Debt collectors can be terrifying. The thought of someone coming to hurt or harm you over money can put many into shock, and easily scare a consumer into paying for a debt. But what if the debt is not yours? What if they are just attempting to scam you out of some money?

This is the reality for many that have debts that are owed. Debt collection agencies working on the behalf of credit card companies will use just about any trick, method, or practice in hopes of getting you to cough up the dough. So what happens if they say they are representing a company that is supposed to be out of business, like American Credit Bureau? This is what you should know in these instances and cases.

What is American Credit Bureau?

American Credit Bureau is listed as a credit card and plans business. They engage in mail order work that lists and states that they help people get visas and mastercards approved. They also work to help clean up people’s credit scores, and much more. They do this by selling the information to clear up the credit debt.

Is American Credit Bureau a legit Debt Collection Agency?

American Credit Bureau was a legitimate debt collection business, as well as an assistant to getting Visa and Mastercard credit cards approved. However, it is stated on the Better Business Bureau that they are currently not in business anymore.

They were in business for over 34 years, having started in 1986. While they were in business, they held two different offices within Vermont. They currently have no complaints or reviews on the BBB database, and are not accredited by the BBB either. They have a current A+ rating with the BBB, even though they are not in business anymore.

American Credit Bureau Contact Information

All information pertains to the company before they were said to be out of business. All information and addresses should be seen as outdated information.

Address: 224 Silby Avenue Montpelier, VT 05602

Other Address: 12 Crescent Ln Barre, VT 05641-9730

Phone number: 1-800-423-4551

Does American Credit Bureau have Complaints against them?

The BBB has no listed complaints against them on their database. This may be due to the fact that the business is no longer in business, and that there is no need to keep the information relevant.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Consumer Complaint Database does not have any information or complaints registered in their database for American Credit Bureau. There is a listed set of complaints for American Credit Bureau, Inc., however it is assumed that these complaints are not correlated, as the complaints come mostly out of Florida, Connecticut, and Georgia.

Are the Practices of American Credit Bureau Legal?

Since the business has shut down, it is safe to assume that any and all contact made in the name of American Credit Bureau is assumed to be illegal, false, and misleading. Those that are attempting to contact you under this name, and give you information such as the ones listed above, can be considered scammers, or fleecers.

Even if they do seem legitimate, understand that the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (RFDCPA) protects you from many of these harassment suits. Debt collection agencies tend to use any and all means to try and extort consumers such as yourself into paying for a debt. Whether this means using a shell company, or dead company, in an attempt to harass you freely about your debt, you do have rights and laws on your side.

How can I protect myself and fight back against American Credit Bureau?

There are plenty of ways for you to protect yourself against scammers and debt collection harassment. The first way to stop the harassment is to ask for verification of the debt. With many people calling about debts, make sure to get authorization and proof of the debt that you must pay. This can be in many forms, such as a written letter, a statement, or online code to access a database. If the representative is not able to fulfill this requirement, you are not required to pay a dime to them.

Another way to stop the debt collector harassment is to contact an experienced debt collection harassment attorney or consumer protection lawyer. We here at the Law Office of Paul Mankin, APC are well-versed in the area of debt collection practices, and have many attorneys that have experience and understanding under their belts. We are able to help you understand what is considered debt collection harassment, as well as identify scammers and potentially harmful scenarios. We can also help to identify legitimate debts, and get you on the road to repaying those.

Not only can we help you to defend against debt collection harassment, we can also help to build a case, and assist you in understanding where the illegal collection patterns are for debt collectors. We are also able to help facilitate any communications or discussions between the parties, ensuring that nothing you say can be used against you.

The most important bit of information in your fight is to always remain vigilant. No matter who you have at your side, it can seem like a daunting battle against such a large company and agency. If you have ever been the subject of:

• Multiple calls per week from a third party collection agency
• Multiple calls in the early morning or late night from debt collectors.
• Violent and belligerent language and harassment from debt collectors.
• Threats of arrests or poor credit due to outstanding debts.
• Having your friends, family, and coworkers harassed by debt collectors.
• Automated robocalls from third party collection agencies.

Then you may have a case available. So do not wait, make sure to give us a call, and get started fighting back against the debt collection harassment.