Afni - Afni Collections ripoff Fraudulent billing from 10 yrs. ago wrong address different names on account and I haven't had a phone in my name Bloomington Illinois

To the ex-employee, who has hopefully move on to gainful employment, did you either stop to consider the statue of limitations for these collection attempts on supposed accounts that are so dated? Most states have a statue of limitation for collections/debts of 3 to 7 years. As it is rate for most people to keep records past 7 years, if even that long, it's nearly impossible to contest a supposed debt that can't even be verified by this company...doesn't it make you wonder if they are doing this on purpose...hence as a scam. Good luck to you and please advise any former co-workers to move on to legitimate employment.

To the ex-employee, who has hopefully move on to gainful employment, did you either stop to consider the statue of limitations for these collection attempts on supposed accounts that are so dated? Most states have a statue of limitation for collections/debts of 3 to 7 years. As it is rate for most people to keep records past 7 years, if even that long, it's nearly impossible to contest a supposed debt that can't even be verified by this company...doesn't it make you wonder if they are doing this on purpose...hence as a scam. Good luck to you and please advise any former co-workers to move on to legitimate employment.

To the ex-employee, who has hopefully move on to gainful employment, did you either stop to consider the statue of limitations for these collection attempts on supposed accounts that are so dated? Most states have a statue of limitation for collections/debts of 3 to 7 years. As it is rate for most people to keep records past 7 years, if even that long, it's nearly impossible to contest a supposed debt that can't even be verified by this company...doesn't it make you wonder if they are doing this on purpose...hence as a scam. Good luck to you and please advise any former co-workers to move on to legitimate employment.

AFNI is in no way a "legitimate" organization. While they may be properly registered to conduct business (I can't verify this), they are the lowest of bottom feeders and should be avoided at all costs. If you get a letter from them dispute it immediately and NEVER talk directly on the telephone to them.

My girlfriend received a letter from them stating that she owed money on a telephone bill from Utah over 4 years ago, beyond the statute of limitations. In addition, all the information on the bill was wrong. Without thinking about it she called them and they asked her for updated information. In a moment without thinking about it, she provided them current name and address information and all they did was say she still owes it, thanks for the update.

We disputed in writing and they wrote her back stating all collection attempts were cancelled.

3 months later, they are after us again for the same thing.

Bottom Feeders like AFNI buy very old and hard to collect debts for pennies on the dollar and use anything and everything, legal or other, to intimidate people into paying, even if it is not your debt. They use only the minimum amount of research to match a name and send you a bill, even if it is not yours, in hopes that some of them will pay something.

Avoid these bottom feeders, dispute in writing by certified mail (do not use PO Box, find their physical address for the letter), and NEVER, EVER talk to them on the telephone: Conduct all business in writing and keep copies of everything.

First, just for the record, Afni is not a scam. They are a legitimate company that basically provide outsourcing services for other companies. They run call centers, third-party collections, and insurance outsourcing for a number of large businesses. They have been in business for over 70 years and you can find out more at their website, www.afniupsourcing.com.

Afni does not "make up" or fabricate the accounts it collects on. The accounts are obtained from the companies Afni does business with. If there is a discrepancy with the account, it was not produced by Afni, it originated with the initial creditor.

In your situation, you say you never had a phone in your name. Is it possible that you co-signed for anyone at some point in time? Also you say that you never lived at any of the service addresses the representative mentioned. Do you recognize any of the addresses at all? Did you know anyone that lived there? It is possible that you may have co-signed for someone and forgot. It is also possible that an acquaintance may have used your personal information to set up his/her own phone.

If you are positive that you did not co-sign for anyone and feel that this account was set up in your name fraudulently, there are a couple things you should do. Contact Afni and request a statement letter that shows the original creditor's name (Verizon), the original account number, and the balance so you have this for your records. At this time you should also inform the representative that you believe this was a fraudulent account and would like to file fraud. When you do this, make sure they have at least your current mailing address on file so that all this information is sent to the proper address and you receive it.

The procedure for filing fraud varies based on who the original creditor was, but the gist of it is that generally you will be required to send a copy of some form of identification, proof of your residence at the time of the account in question, and a notarized fraud affidavit. Some companies send other additional paperwork and some companies allow you to do it online. Whichever is the case, the representative should know the proper procedure for that specific creditor.

Once you receive the fraud paperwork, complete it and return it within 30 days. When you do send it back, send it by Certified Mail with Return Receipt. This provides you with a receipt from the USPS showing that the papers were sent and what date they were sent on. It also provided you with a tracking number to where you can monitor its delivery online and it also requires someone at the receiving company (Afni) to sign for it, a copy of which is sent to you for your records and also kept on record with the USPS

In addition, if this account has been listed to your credit report, file a dispute with each credit reporting agency that has the account listed. Inform them that the account is fraudulent. Follow up with Afni on the status of the claim when you know the paperwork has been received and every 25-30 days after that until the claim is resolved. A lot of times what happens is people will not fill out the paperwork completely, not return it within 30 days, etc and just assume that it's been taken care of and move on. By following up with the company, you can be sure that you know if the claim hasn't been submitted and why so you can remedy that.

One last thing I forgot to mention above, any requests you make for statements, fraud paperwork, etc. by phone also follow up with a like request by mail, Certified with Return Receipt.

Hope this helps. Sorry it was so long. Thanks