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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 30 september 2020

Regulators crack down on aggressive, dubious debt collectors

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Hylan Asset Management,
Associated Press was ordered to pay a $6.75
NEW YORK (AP) — Those million judgment but had
mysterious debt collectors that slashed to just $676,575
who call insisting you'll be in because of an inability
legal peril if you don't pay to pay. The owner of the
them big bucks are in hot other company, Campbell
water themselves, accused Capital LLC, had its $1.7
in a nationwide crackdown million judgment slashed to
of harassing and threaten- $30,000.
ing consumers, often about In the two pending cases
debts that don't actually in South Carolina, filed in
exist. July, authorities have ob-
The Federal Trade Commis- tained temporary restrain-
sion on Tuesday highlighted ing orders halting the com-
enforcement actions filed panies' operations, freezing
in recent months against their assets, and putting
two South Carolina-based them under the control of
debt collection firms ac- a receiver.
cused of bilking people out National Landmark Logis-
of a combined $17.2 mil- tics LLC and Absolute Fi-
lion, as well as settlements nancial Services, LLC, both
with three other firms ac- based in Fort Mill, South
cused of using pressure In this Aug. 6, 2020 file photo, New York State Attorney General Letitia James takes a question at Carolina, are accused of
tactics and other shady a news conference in New York. Associated Press using deceptive robocalls
practices. and trickery such as claim-
Ironically, the firms that tained to debts that didn't campaign to give consum- say, they've earned the ing to be from a mediation
agreed to financial settle- exist or to abusive and ers tips on what to do when right to hang up and to be or law firm rather than a
ments were unable to pay threatening practices. confronted with a debt rude," James said. "Most debt collector, threaten-
the full amounts. "Now would be about the collection call. It includes a seniors are not rude, but ing legal action and using
While consumer complaints time that this would start tip sheet with potential red when it comes to individu- a target's personal infor-
about debt collectors have — that we would start to flags, such as a collector re- als engaging in illegal con- mation to make it seem as
dropped slightly since the see consumer complaints fusing to provide the name duct, they should hang up though the threats were
start of the coronavirus associated with financial of his or her company, the and report the collector to real. According to the FTC,
pandemic in March, the distress caused by the pan- amount of debt or the origi- the FTC immediately." National Landmark Logis-
commission's consumer demic," Smith said. "This nal creditor. James' office was involved tics LLC took in more than
protection chief, Andrew might be debt collection New York Attorney General in two of the three settle- $12 million through the tac-
Smith, anticipates that will complaints; it also might be Letitia James, who joined ments featured in the tics, while Absolute Finan-
change as collectors in- complaints about various a media conference call crackdown. Both compa- cial Services LLC pocketed
creasingly target people credit repair organizations on the initiative, dubbed nies based in the Buffalo more than $5.2 million. In
experiencing crisis-related or debt relief, mortgage re- Operation Corrupt Collec- area were permanently many cases, the commis-
financial hardship. lief and debt settlement." tor, offered frank advice to banned from the debt sion alleges, National Land-
Of more than 85,000 debt The commission, working older people who are often collection industry under mark Logistics had no right
collection complaints from with other federal agen- seen as easy marks for du- agreements reached in to collect the debt it sought
consumers this year, the cies and authorities in 16 bious dialers. December and February. or there was no debt to col-
FTC said nearly half per- states, is also launching a "Senior citizens, as I always One of the companies, lect in the first place.q

Texas officials: No earlier concerns after microbe found

site, which doctors believe brain-eating parasite. authority's water treatment
killed a 6-year-old boy. Republican Gov. Greg Ab- plant is situated. The advi-
Residents of Lake Jackson bott visited Lake Jackson sory also was canceled for
are likely to remain under on Tuesday along with the two state prisons and Dow
orders to boil water for state environmental regu- Chemical's massive Free-
several weeks as the city lators, who said samples port works.
continues purging the wa- through at least June raised Naegleria fowleri is a free-
ter supply. Lake Jackson no flags. Abbott said all in- living microscopic amoe-
officials said this week that dications point to the case ba, or single-celled living
three of 11 samples of the being isolated and that the organism commonly found
city's water indicated pre- suspected problem in the in warm freshwater and
liminary positive results for boy's death was traced soil, according to the U.S
Texas Governor Greg Abbott and other state officials listen to the naegleria fowleri mi- back to a splashpad. Centers for Disease Control
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality executive director crobe. The Brazosport Water Au- and Prevention. It usually
Toby Baker talk about steps to be taken so water is safe again One sample, Lake Jack- thority initially warned eight infects people when con-
for the community of Lake Jackson, Texas on Tuesday, Sept. 29,
2020. son City Manager Modesto communities late Friday taminated water enters
Associated Press Mundo has said, came night not to use tap wa- the body through the nose.
from the home of Josiah ter for any reason except From there it travels to the
LAKE JACKSON, Texas (AP) a Houston-area commu- McIntyre, the 6-year-old to flush toilets, but on Sat- brain and can cause a rare
— Texas officials said Tues- nity did not raise concerns boy whom doctors said urday it lifted that warn- and debilitating disease
day that water samples before the detection of a died earlier this month af- ing for all communities but called primary amebic
taken earlier this year from deadly, microscopic para- ter being infected with the Lake Jackson, where the meningoencephalitis.q