Someone has been calling my daughter, stating to be an "attorney" for an apartment complex, and telling her that if she doesn't pay immediately an amount that my daughter feels is unfair, this "attorney" will "ruin" her credit report? It sounded very much like a collection agency to me, but we are in different states. My daughter is in Texas, I am in South Carolina, so I called the said "Attorney's" phone number yesterday, to find out that the firms she works with is an "accounts receivable firm", or, collection agency. My daughter had a problem with an apartment lease, stayed for the full year lease, but didn't have the second renter on the original lease sign the renewal, and is now being charged about $2,000. in cancellation fees. If she had the $2,000, she wouldn't have moved. That in itself, is another problem. My question is, can my daughter get this agency to stop taking money from her bank account, even though they taped her, saying that she WOULD pay a certain amount each month? She doesn't have the money, they've already withdrawn $500.00 from her checking account. Can she send a form letter, requesting they NOT take any more? When she agreed to all of this, the "attorney" told her if she didn't pay, she would "ruin" her credit, which very much sounds like a threat! When my daughter agreed, was very upset and crying, and very intimidated by the "lawyer for the apartment complex", who was a collection agent, and possibly a lawyer, but surely not for the complex. If it were me, I'd move money to another bank, and will probably ask my daughter to do that. Any help would be greatly appreciated. According to all I've read, one cannot represent themself as an attorney. When I talked to this woman, I asked about her law degree, and she sounded surprised....but I told her....that from what my daughter told me, she was told that this lady was an "attorney"....of course, she flatly denied that, and said what she DID tell her was that if it didn't get paid, it would get sent to "pre-legal"! . Is there anything that she can do? Will a certified letter make them stop taking money from the account that they know she has? Or...should she move her money, the little that she has? Any help would be appreciated!
My question is, can my daughter get this agency to stop taking money from her bank account, even though they taped her, saying that she WOULD pay a certain amount each month? If it were me, I'd move money to another bank, and will probably ask my daughter to do that. ><- <>- ><- <> She needs to take the money out and close the account yesterday other wise they will bleed her dry with nothing left to pay her other expenses and nothing to live on.
My question is, can my daughter get this agency to stop taking money from her bank account, even though they taped her, saying that she WOULD pay a certain amount each month? If it were me, I'd move money to another bank, and will probably ask my daughter to do that. ><- <>- ><- <> She needs to take the money out and close the account yesterday other wise they will bleed her dry with nothing left to pay her other expenses and nothing to live on.
First of all, I agree she should close the account. Second, tell her to NEVER TALK to anyone on the phone. Tell them she will only communicate in writing. Either she gave them the account information, they have gotten a judgment, or they're pulling money from her account illegally. This is a scare tactic that they use to get people to pay. Tell her to write them a letter, CRRR, and state that she authorized the withdrawal (if she did) under duress, and she is countermanding that arrangement. She should then say that she isn't even sure what this is for, and she should ask for validation. She wants the copies of the original agreements and an accounting of the charges. It sounds like you already have one violation, at least, on representing themselves as attorneys. I'm sure there are a couple of more in there. Tell her not to TALK to anyone, and maybe you can get her out of this several thousand dollars richer.
