Northland Group review: Do not fall for their schemes! 57

ASSET ACCEPTANCE LLC AWAY!

I've had a similar experience and all I can tell you is that both "Northland Group" and their cohorts "Asset AcceptanceLLC " are in serious violations of FTC regulations & Federal law. Their IRS is also involved in what seems to be fraud in their tax claims. (A number of references are available-check internet search engines for more details).

With their collection letters and bully threats to file negative information on innocent peoples credit reports, their actions can also be considered a form of EXTORTION.

With all their attemtpts to collect on invalid and/or fraudulent debt, I doubt if you see either of these companies in stay business, and most likely, some of their officers might end up behind bars.

I urge anyone who has received collection attempts through "Notrthland Goup" of Asset Acceptance' attempting to collect on "Time-Barred' credit card debt(check your states statute of limitations on oral and wrtten debt agreements) to contact the FTC and file a complaint.

I have also been informed that there might be a class action suit against "Asset Acceptance" in the near future by those who have been bullied by them.

Stay posted through your search engines.

Dispute the account with the credit reporting agencies a send to the collection agencie a certified letter for validation of the account, means a copy of the original application signed by yu and payment history, also if they are pulling unautorized hard inquiries on your credit reports you can sue them for $1,000 per violation based in this case of law from 2007, is as follows...

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Pintos v. Pacific Creditors Association, Case no 04-17485 (September 21, 2007, Ninth Circuit)

Below is an excerpt from the Opinion by Richard R. Clifton, Circuit Judge:

Maria E. Pintos appeals the district court’s summary adjudication of her claims under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”), 15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq. Pintos contends that Pacific Creditors Association violated the FCRA by obtaining, without any FCRA-sanctioned purpose, a credit report on her from Experian Information Solutions, Inc., a credit reporting agency. Pintos also argues that Experian violated the FCRA by furnishing the report to PCA.

The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants. Relying on our decision in Hasbun v. County of Los Angeles, 323 F.3d 801 (9th Cir. 2003), the court held that PCA was authorized to obtain Pintos’s credit report under15 U.S.C. § 1681b(a)(3)(A) because it was attempting to collect a debt from Pintos. Hasbun held that debt collection was a permissible purpose for obtaining a credit report, but we decided that case prior to the enactment of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (“FACTA”), Pub. L. No.108-159, 117 Stat. 1952. FACTA makes clear that debt collection is a permissible purpose for obtaining a credit report under § 1681b(a)(3)(A) only in connection with a “credit transaction” in which a consumer has participated directly and voluntarily. Because PCA obtained a credit report on Pintos unrelated to any such transaction, we reverse the district court with respect to Pintos’s claims against PCA and remand for further proceedings with respect to damages and to Experian’s liability.

Debt Buyers’ Association International, an industry trade group for junk debt buyers, has issued the following ‘member alert’ with regards to this ruling:

The Pintos Court held that the FACT ACT only allows for credit reports to be obtained in connection with collection attempts when there was an underlying “credit transaction” under the FACT ACT. Further, the Court held that a towing debt was not part of a credit transaction. The Court also found Experian liable for allowing the impermissible pull. Debt buyers are encouraged to review with their counsel their practices in pulling credit bureau reports in light of this decision.

Section 616 of the FCRA states that “obtaining a consumer report under false pretences or knowingly without a permissible purpose” makes that person liable to the consumer for “actual damages sustained by the consumer” or “$1,000, whichever is greater

I just received a letter from Nothland Group and they say that I owed them 1, 731.79 and i can pay them off with my rebate check from the gov. I never had a credit card from Captital One.

This is in response to e-mail posted by Susann Taylor, posted 2.12.2007, regarding collection agency Northland Group, Inc.

*Northland Group, Inc. does not deal with student loans & never has. You may have them confused with another agency since you stated the collection representative told you the debt was a student loan.

*Northland Group does not have detailed information about any of their accounts. Reason being, they are not a debt purchaser. Northland has a contract with their clients (creditors), usually lasting no longer than a year. This means Northland has that time to collect the debt, if they are unsuccessful, the debt simply goes right back to the client. Northland Group can provide the original creditor, beginning date of account, charge-off date, balance, and interest rate, if any.

*Northland Group is a COLLECTION AGENCY. Obviously, there will be many complaints about them, as with any other company in this industry. Northland Group has been in business for 24 years, and is one of the best at what they do. They have an excellent reputation with the Better Business Bureau, which is the only one that really matters.

*It’s good you were able to figure out you owed $575 to Citibank 10 years ago. Unfortunately, the only way to fix debt is to pay it or file bankruptcy. Citibank, along with any other creditor, does not “write-off” debt. Ever. They may not pursue legal action at that point, but the bill is still owed. That’s why you are in collections.

The above post is NOT TRUE. I think it was written by a collection agency themself.

Especially the last paragraph.

Actually, the worst thing you can do is pay the debt or file for bankruptcy.

Citibank DOES WRITE OFF DEBT. And after your states Statute of Limitations, they can't even legally collect. After 7 years, they cannot legally report on your credit report.

I got a letter from the Northland Group saying i owe money for a sears card. I have used credit cards at sears in the past but never actually had a sears card.

Northland Group is attempting to collect on a Capital One card that supposedly was issued in the name of the 3-year-old that lives in the house. No one here has ever had a Capital One account

I suspect identity theft from someplace - interestingly, after I contacted Northland Group about what appears to have happened - they are STILL trying to make the 3-year-old pay on his debt!

Guess, I better get him employed, able to answer the phone, teach him how to write, and get a "real" job besides going to pre-school! =)

I have contacted my own attorney to see how to handle this situtation.

I am so annoyed but this complete scam! Short story: Messages saying to call, letters saying I owe $154.53 which I absolutely do NOT. They claim the original creditor was Ge Capital/Old Navy. Don't be fooled by these people! I actually did try to call this morning their toll free number to see if there may be a way to end the letters and the guy was a complete idiot. When he aswered the phone it seemed like he was most likely at home and doing the laundry or something...answered the phone totally casually like it was a residence. Northland Group Inc. is a scam.

In the state where I live, Texas, the statute of limitations to collect on a debt like this (student loans not included) is four years. The four year period starts from the default date, the month due after the last month you paid. If you account is over four years old since the default date these [censored]s can't collect from you anyway. This company is trashy and claiming on their website that they are so upstanding and wonderful. They commit lots of illegal acts, i have about three illegal debt collector violations that they have pulled.

My son was contacted by Northland about a 6 year old dept on a Capitol One Card offering to settle for $7oo on a $1500 balance.(mostly interest) as the only card he had was limited to $200.
WELL GUESS WHAT! Capitol one has their own credit department and does not farm out debt collection to anyone and never has, so if contacted by these scammers in regards to Capitol on tell them where to go and report them to the Capitol one Accounting department as they told us that they want them put behind bars.

Northland Group Inc sent me a letter regarding an 11 yr old transaction that was not owed any longer. They call repeatedly harrassing me for money I don't owe. They are the 3rd outlaw collection agency, from 3 different states to call me on this 0ld transaction from a check cashing store. I am in Oregon, and have had contacts call me from Georgia, Nevada, and now Minnesota! My states consumer protection agency told me if they were legitimate they wouldn't be in another state, and to tell them they have to file a small claims suit to collect. Once I write them that, they stop, but then they pass my name off to another one! I will probably end up getting an attorney to help investigate and hopefully prosecute whoever started this scam!

I just received a letter today for almost 800.00? I have never had a credit card and I am still paying off my student loans SO WHAT IS THIS? The rep I spoke to didnt have any idea who the original creditor was suppose to be? What do they expect people to do these days...

The only people who complain about collection agencies are the people who owe money to them! Federal and state laws protect DEBTORS, not BILL COLLECTORS. With it being 2008 & society being how it is, people seem to have the mentally that things "fall off" their credit report or the bad debt will be "forgiven". This does not happen. Debt does not disappear, you can either pay your bills or file bankruptcy. If you don't want collectors calling you, PAY YOUR BILLS, it's that simple. Of course many people come into hard times. The ones who pull themselves together to get through those times & eventually pay their debts are the ones who have morals. People do not pay their bills because its "fun". Also, being in debt, runs in the family. If your parents are in debt, most likely you will be too, and so will your children. Notice how all the complaint e-mails are exactly the same. WE need to start setting a better example for our children, they have hardly a chance as it is. Being a DEBTOR does not help America grow up.

Like many of you I recieved this nasty letter in the mail, and I did'nt have a clue to what it was about.So I called, the person also sounded like he was eating his lunch while on the phone.O.k. so he lacked alittle proffessionalism, is he legit or not? The debt was for 2612.48 from 1999, he told me they would settle for 1384.61, how nice. He could only tell me by DOB, social, and acouple of places I've lived, not all that hard to find that info online. Sorry I'm just not buying it.Well he did tell me that I could write a letter " requesting Verification." but if I did that the 1300.00 offer went away and and I would have to pay the full amount.Iasked him why it had'nt shown up on a credit report .He said it was to old and that it had been reomoved as of April of this year.Sorry that's bull, I've been checking my report for over a year now to purposely to clean up bad debt and I've never seen it before.A nd there are things on there older than that and I've paid them off.I mean I'm suppose to hand over 1300.00 no questions asked and everthing will be hunky dorry.rrrriiigghhht.

I actually paid off what they said I owed. I had 3 payments to make before a certain time. Well, to be honest, my credit is good, but I did have a pending credit card debt from the past. So when i got the notice, i just figured I'd pay it and let it be over with. It was for about $600. I paid the first 2 payments on time, then i lost track of where i put the 3rd stub that he claimed i needed to send in with payment. i got calls and letters, and i ended up paying the last payment without the stub and actually over-paid by about 5 bucks . I still get harrasing calls and letters. It's all paid off and they still want more! i think this is a scam and I'm offended by the person who e-mailed the comment about being responsible for your debts. I'm a very responsible person and you're right, but i do think these people are definitely taking advantage of others. Just watch out for them!

Being somewhat of a victim of Hurricane Ike, I wasn't able to return to work. I knew that I had an upcoming bill to pay, which was for Northland Group Inc., so I decided to give them a call to push my payment date up. After moving the date I decided to Google the company name just to be sure that it was a legit company and I stumbled upon this site. I was in awe when I found that I could potentially be a victim of a scam. What further actions should I take, legal or otherwise?

This is how you fight. Go to the Northland
Group Web site and find Robert Morton contact phone
number. This is his cell. Constantly call his
phone. I have called him at home, while he
was away on business, while he was in the
car. I think he sleeps by his phone. He actually
begged me, as a man, to stop calling. I had him
promise to have Northland Group to stop
calling in exchange for me to stop calling his
business cell phone. One year plus later I got
a phone call from Josh from the N.G. I had
Mortons number still in my cell, I called him
informing him our deal is off. He called me back
within the hour and informed my number would
be taken back out of his system the next day. He is
very polite, unlike his agents, and all calls
have stopped.

CALL CALL CALL and then CALL some mored. He
will delete your number the next day. He is very
nice and does not want to waste his time talking
to you about a defunt debt that he knows you will
not pay.

Sadly, I actually felt a little badly for how I was
able to turn the tables on him. What am I crazy.
The reason why he picked up my call on the first
ring every time, every hour of the day and night
is because he thought he was going to make money.

By the By, the Amanda person I know who you are.
You are Mikki Wagg (northland grp. supervisor)

Good Luck! call him! It will work!

wrong name

His name is David Morton

his cell is [protected]

MY HUSBAND RECIEVED A LETTER IN THE MAIL FROM NORTHLAND GROUP INCORP. SAYING THAT HE HAD OPENED AN ACCOUNT WITH GUARANTY BANK IN 2006AND THAT HE OWE THEM 332.95 . IT WAS SENT TO THEIR COLLECTION AGENCY IN 2007. I DID MY RESEARCH AND CALLED THE BANK THEY HAD NO REFERENCE IN REGARDS TO THIS ACCOUNT AND MY HUSBAND INFORMATION DID NOT APPEAR NO WHERE IN THEIR DATA BASE. I STARTED TO LOOK UNDET THE BETTER BUISNESS BUREAU AND TO MY SURPRISE THEY WERE THERE BUT UNDER FALSE PRETENSES. IT IS TO MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY USE YOUR CREDIT REPORT TO PULL INFORMATION ON PREVIOUS ACCOUNTS THAT YOU OWE TO OR HAVE ALREADY PAID OFF YOUR DEBT. DO NOT AND I STRESS DO NOT PAY THESE SCHEMES NO ATTENTION. PLEASE DO NOT STOP HERE TAKE THIS TO LEGAL MATTERS THIS IS YOUR LIFE THAT THEY ARE MESSING WITH. THEY NEED TO BE PROSTITUTED AT ALL COST.

I just got of the phone with these jerks! They were trying to collect on a debt that was written off like 5 yrs ago. Then the guy "Brian" tried to get all snooty with me and I had to tell him off, and he hung up on me when I started talking abt how the hell was he gonna call me at 8pm, I just got in the house from doing a double shift at the hospital (R.N.) and here he making 9 or 10 bucks an hour telling me that I need to clear this up by tomorrow. He didn't like that so he hung up on me. ###!

To the person who posted "The only people who complain about collection agencies are the people who owe money to them!" you are an idiot.
I pay my bills and because my name is the same as some loser who doesn't, they call me and try to get me to pay. They lie about the reason for their call if someone else answers the phone too. They told my wife that I called them on legitimate business and they are simply 'returning' the call.
Once I clear it up with them they will stop- but this does not keep them from including my name on the list they sell to the next collection agency which starts the whole process again.

It appears that this guy had the same issues with The Northland Group and his website exsits due to their shady antics: http://www.igotthelastword.com

Amanda is a joke and a bottom feeder just like Northland Group, since she is part of it. Not only do I not owe a debt, these people just phoned me this morning telling me, you are in serious trouble here, we know where you live and if you think we can't come there we will. I told the man I didn't know who he was, what he wanted and to leave me alone. He asked for my address and when I refused to give it, he told me what it was, he then asked for my name, social security number and told me if I gave him my bank acct info. they would make a one time direct debit and then I wouldn't 'have to worry about us showing up at your home.'
I told him to take a hike and that I was reporting him to the police for making threats. He laughed and said, 'unless you have it on tape, you can't prove it. Pennsylvania does not allow calls to be recorded, so I'm in the clear. You are not, f****** loser deadbeat.
Sounds like a violent man and a violent company.
Don't answer their calls and don't engage with them in any manner.

My boyfriend is receiving the same letters. One back in January and then another one. This one says "In view of Tax time..." I keep all paperwork and we compared the notices...they have 2 different accout numbers and two different client names. I was getting ready to pay them to help my boyfriends credit...that is before we got this notice today...now I am doing the research and have read all the comments. I am so glad we didnt send them any money. My boyfriend said that when he called, which was 3 times, its the same person that answers every time, and that he is casual like its a residence, just hello. This gentleman says when the card was opened, but we have requested more information, he says they will send a packet...but mysteriously the packed never arrives. The account supposedly is Pac-Sun, a store my boyfriend likes, but has never had a card in his name...It looks like I will be doing more research...but no money will live our hands to go to this guy...Thanks everyone for complaining!

The Northland Group is a "SCAVENGER COLLECTOR" whereby they buy debt written off by creditors like Citi, etc. Then they assess fee's. What to do, check your state Statue of Limitation. Contact the creditor if and arrange a payment plan, by no mean pay NORTHLAND GROUP, they are a 3rd party collector, and no funds will be return to your creditor. Report Northland Group to your State Attorney General and Better Business Bureau.

Interesting. I too just received a letter from Northland Group Inc. from MN in lieu of something with Asset Acceptance LLC. This is crazy, I followed up with the Asset issue that showed up on my credit report before I got married. They had no record or could not tell me what company they 'acquired' the account from. The account was for $12, 000 so you mean to tell me that I supposedly owe someone $12, 000 and don't remember? Not likely. The letter also said they would clear it up for $7, 000, again not likely. So again you can't give me any information and I am supposed to write over to you on your word. No documentation or nothing, the Asset also said that they were taking me to court. Let's go then was what I told him that my attorney would love to speak face to face, that was 4 years ago. My thought is to let's take this to Suze Orman show, we can quickly make Northland Group and Asset Acceptance famous. Good luck all

This is the first time I am dealing with Northland, but my Parent's told me that they keep calling for me there (which I have no idea how they got my Parent's number; I haven't lived there in 4 years). Anyways, I am not sure why they would be calling. My Mom wasn't able to pull anything up online, and when I did.. this is the first site I came to. I have to give Northland a call, but I wanted to see what kind of Collection Agency it was before I dish out any money to them. I know I have some things on my Credit, but I have never owned a Credit Card, nor any kind of Student Loans. I've seen several people talk about their Citi Cards and I have had Citi Health in the past, but that is a nightmare. I am being charged over $1, 000 for something that the Dental was not to make (and we were told it wasn't going to be made since my Husband had orders to go back to the Mainland) and she ended up making it anyways and we are being charged. My Parents hired a Friend of their's to do the case and we made a check for Citi and agreed with them.. if cashed, payment is made in full. Ok, haven't heard from them in about 6 months. Now, if Northland is apart of Citi, than I am guessing it could be about the Dental Case. But this is getting annoying. They agreed to the payment if cashed, they got their money, case is closed. Well, apparently, not for them. Very annoying after while, if you ask me. I hate Citi.

can anyone help me and everyone esle that is in the same boat as to get out of this scam...PLEZ...

oh crap i got a letter today and called ...they asked me for my ss number i told them i would only give the last four digits ...and like a fool i gave them that...and he said oh we must have made a mistake then cuz your number isn't the person they were looking for? now they have the last four digits of my ss...do you think they are going to use that in a fraudulent way? after i hung up i realized i should have never gave them those digits...so i decided to look them up on the puter and found this site about that scamming company...any suggestions or thought about what i should do if anything knowing they have my last four digits of my ss number...!

Northland Group Inc. was extremely unprofessional and overtly rude! When I could prove that I previously resolved a debt from 2007, the customer service representative suggested that my payment was not honored by a different agency because it was late. He made that assumption - the payment was made as agreed. To make matters worse, the customer service representative openly insulted my intelligence, mocked by dialect and made exaggerations about the length of the call. Immediately an argument ensued and I asked to speak with another representative. Initially he refused my request but eventually passed the phone to another rude agent. Thankfully, I have records to support my payment history. What a nightmare!

I have received two letters from Northland Group. They say they are trying to collect a debt for "Arrow, " and I don't even know what they are talking about. I am a single working mother of two, and my dad has cancer, so I have very little time, if any, to be fooling around with these idiots! After seeing this website a month ago when I got the first letter, I took the advise of some, and have just ignored them. Now I am worried that they might fraudulently mar my credit. Can someone please tell me the quickest and easiest way to deal with these low-life leaches?

I got one too. I was too frightened to even call them at first because I have bills piling up due to my current health situation. It’s not good. Lots of people are hunting me for payment that I cannot make at this time, and I have to prioritize as a disabled parent of 4, money is tight and my husband was recently terminated after 10 years and 3 different states with the same company. We cannot afford to pay fraudulent creeps like this. Hurray for those who speak up and document what these creeps are doing to us!

Interestingly - I got a post card about a settlement I was entitled too about 3 weeks before this letter! It wanted my signature and to know what dates I felt I was rejected credit due to my bankruptcy (too see if I was eligible or had paperwork about all the debts in the bankruptcy) I signed it and mailed it in. Now my husband got the very same post card! I wonder if they are connected? ….. lure you in with an offer of fast payout through a settlement then pull your records one they know whether or not you have paperwork. Those WITH paperwork would be harder to scam like this. I said I did not have the paperwork. Then I got this letter. If my hubby gets a letter too then we will know they are connected. He had a bankruptcy in “01, mine was in “97 when my first born daughter passed away and I was too depressed to work or pay anything, all I did was cry and lose sleep for about a year.

Has anyone else received this suspicious post card (or letter) asking about a class action lawsuit weeks or months prior to getting the letter from North shore? I worked for a government agency and was always told that if a scam comes by mail, that he post master in your area needs to be notified and they can open a file and look into it because these creeps are using the US Postal service to scam and harass us all. I plan to go Monday to see the local postmaster about it since I have both mailings and then I am going to call this company & this David guy. I might just get my disability attorney involved, since he does bankruptcies also, I am sure he would like to see how I am being harassed along with several dozen others. .

The debt amount he is referring to in my letter was a WRITE OFF after my auto loan company sold its loans to a larger company who decided my 30-days late final 2 auto payments wasn't worth pursuing me for so they "wrote it off" and closed. I had no choice in the matter ...they wanted the money NOW or write it off and make it appear on my credit like the wrote off the entire $17, 000 when they actually wrote off 2 car payments at the END of a loan for $567 bucks! Now my credit (for 8 years now) reflects that I had a $17, 000 write off when I worked hard to pay off that loan. This has followed and haunted my credit for nearly 10 years and NOW they want to try to collect it from me!? I think NOT. The company that originally owned my loan in no longer in business and if the collector cannot prove the debt within 30 days they cannot pursue you and they MUST remove it from your credit, good luck with that though…. its been on ONE reporting bureau the whole time as a negative entry. ###. They make me ill.

Since I am now disabled and a stay home mom, I will dedicate some time looking into this if anyone needs helps because of the time factor let me know. Just email me I will keep you posted on my progress with these creeps. This is not right and we cannot sit back and let them do this! Feel free to contact me, and I will post if I have something new.

Stay tough, just because we owe a debt doesn’t mean we are second-class citizens. We have rights too.

when banks sell debt the records go with the debt to the new owner. and this info is available...if you want to be smart and request the docs..sure make the banks or debt purchasers work for there money then..hahaha you will be paying the full balance just so you know. so request away. and wait and see...fyi
3rd party collection agencies don't buy debt. they just collect on debt that is owed. if you do remember signing up for interest and late fee if you quit paying read your original contract that comes to you when you sign up for cards. if life gets the best of you for a year or two most people take it upon themselves to clean it up and not cry about their mistakes. if you are a cry baby and don't intend to pay...then you can further your problems. NOOO big deal for us.

ngi collects for lots of companies: capital one, home depot, citi-bank and numerous debt purchasers (thank goodness for them or there would have been a bail out by 2000)

just remember doing the right thing is always right. being a weasel won't make you feel good in the long run. ...unless you are a thief at heart and if that's the case you come from a bloodline that was in debtors prison back in the super olden days...and i understand its hard to break cycles.

Northland called me today about a debt that I was paying as agreed until the creditor Heliq Meyers filed for bankruptcy in 2001. I started sending my payments to the bankruptcy court until they started sending my payments back and did not provide me with a forwarding address. I called the Bankruptcy court in 2003 and asked them what I shpould do and they told me I should get a notice soon where to send the remaining payments. Today 1/25/2010 Northland Group called me and they were very rude and I told them not toi ever call me again, at which time I was threatened with legal action which I know is Bull. I am going to report this threat to the FTC. This is a scam company. I saw on the last page of comments someone saying how great Northland was, and telling someone who had a 10 year old debt with Citi Bank to file for bankruptcy. This company is typical of companies who buy old debts for almost nothing and anything they collect is money oin their pocket, not the debtor. Heliq Meyers has been out of business for at least 8 years now, and I kinow anything paid to Northern would not benefit Heliq Meyers. I tried to contact them in 2002 and 2003, but I was not successful. I did not send them into bankruptcy and I made payments as long as I had a address to do so. Northland needs to be run out of business. I hope that person that was told to file bankruptcy over a $500 dollar 10 year old debt did not take this stupid advice.

Just received the exact same letter today (02/20/2010) about a very old that was written off 8 or 9 years ago from Capital One. Typical letter ... "In view of Tax season" bla bla bla.
This company is slime !

Well, these jokers just called our home phone looking for someone who doesn't (and never has) lived here. I figure it was a "similar last name" fishing expedition. If you feel harrassed, then harrass 'em back. Here's how: They are a Minnesota Licensed Agency. The Minnesota Dept. of Commerce (Commerce) regulates them. So go to http://www.commerce.state.mn.us. Follow the links and submit a complaint. Give the the name of the joker who called, the date and time of the call, er and the number from callerID. PS. They have an 800 number [protected] that maintains calling records. These records can be used by Commerce to back up your complaint.
Another way is to turn the tables (if you never had the debt that they claim): Politely explain that you charge for your time on an hourly rate and that you charge in 10ths of an hour. Pick a professional rate $200/hr. and explain that their first call is free, but you will charge them the hourly rate for reading and responding to their eMail, Snail Mail, and any other telephone calls (regardless of who initiated the call). Then create an account number & invoice 'em with a certified letter (return receipt required). Invoice them every month, adding late charges and interest. Save copies of the invoices & return receipts. When you have 3 months of unpaid bills, send them a summons to small claims court. Go to court & get a judgement. Then call the Hennepin County Sherriff and start an action to collect. ... Enjoy.
PS. Keep a log of every action in a dedicated notebook. And remember, he who documents first and most wins!

This is a scam, I got a letter wanting me to pay 696.62 with no explanation of what this debt is for at all. They [censor]ed the spelling in my name up all to hell and made up some account number to some bank I've never heard of calling them the "original creditor".

This is a classic scam I've seen before. They just start pulling information out of their [censor] and send out letters to everyone they can. They say you owe X amount knowing good and well that you don't owe anything. Most people will just toss the letter in the trash, others will complain. Sadly there are a small percentage of people out there that won't question it and just pay it. That's what they are banking on. If they sound out millions of letters and thousands of people pay. It won't be long before the scammer has a pretty big bank account.

I just recently got my free credit reports to start checking and cleaning up my credit and there was a debt from an old citi bank card on there and when I called the number for the bank (which answered as Citi) and entered my account # I was transferred to Northland Group from Citi. NOT ALL OF THESE CALLS AND LETTERS ARE ILLEGITIMATE. They are collecting a debt that I owe. The guy I spoke with was kind and considerate. If you are interested in cleaning up your credit, do some research yourself. Don't rely on Northland to give you all the answers. Pull your credit report and make some calls. You can get to the bottom of it and feel more secure in paying the debt and feel better about paying what you owe. This is the second time in my life I've had to deal with collectors and while the calls and letters are annoying...if you owe a debt and you make an effort to pay it I have found that they are pretty courteous. GET INFORMED!

I HAVE THIS COMPANY CALLING ME EVERY DAY SOMETIMES TWICE DAILY ASKING ME FOR MY SON. i KNOW MY SON HAS OLD DEBTS THAT ARE TIME BARRED AND THAT THERE IS NO LONGER A COLLECTION ACTION AVAILABLE TO THIS COMPANY. i TOLD THEM SEVERAL TIMES THAT HE DOES NOT LIVE WITH ME AND HVE NO IDEA WHY THEY ARE CALLING ME. WHAT CAN I DO THEY HAVE IGNORED MY REQUESTS TO STOP CALING ME?

Like many other users, Northland Group sent me a offer settlement. They said the creditor was USBank. Because I have current accounts with USBank, I knew the debt was not valid. This was confirmed when I called USBank to ask about the account. USBank did not have record of it (surprise surprise). The USBank representative also said it seemed like this company was using 'skip tracing' which means that they will send that letter to anyone with the same name as the debtor (without checking social security number or anything else to verify). I wrote multiple letters to Northland Group and the debt was finally confirmed as not mine and illitigmate, but it tooks many certified letters and a couple months to clear this up. And lo and behold I received another letter from them again the other day. Northland Group employs bad business practices of sending debt collection letters without verifying any of the information on their accounts. As consumers we are protected from these under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Next time Northland Group sends you a letter, send them one back (like the one below) asking them to verify all the information before you pay them a dime. Chances are I'm sure you'll find that the debt was never yours to begin with.
[Your Name]
[Street Address]
[City, ST ZIP Code]
DATE
Northland Group Inc.
P.O. Box 390846
Minneapolis, MN 55439

RE: [Account/Case/ID/Reference] # [ABC12345]
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter is being sent to you in response to a notice I received on [date]. Be advised that this is not a refusal to pay, but a notice sent pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 USC 1692g Sec. 809 (b) that your claim is disputed and validation is requested.
This is NOT a request for “verification” or proof of my mailing address, but a request for VALIDATION made pursuant to the above named Title and Section. I respectfully request that your offices provide me with competent evidence that I have any legal obligation to pay you.
I humbly request your Debt Collection agency to provide me with the following information in order to validate this debt:
- Show me what do I owe this money for; and what purchases did I make or what Services did I receive?
- Show me the details and calculations of how you calculated that amount.
- Provide me with letters or proof that I agreed to pay what you say I owe.
- Provide me with verification or judgment of any debts owed.
- Identify to me the Original Creditor from whom I made the purchase.
- Prove that the Statute of Limitations has not expired on this debt
- Show me that you are licensed to collect this debt in my State
- Show me your Debt Collection Rights License #
- Show me that you are authorized to collect this debt on behalf of the Original Creditor.
- Give me a complete transaction and payment history from the Original Creditor.
- Show me what the original amount was when this Debt was assigned to your Debt Collection Agency. **
- Show me any fees and interest charges that have been added on to this debt. **
- Show me how you determined and arrived at these fees. **
- Give me a copy of the original signed loan or credit card application with the Original Creditor.
** These debt validation requests are Law under the following Court Case:
Fields v. Wilber Law Firm, Donald L. Wilber and Kenneth Wilber, USCA-02-C-0072, 7th Circuit Court, Sept 2004
At this time I will also inform you that if your offices have reported invalidated information to any of the 3 major Credit Bureau’s (Equifax, Experian or TransUnion) this action might constitute fraud under both Federal and State Laws. Due to this fact, if any negative mark is found on any of my credit reports by your company or the company that you represent I will not hesitate in bringing legal action against you for the following:
- Fair Credit Reporting Act
- Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
- Defamation of Character
If your offices are able to provide me with all the proper documentation as requested in the following Declaration, I will require at least 30 days to investigate this information and during such time all collection activity must cease and desist.
Also during this validation period, if any action is taken which could be considered detrimental to any of my credit reports, I will consult with my legal counsel for suit. This includes any listing any information to a credit reporting repository that could be inaccurate or invalidated or verifying an account as accurate when in fact there is no provided proof that it is.
If your offices fail to respond to this validation request within 30 days from the date of your receipt, all references to this account must be deleted and completely removed from my credit file and a copy of such deletion request shall be sent to me immediately.
I would also like to request, in writing, that no telephone contact be made by your offices to my home or to my place of employment. If your offices attempt telephone communication with me, including but not limited to computer generated calls and calls or correspondence sent to or with any third parties, it will be considered harassment and I will have no choice but to file suit. All future communications with me MUST be done in writing and sent to the address noted in this letter by USPS.
It would be advisable that you assure that your records are in order before I am forced to take legal action. This is an attempt to correct your records; any information obtained shall be used for that purpose.
Best Regards,
[Your Name]