Merchants' Credit Guide Fraudulent collection agency - note the apostrophe in "Merchants" Chicago Illinois

Received a collection letter from KEN HUGHES. Called Merchants' as I had no recollection of incurring the charge on the collection notice. I was given a phone number for NCO Financial Systems, Inc. from whom they supposedly received my account. I called the phone number several times and no one even picks up the phone. It just continues to ring.

The letter states "Please be advised that we represent the above client NCO FINANCIAL SYSTEMS, INC. for MEDCLR, INC who has purchased your defaulted account from ER PHYS JOLIET, and various other creditors.

Knowing we hadn't been in the emergency room for years, I called the only hospital we have ever used and was informed that "ER Phys Joliet" doesn't even exist. I called the actual billing service for the ER physicians at the hospital, and they informed us that they had no date of service for us and no balance for us to pay.

I then called Merchants' Credit Guide Co. to inform them I was going to contact Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan as well as file a claim through the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The person that I spoke with told me that they would put in their file that I was "disputing the collection attempt" and that they were, indeed, a legitimate company. He didn't seem to care.

Wendy
Wilmington, Illinois
U.S.A.