The First Financial Resources, Inc calling you? Know what you need to know in order to deal with them.

In case you lag behind from your monthly bill payments, you’ll be aimed at by the debt collectors. Their objective is to make you pay the debt or make acceptable payment arrangements. Debt collection is 100% legal, but harassing and threatening you in the process is definitely not.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was voted for in 1977 to protect obliged consumers from being frightened and harassed by the third-party debt collectors. It keeps the collection agents under control, holding to what they may or may not do during their communications with the clients. Behaviors like the ones stated below are illegal and result in strict outcomes:

  • The usage of abusive tone or language.
  • Establishing the contact with a person at awkward times, i.e before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. (depending upon your time zone).
  • Calling you at their workplace after being requested not to.
  • Talking to someone who has opted for an attorney to represent them in regards to the debt.
  • Implying to take threatening action, which they are not likely to take legally, like having someone arrested or jailed for default.
  • Sharing confidential details regarding the debt with anyone except the consumer, their attorney, or spouse.

Violations committed against First Financial Resources, Inc.

First Financial Resources, Inc is recognized as a debt collection agency that is located in Framingham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1990, it has 10 to 19 employees, and currently managed by Jenna Gorzynski.

The files available at the website of PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) confirm that First Financial Resources, Inc has been dragged to the court for allegedly violating the FDCPA in some of the debt collection attempts.

Jason D. Tanty vs. First Financial Resources, Inc.

On April 27, 2010, Illinois residents Jason Tanty and his wife decided to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition. The list of liabilities included on his bankruptcy petition was of the debts that he owed to the Harris Bank.

The date was August 17, and Mr. Tanty received a discharge from the Bankruptcy Court as to his debts that include the ones he owed to Harris Bank. On August 19, 2010, the court sent the notice of discharge to the bank.

Undeterred, Harris Bank asked the First Financial Resources, Inc to send a collection letter to Mr. Tanty, dated October 8, 2010, asking for the payment of one of his debts. His attorneys clearly notified the agency that it had to stop the collections because the bank debt was no longer owed by Mr. Tanty.

Ignoring the request of his attorneys, the agency again sent two more collection letters to him, dated January 24, 2011, and March 1, 2011, with the demand of the payment of another Harris Bank debt that is owned by him before the bankruptcy, and they threaten to create a negative credit report about all the debts.

Mr. Tanty consulted a consumer attorney to sue the First Financial Resources, Inc for the below-mentioned FDCPA violations:

  • Taking the support of false and misleading tactics for the debt collection.
  • Trying to avail an already discharged debt.
  • Threatening to develop a negative credit report.
  • Claiming to take actions which could not be legally taken or were not intended to be taken.

The matter was sorted out later.

Here are the phone numbers for First Financial Resources, Inc:

  • 1-508-647-5155
  • 1-800-747-2302

If any one of these numbers reflects on your phone, take notice that a collection agency is going to be on the line. If they deliver any kind of threats upon your refusal of paying a discharged debt, you can consult or take advice from a debt relief informational agency.

In case you decide to sue First Financial Resources, Inc, you could win $1,000 per FDCPA violation along with the costs of your attorney’s fees, court costs, and other actual damages.

Don’t refrain to push the company to court if they push you first.

Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov).

The case file number is 1:11-cv-02130 from United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.

Disclaimer: The given content in this article has a clear objective of providing information and one should refrain from using it as a legal advice. If you go for filing a claim against First Financial Resources or any other collection agency, you might not be entitled to any reimbursement.