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Afni

Afni review: Bogus charges 6

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9:08 pm EDT
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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 either. They are using a phone number which my wife never had before, placed her in a city she never even visited before, collecting in 2009 a bill from 2001!
Hey! That is a lot of mismatch! When you will try to call them they are making you feel guilty! So do not fall for that. Is their way to convince that the lie which are trying to push on you is true.
I had a similar experience for myself with a company in TX but after I took them to their local BBB they stopped their letters to me. I hope that will work with this strange situation in here too!

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6 comments
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Nikisha Allmond
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Jun 03, 2016 8:07 am EDT

I just got my bill in the mail from AFNI claiming that I owe them $400 for a Bell Atlantic bill from 1998. I called AFNI and the first gentleman was very rude to me. I told him that I was never going to pay for a bill that Bell Atlantic or Verizon had never sent directly to me and that i would need to confirm it with Verizon first. The man then told me that it needed to be paid and that he would write it down and unwilling to pay.

I just recently called them back and another gentleman, very nice man, said that because it was so old that they would reduce it by half to about $200.00. He also mentioned the name of an ex-boyfriend of mine was also apparently on the account as well. I told them I would call them back on Friday after I talked to me ex.

I called Verizon Communication to ask them about this and, sure enough, I was told that they sold everything about my account to AFNI. So Verizon has no record of my account and has no information about it. I was told that Verizon Communications only holds on to accounts as far back as 7 years. All accounts before that have been sold to AFNI to collect on, along with any information associated with those accounts. I think Verizon needs to rethink their practices. How hard is it to at least keep a record of the customers name and how much they do in fact owe for the account.

So it does seem legit and, unfortunately, we will have to pay for it.

It still seems a bit fishy to me but at least they brought the amount down to something affordable.

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ORRISshaun
Columbus, US
Mar 05, 2010 4:52 pm EST

Hello America. Welcome to my written statement. I am Shaun Orris, a former professional debt collector from various agencies and law firms from Milwaukee and Denver, such as Van Ru Credit & Omni Credit of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Brookfield, WI to be exact). Van Ru is based in Skokie, IL. In Denver it was Creditors Interchange of Buffalo, NY, dba Creditors Financial Group, Aurora, Colorado; as well as P. Scott Lowery Law Offices of Aurora, Colorado; PRS of Denver; Asset Acquisition of Aurora; TruLogic Financial of Denver Tech Center, Englewood, Colorado; and Machol and Johannes Law Firm c/o OptionCard, Denver. I either quit or was fired by all I detailed here. AFNI, Inc. purchases debt. Their dunning notice implying they will mail a copy of a judgment should a demand for debt validation be requested VIOLATES FDCPA and State Laws. Also, they purchase debt from the criminal enterprise Qwest Communications of Denver, which as a matter of business for their bottom line, sells debt which was paid to AFNI, Inc. knowingly for the purpose of extorting money from uninformed consumers who are threatened by the implication of legal action for a judgment or being reported to CBR as bad debt in collections. Do the following: call, then write, that they cease and desist from all collections activity, put on notice to never call home or work and to PROVE THE DEBT WITHIN 30 DAYS PER FDCPA AND STATE LAWS. After the initial call which you must refuse to provide SSN and/or birth date (do give name and address and account numbers on their illegal dunning notice). Document the names and ID#'s of AFNI employees (they are coward and refuse last names, unlike Creditors Interchange). Their letter does not require this information, why give it over the phone? After you have advised that their debt is extortion from a paid or invalid account, proceed to file a public record with your state's attorney general's office for consumer complaints. Their dunning notice violates FDCPA, and the debt is conspiracy to extort money from American consumers. Remember they PURCHASED the debt, and it was so cheap it is unlikely they can prove the debt because they don't have the necessary documents to prove it. Always save receipts for money orders, cashier's checks, wire transfers, and the best receipt, your Checking Account of which you used your debit card to pay the debt from the original creditor which has now committed conspiracy to commit fraud by lying that you the consumer failed to pay your debt. With this ammunition, proceed immediately to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office of your state, and mail or fax the dunning notice from AFNI, Inc., and when the AG requires it, your proof of payment from your checking account. If you are not smart and do not save your bank statements, then pay the fee from your bank to prove you paid and provide this to the Attorney General's Office when asked. DO NOT GIVE TO AFNI! They will use the checking account information with routing number to falsify a "check over the phone payment for the balance in full" and lie and document you authorized this over the phone, a call which you did not make. When you attack these crooks, tell them ORRIS has your back, and that they should either pay you $5000 to shut up, or else you will retaliate with an AG (Attorney General) complaint. If you can get them to pay you, do not cash the check, but instead provide to the AG as proof they are aware of their criminal enterprise because they tried to buy your silence. Accepting the bribe is a CRIME. America, this is how you fight back. And, don't stop with the AG. Provide your proof to the Senators of your state, because this is what WASHINGTON DC needs to totally destroy this evil system of conspiracy to extort and FRAUD. Today is the day the American People fought back and sent the wicked to the FEMA camps ! ! !

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leowrite
Rockford, US
Nov 20, 2009 2:19 pm EST

Afni has made a fortune by lying to consumers and reporting bogus debts to the credit bureaus. There is nothing in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) that states any consumer is obligated to provide that type information to a debt collector. The burden of proof rests solely on them and it is obvious that by sending out such a form letter, that Afni is blind to the debts they collect. A check of Pacer, for on-line federal lawsuits shows more than 165 suits where Afni is named. This does not begin to count the possibly hundreds filed in various state courts. You do not want to provide Afni with any information other than your name, address and reference numbers to the account they are attempting to collect. You should immediately dispute it with the credit bureaus as not my account so they cannot claim they were not aware of your dispute. The owner of Afni is Lisa A. Anderson, of Bloomington, IL. Our information is that she has very deep pockets and is capable of still paying off lawsuits. I strongly urge anyone dealing with Afni to consider legal actions on these bogus accounts. The very capable attorneys from www.myfaircredit.com have the ability to hold them liable for credit bureau reporting. You could receive compensation if they are successful in suing Afni as the law allows $1, 000.00 in compensation. You could also have your attorney fees paid, so it is worthwhile to at least consult with a consumer law professional. Does Lisa Anderson allow her company to extort money from innocent consumers by credit bureau placement? Let the law work for you by going after Afni and holding them accountable for their actions. This is a scam-gone way out of control. Te laws need to be changed so that Afni's are not allowed to screw consumers with their lies and phony reporting. Go after them, make her pay!

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Don Born
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Jun 03, 2016 8:07 am EDT

I did nothing after calling and complaining to both AFNI and Verizon and now I'm screwed. The amount was only $37.00 but it was the principal. They just reported it on my credit and my credit score dropped nearly 100 points. Over $37 bucks! I still wont pay it but it's going to take me a long time to clean this crap up.

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lisa
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Jun 03, 2016 8:07 am EDT

I am yet another victim of this bogus so called company. They sent me a letter stating that I owed $146.10 but would settle for $73.10...from a Verizon Phone opened in [protected] in California. I have never lived in Cali or visited this state. I called the Federal Trade Comission filed a report, sent a dispute letter to AFNI my next steps will be determined when I find out what AFNI is going to do with this...DON'T PAY...if you didn't open it DON'T PAY...that is how they are making their money. They are getting through to some of us but not the smart ones. I have excellent credit and will fight to the end to protect my good decisions that I have made over the years. It is a shame ! Good luck to you all...!

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OKLA COOMBS
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Jun 03, 2016 8:07 am EDT

DON'T PAY IT, IT IS PAST THE STATUE OF LIMITATIONS . THESE PEOPLE MAKE MONEY BUYING OLD UNCOLLECTABLE ACCOUNTS AND CONVINCING PEOPLE THEY HAVE TO PAY. IF YOU PAY ANY OF IT IT RESTARTS YOUR STATUE OF LIMITATIONS TIME TABLE. DEMAND THE BILL AND DISPUTE IT BASED ON THE DATES OF SERVICE BEING PAST 7 YEARS.