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Scam alert: CBCS in Columbus, Ohio

They'll call you up - and even send you mail - saying you owe some company money, but that they're willing to settle for a lesser amount if you pay up now. It's a scam.

Via Gary McGath, who was getting calls from them back in 2005.


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Comments

I got the same thing from a different collections agency, saying I owed on an old Verizon phone # (an account I did once have). Same details as those Gary et al. are describing on the message boards you linked to. Good to have it confirmed that it's a scam!!!

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You should never ever ever ever pay anything to a collection agency, even if you think you may owe it, until they provide verification of the debt and proof that you owe it. Once a verification request is made, a collector cannot proceed with collecting a debt until it proves that it is a valid debt. If they cannot verify it, they cannot proceed with collecting.

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they keep calling me saying I owe sbc 160. and some odd cents , I have not had any accounts with sbc in over ten years. I paid my last and final bill with them and left in good standing. I am sooooo tired of these people calling my cell phone with this stuff.

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If your account has been paid off and they continue to call, just tell them the statute of limitations has expired. For Texas, it is 4 years

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I remembered the scam from a few years back when I got a similar letter but with a different format. Can't recall if it was CBCS specifically, but the "original creditor" was Sprint. I got pissed that there was no information as to what year this debt was supposedly not paid by me.

I recall researching this and learned that companies sell or sold their write-off lists to CBCS-type outfits. I had a Sprint account once, many years ago - maybe 15 years back. It may well be that they wrote me off for $89.71. I was admittedly in bad financial shape 15 years ago, but I really don't remember. I do know that I would never have qualified for my first home loan in '97 if there was ANYthing on my credit report left to take care of. I had to have everything closed/settled/paid before I got my loan approved.

Anyhow, what I figured happened was that Sprint probably wrote me off and then sold my name along with other write-offs. I seem to remember reading companies aren't allowed to do that anymore, but I may be wrong. Bottom line: I'm not about to waste my time calling or writing to "dispute the validity of the debt." My husband suggested writing "F-you" on the "Return this Portion With Your Payment" stub. I'm not going to waste the stamp.

So don't panic and whatever you do, don't fall for threats and call, write or send money or credit card information.

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I ripped the letter up that I got in the mail..
I'm not paying them anything, they can kiss my back end! End of story.

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I just recieved a letter stateing I owed AT&T Midwest $200.30, and I had 10 days to pay them. They only wanted 50% of bill, and they wanted my credit information wrote down my signiture and have all that mailed to them. Only after the payment would they send the credit information that I requested prior. I did nothing with account.

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I feel like we have an STD running around.... I got it TOO!!! lol... AT&T Southwest... who knows, but they will need to come to my door and ask for it :-)

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I have just received on of these bills in the mail. My instincts told me to look this company up online. And I found this site warning people of the scam. Thank you very much.

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I just received a letter from CBCS in Columbus, OH and they stated that I owe Sprint a outstanding bill of $275 and they are willing to settle today at 50%. If I do not resolve within 15 days they will continue to contact me and I will not have the opportunity to pay the settlement amount at a later date.

I am currently a Sprint customer, so I contacted Sprint and Sprint states that they DO NOT use CBCS as one of their collectors and they are investigating with the proper authorities. Sprint states that they are receiving countless calls regarding this scam. DO NOT PAY AND DISREGARD THIS LETTER.

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This company has sent me two letters already for an alleged debt with MCI. I never had an MCI account, and never left any unpaid bills either. This is a scam and nothing more.

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And yes, it appears that they've pulled names and amounts from write-off files.

Several years ago, I had a former roommate call up all of our utilities (that I'd shut off when I moved out), saying she was me, and got them turned back on. I took her to small claims for the amounts of the bills. She didn't show and I won, but wasn't ever able to collect. I sent the court judgment to all the utility companies, and they all called or wrote and said they'd write it off.

So then four years later, I get a letter from the aforementioned "collection agency" in Ohio, for the amount of the Verizon bill that got written off, saying it was in collections. I ignored it.

Two more years later, I got a phone call from another vague no-name-only-initials collection agency, about the same Verizon bill. I figured it was a scam, but thought I'd see what happened if I explained that the bill had been written off and I could send them the court docs showing it was fraudulent activity. Guy interrupts me, starts yelling at me, says that I need to find a way to pay this bill immediately, and I better give him a credit card number right now. So then I'm like, dude, wtf, because I've had medical bills that went to legitimate collection agencies, and they were really polite and appropriate about letting me fax them stuff saying I was waiting for an accident settlement. So I asked if I could speak with his supervisor, and he starts screaming at me that I'm a person who doesn't pay my bills and talking to the supervisor isn't going to change that. Uh, yeah, sure, buddy. *click*

http://1smootshort.blogspot.com

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Got a message on my cell phone today from a rep to give them a call. The message did not say what it was about. I have not received one piece of mail and I have nothing outstanding.

Any advise on what to do about this?? Should I call and interrigate on what this is about or just ignore it???

Anyone with advise I would appriciate it very much.

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Ignore it! Do NOT GIVE ANY INFO! KEEP SSN AND ANY FINANCIAL, ADDRESS, EMPLOYMENT INFO, CREDIT/DEBIT CARD INFO PRIVATE, i.e. CCONFIDENTIAL!!!

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I too have received a message from CBCS, with no way to contact them. This was about a debt I had with Gas South. It was resolved over a year ago to the satisfaction of everyone involved. I would only hope a real human would call me about this, as I have 0 tolerance for bs from bogus agencies on a debt alreadt settled.

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I worked as a debt collector for a company very similar to the one you're describing. These companies are not scamming you. Not in the literal sense at least.

Essentially, these companies have bought these debts second, third or fourth hand from other debt collectors who weren't able to collect on the accounts. While they're perfectly aware that some of them aren't valid, they're not attempting to scam you out of money randomly. Most likely if you have nothing to do with the account, it's because you have a similar name or somebody used your information to open an account in your name. Even though debts can only stick on your credit report for 7 years, they're fully allowed to continue attempting a collection for much longer.

The best thing to do is not to ignore the account. Instead, talk with the people and tell them you believe it's a fraudulent account and they will go ahead and help you clear up the mess.

In a lot of cases, you really do owe the debt and either don't remember it, or the "original" company was bought out by a larger company (such as Verizon.)

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a person calling from a legitimate collection company would:
1) not let me talk to a supervisor
2) yell at me and tell me I'm a person who doesn't pay my bills
3) cut me off and start screaming at me when I explained that I have documentation that I'm not responsible for the debts?

Also, it wasn't a legitimate debt that got sold; Verizon had sent me a letter saying they'd written off the debt. I've had Verizon service in my own name since then. The debt this place was calling about had been dismissed YEARS AGO.

Like I said, I had medical bills that went to actual collection agencies while I waited for a settlement. I dealt with several actual collection agencies, and they were all professional and polite and were very helpful in doing things like faxing me a form to fill out and send to them along with the settlement information. Actual collection agencies have always been run like businesses, in my experience. This other place that called me was a scam.

http://1smootshort.blogspot.com

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They should not be doing that. That is just rude and not good business practices. I know laws have changed a lot when it comes to debt collection and I would recommend recording all phone calls you get from them. They are allowed and not allowed to do certain things and if caught trying to collect the debt illegally I would sue the pants off of them!

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CBCS is a bogus company that is only out there to scam people, although I'm sure that some people are liable for some of the debts. More than likely you are not and they are trying to collect on charges that are false! They call me about 3-10 times a day about a debt for BellSouth Communications, a subsidiary of AT&T. The problem with this is I have never had any kind of service through BellSouth, no one in my family lives or has ever lived in their service area or had service through any company that is affiliated with them. So if they call you and threaten you to attempt to pay a debt, make sure that you have researched this debt and made sure that you do not owe anything. The best way to find this out is to contact the company that the debt is supposedly for and maybe you will have better luck with them getting off your case about BS.
Thanks for reading,
-Mike

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then why are they trying to collect a debt for a company that I have NEVER had a account with?

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They send you letters about accounts overdue from 14 years ago with companies you have NEVER had service with. You call to investigate and when they answer, the response is "may I speak to *-----?" and my response was "I called you!"
"Can I have your social security number?"
No, you may not!
Fast forward, I was sent another letter for an "identity theft report" from CBCS. They want a copy of my birth certificate, driver's license, social security card, and a letter of dispute.
Are you kidding my? Do you think I am stupid?
Watch out everyone! It has SCAM written all over it!

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Just got a collection letter from these people saying I owed 655.87 to Gas South. Problem is they spelled my name wrong. We live in the country and have either had propane in our own tank or electric only for the last 20 years. Never heard of Gas South or had service with them. Beware out there.

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I dont know about all of you but having debt is not something i want or my children to have after i am gone. CBCS is NOT, i repeat NOT a scam. If you call your original "debt collector" they will still have on file the original date you owe your debt and who they passed it on to - ex a debt collection agency.

whoever the first guy was that said talk to the person who called, i highly suggest it! i spoke with a lady for 1 hour saying you are a scam i dont trust you and she had a supervisor call me. all the while i was calling the original "debt collector" and they told me that i did in fact owe that money and it was sent to CBCS, that is an legitimate agency. Also, i asked the lady why it wasnt on my credit report and some merchants dont want you as the customer to be reported! thank god for that!

my suggestion, just a suggestion, get a hold of the original debt collector, talk with them get as much info as you can, and pay your debt. it will only get worse and the 75 you started with will turn into 500.

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...for this debt collection entity.

More and more astro-turfing every week....

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This debt will not be haunting your children, so you can sleep at night.

Some people do owe debt, but there is a statute of limitation on collecting it. Most times, when you make a payment on it, you start the statute of limitations all over again. So, if you're trying to run away from the debt, making even a small payment can be a mistake.

I am not saying people shouldn't pay debts that they rightfully owe. But companies don't have an unlimited time to collect, either. That is why the credit report happens. That, along with people having judgments against them, is people's punishment, if you will. Companies don't even have an obligation of removing anything from your credit report-only to eventually update it to show it was paid. It will naturally "fall off" of your report after seven years. The statute of limitation for debt collection is -usually- shorter. They can still keep TRYING to collect the money, but you're no longer obligated to pay it. They can still sue you, but you have a case with the statute of limitations.

Collection companies buy old debt for pennies on the dollar, hence why they are willing to settle for less. CBCS may be a real company, but they are required by law to show that they have a valid claim for the debt collection. I am sure that not all of the mistakes are their fault. When they're buying debts for pennies on the dollar, I am sure a lot of misinformation gets in there, too. That being said, it's not exactly legitimizing to send a letter that says, "You owe some money. Please pay this."

So, lesson is: verify before you pay. Don't give out your vital information. Proceed with caution on all matters regarding your identity.

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When you have medical bills and are expecting a hefty settlement, court records eventually become public. And yes, some of us have very accurate record keeping skills as to each account numbers, dates of service etc. We save cancelled checks and keep direct communication going with hospital billing as well as the collection agencies they use. Most collection agencies have poor organization due to so many accounts being held. Its all ridiculous. But, when I pay my bills directly to the hospital and fully cooperate with the hospital where all services are rendered, (after receiving a letter from a collection agency they have already contracted) where does the collection agency get their cut? Who pays the collections agency? Are you sure the hospital or establishment still honors their contract with the debt collector? After the numerous secreterial work the agency does, who pays them? And lot of us, just deal with the hospitals directly... And then one agency sells a previous debt (not recording it as being paid) to another agency, passing the buck... Its all a game. A disgusting one at that... Meanwhile, the hospital knows its paid, you have receipts showing your balance as zero, so you submit it to the 3 most significant credit reporting agencies, such as REQUIFAX etc. your credit isnt ruined, but somewhere out there someone working a minimum wage secreterial job decided not to enter your balance as zero in one of the debt collection computers...

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I too was just today called by a "CBCS rep" saying I owe $1,777 to Verizon when I've never had anything to do with Verizon! They've obviously been doing this for quite a while because I pushed them for a lot of information and they had answers for everything I asked, i.e. gave me the tel# involved and the billing address, gave the the FTC web address to file a "fraud affadavit", and gave me a tel# for Verizon's "Fraud Dept." (which is a bogus #). I filed a formal police report and fraud report with Verizon, but I don't think anyone ever investigates these things. What a shame; I would love to see people like this slammed in jail where they belong. So YES, it is a major scam!

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I actually owed Northeast Utilities money for the last month of service at an apartment that I lived in two years ago. CBCS called me repeatedly, sent me letters, and when I had the money, I finally paid.

The letters stopped. The phone calls stopped. Here it is about a year later. I just tried to get the electricity turned on at my new place, and Northeast Utilities claims that they never got paid. I told them that I paid CBCS. They told me that yes that was who they sold the debt to and they called CBCS for verification that the bill was paid. CBCS claims that they have no record of me paying this bill.

What do I do now????

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Here is a link (below) with "proof" of their scam and I've included a recorded call I had with them where they ask me to send my social security number, bank statments, car insurance info, etc. This is from 2008. Long story short, there was another collection company in 2004 collecting on an account that wasn't mine. I filed a dispute with the credit bureau and info they claimed could not be verified so they deleted it off my credit report. Four years later CBCS sends me a letter for the exact same account this other collection agency had.

http://wmxservices.com/CBCS/

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Never ignore a collection notice!!!
Google FDCPA and find a form letter to send to them requesting validation of the debt.
http://www.fair-debt-collection.com/Disputing_Coll...
http://www.expertlaw.com/library/consumer/fair_deb...

Send it certified mail receipt requested. Keep records of each phone call and keep each letter.
You have only 30 days from first receipt of contact to ask for validation.
Once they have your letter Law says they must stop ALL collection activities until they validate the debt, this includes notifying all credit agency’s that it is disputed.
Each call or letter after that is worth up to 1,000.00 to YOU! And cost of attorney fees.

http://www.michigancollectionlawblog.com/2007/06/f...

Use these links to find out more!!! Keep records!! Record calls!! Keep letters and the envelope to show date mailed ( some companies back date letters) Stamp all letters with the date you actually received them ( this is a normal business record and is admissible evidence)

NEVER offer to pay anything or admit owing anything--if you do it may start the statute of limitations again (SOL)

Even if you owe the amount they may break the law enough so that you may collect more from them than they do from you!!!

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I got a letter today, about a 2000 dispute that I had with Verizon Wireless; have sent the demand for payment (A 50% Reduction of the supposed amount due Verizon) along with supporting evidence that the Verizon claim is bogus, to the Consumer Fraud Unit of the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office. I don't expect the AG's office to take any action, but attaching my letter of complaint along with a response to CBCS may get them to back-off.

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I just received a letter in the mail stating that I owed AT&T a debt. I called AT&T and they found nothing under my name that I owed them anything nor had a debt been sent to a collection agency. I know for a fact that I made the payment on time since I just wanted to transfer my service to another location. I currently have the service and current with payment that I supposidly have a debt on. I have no idea where they would have gotten this information from since nothing was ever sent to a collections or even close to being delinquent. This is a scam. If you are in doubt like I was call the company they think you owe and confirm with them.

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Just got a phone call from CBCS stating I owed money for a 2003 Verizon wireless phone bill. The person asked a lot of questions which I refused to answer. A few days later a charge for 3350.00 from Macy in Columbus Ohio, showed up on my credit card bill. I canceled my card and my credit card company is investigating BEWARE.

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CBCS corporate office (614) 222-5543

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I just opened a collections bill from CBCS in Columbus Ohio, claiming I owe money to some medical service place I never heard of. I went on line to try and figure it out, and to see if legit. I found your info. and others and now feel I've been scammed too ! I don't even want to call the -------- like it says to on the paper if you don't call they will ASSUME you owe the debt. HA! Thanks for the info. I am putting it aside for now and most likely it will be filed in the circular bin.

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CBCS picks up old "charge offs" from various businesses, companies, and even the State, these are bought for pennies on the dollar. They then attempt to collect them from you. This is not illegal, just SCUM.

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first, I find it very interesting that the vast majority of these calls were for collecting Cell Phone bills, and the other few were for other utilities. Wonder if that means anything?

second, I have a feeling that any collection company will send a letter to anybody and everybody with a similar name and/or address to that of the person who really owes the debt.

third, there might be a REAL CBCS that is a legitimate company while the one everyone is hearing from is a phony. Or it could be that CBCS is a legit company that is breaking the law in many ways.

I get calls almost every day and I don't answer my phone unless it's someone I know (love caller ID!). They always say (VM recording) "this call is for (my name). If you are not (my name) hang up now. (pause) By staying on this call you acknowledge that you are (my name) **since it's a recording on my voice mail, how would they know if I hung up or "acknowledged" who I am?**. This is (name, different every time) from CBCS and this is an attempt to collect a debt. Please call us back at (one of several different 800/888/866 numbers)." It never says what debt it's for, and doesn't give me an address or location, and doesn't ask for anything from me (but then I've never called them back).

YES I owe a lot of bills and due to job loss and 2 hospital stays within 6 months of each other, I will be filing bankruptcy when I can save enough to pay the lawyer.

I've found the following info that people can use to write and/or call them if you want to pursue further (I have not yet verified this information but it implies at least that it's a real company, maybe):
CBCS, PO Box 1838, Columbus, Ohio, 43231.
physical location address is 250 E. Town St, Columbus, OH 43215
direct line number is 614-538-6100

Now, here is a question I wonder if anybody has any input on:
What do you do when a company refused to accept your certified mail, return receipt requested cease and desist letter? (If it had been a payment...????)

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I looked this company up on the Internet and their home page says their mailing address is a PO Box in Emporia, KS. Which is it--Columbus, OH or Emporia, KS?

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I live in Cleveland Ohio andthe call I got was for the first time yesterday. I didn't answer and was wondering who it was since it was in the same area code. The call came up as Bedford Ohio. And seeing all of these complaints makes me wonder because I've never had a cell phone or utility bill in my name ever not anywhere. I've also noticed that most of the people are saying utility companies in the south like bell south or gas south. So this does make me think this is a scam of some sort.

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They began calling my house, days, nights, weekends, beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 9:30 p.m. This is supposedly for a Verizon bill that I owed from 2005. I finally called back after many, many recordings and mentioned to them that I had no recollection of owing Verizon, and that I had a current Verizon account, both for my house phone and my computer DSL, and that had never been interrupted, so what is the bill I owe from 2005? I talked to the "supervisor" and asked him to please send me paperwork that shows me what my bill is for. He said he would mail it to me, and for me to look for a "plain envelop with no return address" on it, which I thought was strange. Also there is an account number on my collection notice and he couldn't even look something up on the computer?? I also requested that the phone calls stop (because I have a sick mother living with me) until I received the "plain envelop" and he agreed. However, I never received the "plain envelop" and the recorded phone calls are still streaming in like crazy.

All this led me to believe that CBCS could be a scam. If it is not a scam, then the fact that an organization can't provide you details of your alleged debt other than "it's a Verizon bill from 2005" is a poorly managed, dysfunctional business. Signed, Bitter in Baltimore

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I get continuous calls from this CBCS company to my unlisted home number. Seems these are desperate people who will stop at nothing to get what they want. Unfortunately they picked the wrong person. Literally. First my number does not belong to Robert Rupp-they have been told this and refused to remove it from their list at least a dozen times before. They do not listen. Tonight they went as far as to leave Robert's account number and a message (which I have recorded) on my answering maching identifying the attempt to collect a debt, his name, and Account Number. That's a big no-no and is basis for a lawsuit under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. So Robert, if you are out there watching this site, reply on back. I happen to have 14 years of prior collection experience and they are not allowed to leave account numbers and personal non-public information at numbers they have not absolutely confirmed as belonging to you. Might be time to take them to the cleaners for a change? By the way, they know now and are probably sweating a little. I called on their "recorded" line and spoke with their nice rep who was more than a little sorry that he picked up my line after I informed him they could be subject to lawsuit for releasing your personal information to someone who does not have the right or authority to have it and that they did so on a recorded machine. Life is tough for everybody right now and places that train their employees to be ignorant and rude to people instead of trying to work with them to resolve an issue deserve to get it back now and then. Hope to hear from you!

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if u have debts u should pay it thats why our country is so messed up dont blame the creditors blame ur self!

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I call BS on all of it. If the original debtor "sells" the debt to a collection agency, they have "written it off" in their books. You no-longer owe them, if you try to pay them, they won't know how to accept it.The cannot re-open an accout to settle a debt that they already settled. They took the collection agencies money to settle the debt. The collection agency gets as much as they can to compensate for the money they spent for the information. It's that simple, the original debtor gets some money, rather than the nothing they got from you. The collection agency "leans on" and other-wise annoys you until you pay them...again "something" (usually a % of the original debt) If they end-up with more than they paid, it's profit to them. Then they re-invest that money into buying more debt.
You can ignore them forever.....You really don't owe them, they are just going to bully a certain percentage of people into paying becasue "they say" you owe them.

While I'm not saying that the original borrower is blameless in this....it is just as much the credit company's fault. They "allow" people to over-extend because it is profitable to them. You pay their inflated interest-rates for a certain period of time before it overwhelms you. They have already made their money....yet you still owe. They write it off (sell it to a collection agency) making more money, and they turn right around and lend to you again. It's called preditory lending. It is intended to keep you in debt...how exactly is that your fault?

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Well I received something in the mail from these people saying that I owe a bill for something called Frontier?? I have no idea what frontier is??? I am unsure of what to do..I do not owe any bills out for the amount they sent me..they said if i pay now i get 40% off...anyone know if this is one of those scams or what?? I am also young so I KNOW its not just something I just forgot!!! and i have NO outstanding bills with anyone??? help please?!

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Where have you been? The economy has tanked and there are a lot of people that have fallen on hard times. If a debt is owed and it can be paid then it will be. Regardless there is no excuse or reason for doing what they are doing. You do not call someone and cuss them, yell at them, and not give them any information. Then turn around and ask for their personal information. Alot of times people have the money to pay their bills but then the unexpected happens. I hope you never have to go through that. The statement you made makes me wonder if you are working for them, or if you are just ignorant. We are not blaming creditors for anything. We are saying that this company is a scam.

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I got the letter, says i owe Mxenergy $851.83!!! Glad to know its a scam!

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so i checked my online bank account info and it says I got 310$ withdrawn for CBCS, but I actually got called from the electric company i used saying i missed my final bills with that company (which i honestly forgot to pay) before i moved. The amount seemed like a bit much to me for being late (was about 2 months later after i canceled the account) But like i said, i got a legit call from the company that i used.

now im not sure what to do about this because everybody is saying CBCS is a scam, but the amount i owed my electric company is paid for but withdrawn by CBCS.

doesnt seem like its that big of deal to me because i actually owed money and now its paid for.

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so i received a letter in the mail frm "CBCS" this wkend and they are saying that i owe $484 to centerpoint energy. im 21 yrs old and nvr once had a bill in my name. now i recently just got electrical service in my name for the first time EVER!!!! so how do i owe $484 to a service i nvr even had.. so can anyone tell me if they think this may be a scam?

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I think the scam is believing other people's comments without doing your own research. So, the same company sent me information about an account I owned money on. It was over $500 for a medical bill. I remember not paying the bill a few years ago, so I knew it was true. I went to the company's website and requested information on the bill to make sure I was paying the right thing. The company sent me my medical bill and was ready to make a settlement. Me being who I am and knowing the truth about writeoffs, I told the company that I would pay the whole with within a week or two. I truly don't think it is a scam and the scam is believing other people. In you believing them, so credit stays jacked up, so they got one over on you.

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Thanks for online forums with this information. I just got one for CBCS for the gas & electric company in my area. I knew it was a scam because mine are included with my rent. I tried to call them to mess with them but they got smart. The phone system is automated to collect your information. They ask for your phone number using the keys and last four digits of your social security number. Of course I didn't give any correct information but at the end of the message, they tell you they are closed and to call during normal business hours.

DON'T BE FOOLED!!!! JUST THROW IT OUT.

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Me too. Got a letter today saying I owe Frontier (i'm assuming phone company with who I've never had service with) $166.94. The client account # includes an old phone number I had with Verizon--- it makes no sense at all.

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Frontier is Verizon or the new name of the company that provides land line and internet service in certain areas.

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I once worked for the CBCS located in Ohio. It is not a scam. I worked in the UHS department which handled delinquent medical accounts. Every account we call on comes straight from our clients. There are times (but not very often) where our clients send CBCS accounts that are already paid. These accounts can be put into dispute.

There is nothing more annoying than getting cussed out, threatened, and/or hung up on for being a messenger. In all honesty, the best way to deal with a debt collector is to remain calm. If you don't agree with a debt, tell the debt collector to send you an Itemized Statement and to put the account into dispute. However, just because you tell the debt collector you don't think you owe the debt does not mean they won't call you anymore. It just takes time and patience to get the problem solved.

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i got a call from cbcs saying i owed a 59.00$ bill from last year! i already paid this and gave them verification from my bank. they continue to say "they dont have it" even though it was cashed by them more than 7 months ago!! SCAM!!

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Fair Credit Reporting Act. The company is a scam because one has to be in contract with them to owe any money. By law a debtor is held to a contract.

Wrong: if you disagree with a debt collector send them a debt validation letter requesting proof of contract.

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You worked for lying scammers. They probably do some legit collection work, because there's money in that too, but they are also con artists, trying to pick up money from people who lack the backbone to challenge them. Sorry you fell for it and believed they were fully legit, but don't expect the rest of us to.

I just received a letter from them saying I owe around $80 to a company I've never heard of. I googled the name and it's a company that does car loans. I don't own a car (best move I ever made) and I paid cash for my motorbike. The only time I ever borrowed money for a vehicle was about 10 years ago, from my credit union, and I paid it off within a few months when a business deal came thru. Even if my CU thought I still owed them $80, and for some reason was afraid to ask me for it directly, they could pull it from my savings account with them rather than splitting it with a refinancer and/or a collection agency. This "debt" that CBCS claims I owe is a lie.

And I think they know that.

Now you do too. (As if the people you talked to every day saying so wasn't enough.)

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Really? Like no kidding? Every account you call on comes straight from "our" client? Then answer me this one Riddler, why is it that we have a dozen or more people here who state (including me) they have called the originial creditor and they have no knowledge of CBCS and have not sold the account to CBCS either. Why is it that I paid off a whopping $21 bill from an electric company (They didn't know about CBCS either) well over a year ago and here comes CBCS with a notice dated 3/8/12 telling me I owe $77.39? I told the little scum sucking ahole on the other end of the phone that it would be a cold day in hell before I paid them anything and if they so much as reported it to any of the credit bureaus I would be on them like white on rice. Yesterday I sent a premtive attack to both the Attorney General Ohio and the FTC. In today's economy I do not need CBCS playing with my credit and I will stomp those scum bags to the fullest extent of the law. You come on this forum and try to act all high and mighty? Shall we see how much CBCS has had to pay out in settlements for crossing the line? I know the Attorney General Ohio will be glad to provide with a little FOIA request. Kiss my ass.

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We recently received a call from these people and requested an itemized statement about medical bills. When we received the statement, it showed the amount of cost on each item for the hospital visit and right next to it it showed the insurance adjustment, i.e. what the insurance paid for. For each item, the insurance showed everything was paid! The best part was, on these same invoices there was written in blue ink the amount that is owed. I'm sorry, but if the statment says you owe nothing and then you right in a number, I sure am not paying that. Thats fraud. Where did they come up with that number!?! Sounds like a scam to me and seems really shadey

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I am so happy that I found this site! I just got something from CBCS in the mail saying that I owe X amount to AT&T (I haven't had an account with them in years). Frankly I'm not sure if I owe them anything but I was cautious when it said that I only owe half of my debt. I'm very weary of identity theft, etc. (who isn't?) and I didn't want to give yet another company my information. Thanks for all the comments - now I know that I can just shred this piece of paper.

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I got a call last year from CBCS at my parent's residence over a supposed debt to BellSouth. I did fail to pay my DSL bill with them the last month at one of the residences I rented a few years prior. They sent me a bill with a "discounted" price for paying within 30 days. I sat on it for a couple of weeks while they started calling my cellphone in the morning, multiple times a day, all the way through the evening. I would occasionally answer and ask them to stop calling. The calls persisted. Within the initial 30 days, I sent a letter requesting documentation of the alleged debt. The phone calls stopped immediately and never started back again. It's almost a year later and they haven't tried to contact me again.

They are either a scam or they bought a number of zombie accounts. Either way, they seem to have difficulty proving any of the debt. My advice to anyone being pursued by CBCS is to first request, in writing, documentation of the alleged debt. Whatever you do, even if the debt they are collecting for is valid, do not blindly pay them. Make them earn their money. There's a good chance they can't provide the proof that is required to legally collect on a debt.

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I was contacted by CBCS and was asking for someone completely different than me. I ask the guys name and he said " King Akpofure" Which means tribal leader. Does have a linkedin page and states a supervisor for CBCS and they have wrong info about people they are searching for. Be weary and he gave me the physical address as 230 East Town St, Columbus OH 43215. and phone number 877-405-4706. I have been getting a lot of these random calls lately and people just trying to get money from people. I know the economy is tough, but come on.

Collections Crash Course

by Credit.com
The letters…the calls…dealing with collection agencies can be stressful. After all, it is their job to get you to pay up. But if you understand your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Act and learn a few negotiation tricks, you can take control of the situation.
Collections basics
Debt collection is a $15 billion dollar a year industry, and it’s growing fast. There are thousands of companies in the US that buy debts for pennies on the dollar and attempt to recover what is owed. Collections agencies buy past-due debts from cell phone companies, credit card companies, lenders, public libraries, video stores, gyms, cable companies, medical offices, and more. Then they contact the consumer who owes the debts and negotiate to have it paid back. Collectors can find out where borrowers live and work and can contact them by phone, mail, fax, or telegram. If you are a facing debt issues, click here for a confidential consultation
First steps
If have an overdue debt sent to a collections agency, you will be contacted by the collector and sent a letter explaining the situation. You should open and read this letter immediately, since you only have 30 days to dispute certain facts. If there are errors or if the letter is a mistake, you should notify the collector and related creditors right away to resolve the matter. You should keep notes about all of your communications with collectors as well as copies of all correspondence for future reference.
Impact on your credit
When your debt is sent to collections you will also see a new record appear on your credit report. This collection record will remain on your credit report for 7 years from the last 180-day late payment on the original account, whether or not you pay the debt back. In the event that your original account is also on your credit report, both account records will remain on your report for 7 years. This is also true if a new record appears when your debt is sold to a new collection agency. Review the information a collection agency posts on your credit report very carefully. It is fairly common for collectors to report incorrect facts to help with negotiations.
Your rights
You have several rights under the Fair Debt Collection Act. You can request that a collector does not contact you anymore, or only contacts you by mail. Under this law, collectors cannot threaten you or pretend to be a credit bureau. They cannot purposely tell you that you owe more than you really do, use obscenities, or tell you that you are guilty of a crime. Read the full summary of these collection rights online.
What to do
Once you have verified that the debt is accurate and read your rights under the FDCA, you need to consider your options. In most situations, you should negotiate a deal, pay the collector, and work on rebuilding your credit. However, if you have other debts that are not in collections and need to paid, you should probably work on paying these debts first. Keep in mind that this collection record will remain on your credit report for 7 years, whether you pay or not. In most cases, it doesn’t make sense to pay the collection debt before you can afford to do so comfortably.
Negotiating a deal
When you decide to pay the collection debt, you should contact the collector to see if you can negotiate an agreement. Since collectors buy debt for pennies on the dollar, they are often open to negotiating a reduced settlement. Some collection agencies will also offer to take the record off your credit report if you pay the debt, although this is technically illegal. Have the collector send you the terms of your settlement in writing. You may need to use this letter if the debt resurfaces.
Preventing collections
Because collection agencies buy such a wide variety of debts, debt collections are common occurrences. Medical collections are especially common because of policies that leave the consumer ultimately responsible for medical bills even if the insurance company was supposed to cover the expense. You should always pay a debt that is in danger of being sold to collections (even using a credit card or if the debt is incorrect) to prevent damage to your credit reports. You can continue your dispute after the debt has been paid. People also commonly end up with collection debts when their bills are sent to an incorrect or old address. Be sure to track your bills closely and file a change of address form with the post office when you move.
Being contacted by a collections agency can be scary and overwhelming. If you take a step back, read your rights, and think about your options, you can take control of the situation. Credit.com is here to help you get your finances back in order.

Just pull your own credit report and try and work things out with the original debtor yourself!

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I already paid the debt, I took over the finances for my husband while he was away in the military. I had no idea until now that it was a false bill. Now we have the letter in the mail from the real collection agency. Is there any way I can get my money back? How can I call and dispute with them?

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CBCS is still scamming people....I believe this is done in conjunction with some companies...Gas South was listed as as being owed an amt. just under $200. NOT TRUE...I owed ZERO! In fact I never had any statement from this company for this amount.

I spoke with a supervisor at Gas South, and she said -You must talk with CBCS only. (I refused to speak with this company - as I knew there had to be a mistake)

I found all of my records, called this supervisor back and THEN she responds, Oh, yes, I see your acct. was closed in good standing (mumbled)CLICK.

I think someone is tracking when people change their address and then figure that all of their records are packed, and they will just pay. But in this case, this was done in conjunction with a inside rep. who would be answering the calls. She "played" along claiming that I owed it, until I produced the documentation. I wonder how much she makes out of supporting this sham!!!!! This is just a form of stealing!!!!!

Check EVERYTHING!!!!!!

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I got a weird debt collection letter from this company...and have been getting them for a while...saying that I owe a gas bill for a place where I haven't lived since May 2000. I was in school and am not sure if I had a balance on my account, but the statute of limitations of any possible debt is long expired anyway. I sent them a validation letter, but got back no proof of the debt...and what I got has no dates for the debt they say I owe. I'm going to check my credit report and, if anything is on it, I'm contacting the State Attorney General. They aren't getting a dime from me.

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I also received a collection notice for a past-due cell phone account. But I never had a cell account with this company.

There is a PO box listed on the collection notice where I am supposed to send my MONEY. I called the phone number on the collection notice, but guess what, it was a non-working number.

I would like to wait around that PO box in Columbus, OH, to see what scummy person was planning to collect on us!

Anyone live in Columbus. Want to make a few dollars!?

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i work for this company in columbus ohio it's not a scam it's a real company where people owe their debts

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Is that why youre too chicken to use a real name?
Please. I spent years dealing with you ppl thru my LAWYER and have reported several harrasment cases as well as met personally with the District Attorney who agreed you people use unscrupulous methods are are opportunistic bottom feeders

Oh and yes, you agencies all have a nice little file there at the DA now.
* There is such thing as burden of proof
* there is such thing as cease and desist
*there is no excuse for calling people and when they answer speaking their name to fool them into answering when you have not identified yourself no LEGITIMATE business does that.

people.. see a lawyer te consult is free and for $100 they will hold off and ask for burden of COMPLETE proof which these companies cant get because the debt has been sold off so many times. Not only that but each time its resold each co will still try to collect. Dont fall for it.
run your cred report go see a lawyer the consult and the report is free.

Screw you people you can along with the sentiment of the other poor victims here kiss my lilly white arse!!!! Youre not gettin a dime!!!!

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I've been paying these bastards $100 a month for what seems like an eternity now.... I'm about to cut this short right now....

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If you dispute the debt, you can send them a letter.

If the company writes off the debt, that means it's no longer a current account, and now in collections.

If you already paid it, send a dispute letter with a copy of your proof of payment.

The BBB lists them with an A+ rating.

Anyone can post anything on the Internet, if you search any company, you can find bad stuff. Also, I can search any collection agency and find bad stuff.

I recommend taking a personal finance class and learning how to deal with credit and collection issues.

Thank you for your time.

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614 388 9606 is their phone number. They just called me. It was shady from the get-go.

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Hello all you out there .

Just to clarify some things CBCS in actuality a real collections agency and is not a scam. Collections Agents for this company go through training just like you at a job. All CBCS does is received debtors amounts from the client company ex. Columbia gas, Aep, Duke power etc... We have no power over who we call . If your name is in our system then you owe someone money . So quit disputing every call and pay the bill so you won't have to hear the phone ring. If your acct. Serv got shut off at 11-23-08 and the agency received it on 1-12-10 that's 2 years of a delinquent balance . They just want you to help your self because a strong credit score helps you set yourself up for success thats all it is .

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