I have had two cases recently that have shown me a disturbing trend: debt collectors settling issues and then turning around and demanding more money! In one case, Erica Brachfeld, who also goes by Brachfeld Law Group, settled a case…
Posts Categorized In: News
California Debt Blog: Regional Arbitration Services
I have recently been contacted by several people who have had dealings with this company. As far as I can tell, Regional Arbitration Services is not an arbitration company at all, but rather a debt collection agency. I have never…
California Debt Blog: Aggressive Debt Collection Tactics
Jim Puzzanghera of the LA Times wrote a great story on debt collection tactics. Jim’s first paragraph tells the story of most people these days: “Hard economic times have helped push millions of Americans deeply into debt, plunging many into…
California Debt Blog: Stolen Credit Card Numbers Sell for $1.50
You may be surprised to learn that your credit card information, which many of us go to great lengths to protect, is worth only about $1.50 on the black market. A Washington Post reporter recently shopped for stolen credit and…
California Debt Blog: Former Debt Collector Ran Collection Business from Prison
If you believe that most professional debt collectors are honest, hardworking, salt of the earth type people, this story may change your mind. Lamont Cooper, age 38 and from New York, owned a business called Legal Action Recovery, which was…
California Debt Blog: Finding Unclaimed Property
Did you know that you may be owed money and may not even know it? Unclaimed property, also known as abandoned property, is money held by companies or financial institutions that have not generated any activity or been claimed by…
California Debt Blog: Tips on Using Credit Cards While Traveling Internationally
Are you planning an international trip soon? If so, the New York Times just published this great article with tips on using a credit card while traveling overseas. Credit card companies have been beefing up security measures lately in order…
California Debt Blog: First Class of Credit Card-Restricted Students Enters College
The first wave of freshmen affected by the new credit card reform act are beginning college this month, leading experts to wonder how successful the law will turn out to be. Under the new laws, if you are under 21…
California Debt Blog: New Regulations for Store Gift Cards to Take Effect
The credit card regulations passed in 2009 are being gradually phased in over time. On August 22, new regulations kick in that affect gift cards to stores such as Old Navy, Target and Best Buy. Gift cards will now be…
California Debt Blog: Pressure to Pay Others’ Debts a Growing Problem
A new problem with debt collectors has been emerging in recent years – debt collectors who pursue the wrong people in order to collect a debt owed by someone else. Some collectors even know that they are pursuing the wrong…