there. Gave her the confirmation number of the report they sent me and she checked my credit report. Nothing from Afin, Inc was there now. They had removed it from my record.

This company, Afni, Inc, looks to out to make you jump through hoops or pay them money for nothing.

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SASSY77
, US
Aug 10, 2016 5:45 am EDT

I GOT TWO LETTER FROM AFNI INC FROM BLOOMINGTON IL. SAYING I OWED 162.66 FROM DIRECTV I HAVE NEVER HAD DIRECTV IN MY NAME BEFORE AND NOT TO LONG A GO THEY SEND ME ONE SAYING I OWED VERIZON NORTH FOR 467.98 I MOVED BACK TO TENN. AND THEY SEND ME A CHECK FOR THE DIFFERENCE SO I NO THEY DONT NEED MY MONEY AND A NOTHER THING IS THEY SAID THEY WOULD SETTLED FOR 25.00 ON THE PHONE BILL AND I TRYED TO EMAIL MAIL THEM AND I COULDNT GET ANYWHERE WITH IT SO WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT IM NOT SENDING THEM MONEY SPECAILY AFTER I READ ALL THIS ON THIS PAGE I ALMOST DID SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE OH YEAH I FORGOT I HAD A DIFFERENT LAST NAME AT THE TIME TOO SO THERE NO WAY THIS IS MY BILLS WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS MADDER .

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Hector Fernandez
, US
Aug 10, 2016 5:45 am EDT

Received a bogus bill from this people, just like many others, asking for 50% settlement on a debt of $301.30 with Verizon Virginia, with a disconnected phone number that is invalid. Never been a customer of Verizon nor I live in Virginia or in the area ( resident of Florida). Called company and they gave me the last 4 four digits of my social security which was incorrect, immediately (spoke with Jerry) they told me they would correct account. For the record, I called Verizon and they were not cooperative (account verification department) after keeping in the line for few minutes checking my account, they told me my files were no long there, that they were sold to the collection agency (suspicious too!)... I am writing this to alert others, do not pay their bills!

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fedup
Chicago, US
Aug 10, 2016 5:45 am EDT

I just recieved a letter from Afni Inc, saying that they want to give me a offer settlement. The bill is orginally from $2995.00 but they want to offer me a settled amout of 1457.00. Who are these people. i've never had a ATT cell phone bill. Before SBC bought ATT and changed their name to ATT rather than SBC, I shunned away from ATT because I didnt' like thier products.

And for them to send me this letter, i returned the letter to them, telling them I never had an cell phone account with them.

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12:22 am EDT

Afni - Afni Inc.

Hello all,

Any suggestions for what I should include in my second response letter to Afni?

Here is all my info:

Around 2/11/2008 I received a Collection Notice from Afni, Inc. (PO Box 3427, Bloomington, IL [protected]).

They were asking for $81.11 from Verizon Select Services. Inc. This was for a phone number that I have not had since around 2000, which was closed and paid off at the time.

Research online immediately revealed a volume of complaints of fraudulent bills from Afni.

I didn't bother to call them. I wrote a letter saying the following:

1) I dispute the validity of the debt.
2) I've never had an account with Verizon nor have I ever been contacted to pay any sort of balance with them
3) The FTC and Fair Debt Collections Practices Act prohibit debt collection by a third party after statute of limitations (4 years in California, 5 years in Illinois, where I used to reside). Therefore, this debt cannot be legally be requested or reported to credit reporting agencies.
4) I request immediate cease and desist of all contact with me unless the original creditor has contacted me first with a certifited letter.
5) Afni must file a letter with all credit agencies that I have disputed the claim of this billing

In retrospect, I should have just disputed the validity of the debt, cited the statute of limitations and requested a cease and desist - Best NEVER to even remotely imply you'd be willing to pay bill.

Also, I CC'ed the VP of Afni Inc, the Attorney Generals for Illinois and California, and the Federal Trade Commission in DC.

---

About 11 days later, I received the following curious response:

"This letter is to inform you that in accordance with 15 USC 1692c(c) we are acknowledging your request to cease communication with you regarding this debt.

Per your request, we have validated the account with the original creditor, including account number and balance due. The name of the original creditor is Verizon. The original creditor's address is 1135 E. Chocolate Ave, Hershey, PA 18033.

This letter is from a debt collector. Consumers have the right to inspect their credit.

Afni, Inc.
404 Brock Drive
PO Box 3427
Bloomington, IL [protected]"

...ALSO included was an empty, blank return envelope, and a "bill" dated April 16, 1999.

...The "bill" said the following:

"05483- BILLING FOR GTE LONG DISTANCE
COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES
BILLING FOR GTE LONG DISTANCE
ADDING AND CHANGING SERVICE
[protected]
SERVICES PREVIOUSLY BILLED BUT NOT USED
GTELD INTOUCH 24 DAYS @ 3.00/MO 2.40-FS Q
0407
CUSTOMER SERVICE REMOVAL ORDER [protected]
GTELD INTOUCH CREDIT 24 DAYS @ 3.00/MO 2.4 FS Q
SUBTOTAL .00
TOTAL .00
TOTAL FOR GTE LONG DISTANCE CHARGES .00

--

I laughed when I saw this. They say they "acknowledge" the FDCPA (which I had cited in my letter). Yet they won't say "we made a mistake, never mind" (hey, ya never know...). Instead, they still vaguely slip in a bill, hoping that I'll still pay them - which I will not.

I'm not sure what entirely to make of this "bill" - anyone can fabricate a bill. And this one seems intentionally confusing - it says I owe total ".00" and yet my final bill is $81.11...?

So now, I have to write them back a second time and reiterate that they can't ask for collection on this "bill", per statute of limitations, and they must cease contact with me and confirm that my account is closed.

------> Does anyone out there have any suggestions for other things to include in my reponse? Thanks for your prompt insights.

I have no doubt that I am obliged to pay such a fraudulent balance and that I'm protected by the law. I've pulled all three of credit agencies of my report and they are all perfect, with nothing reported from Afni. So far, the most annoying thing has been the giant waste of time.

Good luck to you all!

Susan
Los Angeles

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8:19 pm EDT
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Afni - Harassment!

I received 3 letters from this so called collection agency. I was a fraud victim in the pass since 1994. I explain to them that I did not open these account with some telephone company back in the 90, I indicated to them that I can proof my address in last 15 years, does not match there records. They harassed me, so I paid for one account, just so I can get them off my back. Now I received another one. Which they told me I could dispute the account by there so called Website, which I thought I did. Now I happen to read the comments from your web site and I am wondering are they fraud as well. I need for some one to help with this, I have been trying to clean up my credit from the pass fraud problem. Now this company is trying to collect something from the las 12years. I NEED TO KNOW IS THIS LEGAL.

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Imani
,
Aug 08, 2008 4:31 pm EDT

Not if the debt isn't yours! And that is exactly the situation in almost all of these cases. I've reported Afni to the BBB and Attorney General in several states. Let's see who wins when an unethical/bogus company tries to extort money from innocent people. Hope you enjoy working for them and that you don't have too much trouble looking at yourself in the mirror each morning.

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nicole
,
Apr 22, 2008 8:21 pm EDT

you can collect on a debt as long as it is owed. you cannot place the account to the credit bureaus seven years after the debt is closed. for example serviced opened 04/22/2000 to 04/22/2008 by the acct being closed in 2008 which is one year passed the seven year mark this will not be placed on your credit report. but the debt is still owed because if you didn't pay, that would be stealing service ...wouldn't you think?

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