and we owe 103.00.......I laughed ..I said you're kidding right??? ......she said no........it's from a main city in our state......does this sound like a scam.........I would think the city would be calling.....why would they bother with a collection agency???? I'm going to call the city today !!!
2007-03-16 04:35:09 · 26 answers · asked by nemofish 4 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
You could contact the Department of Motor Vehicle also. They should be able to tell you if you have any parking tickets. I would double check because it does sound like a scam.
2007-03-16 04:38:47 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
There's a lot of this sort of thing going on lately. It's as if municipalities across the country are cleaning out their old files this month.
It is not surprising that they would get a collection agency to handle collecting a debt - they are experts and ultimately more cost effective for any organization with outstanding receivables.
I would absolutely call the city. Anyone who calls you for money should have some sort of documentation that they can send you to back up their claim. Either the agency should be able to provide you with paperwork or the city can and you can go from there.
Don't ignore it - it could balloon down the line and you could get arrested.
Peace!
2007-03-16 04:41:06 · answer #2 · answered by carole 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
It could be legit. Assuming your husband never paid the tickets; the city may have turned his account over to a collection agency, companies do this all the time.
However if they are from 1995, it may not be legit. 12 years is a long time to wait to collect a debt. You should get a lawyer. I imagine there is some sort of statute of limitations.
2007-03-16 11:29:03 · answer #3 · answered by evil_paul 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The city I work for just hired a collection agency a few months ago to collect over a million dollar's worth of parking tickets that were outstanding. They've collected almost $70,000 of it so far.
What you need to do is call the city's Parking Office to find out if this is legitimate. If it is, then you need to pay it right away, because if you don't they can and will start affecting your credit with it, now that it's out of the city's hands.
Good luck with getting it resolved!
2007-03-16 04:55:38 · answer #4 · answered by CanadaChick20 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Ya it is a scam, all collecting agencies do is harass you.
Tell them You have contacted the city and inform them to "cease and desist the action or you will bring them up on phone harassment charges. Go ahead and laugh at them as they have no legal grounds to do anything they say. It is all up to their employer who is this city (maybe) I would then call the TV stations and tell them that the city has hired a collection agency to do their harassment of citizens using tax dollars for this scam Collectors are scum. low earth forms that can't even work at McDonalds (not that McDonlads is not a great employer for those who work there.
2007-03-16 04:49:06 · answer #5 · answered by Uncle Red 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It is not uncommon for municipal and state governments to utilize a private collection agency to try to collect outstanding debts, including ticket fines and back-taxes. It's probably a legitimate claim.
However, the collection agency is tacking on their fees for collecting, too. I'd try calling the city and seeing if I could pay the original amount that was due directly to the city.
Good luck.
2007-03-16 04:38:49 · answer #6 · answered by Scotty Doesnt Know 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Call the city and verify that before you send them any money. I'd also check out the collection agency and make sure they are legit. If they call back, get as much info as possible and report them if they aren't on the level.
2007-03-16 04:38:21 · answer #7 · answered by Jensenfan 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Tickets can be accessed as a matter of public record. There have been companies that access those records and then check the case disposition with the court. If the case is not closed then they send out fake notices.
That does not mean that the debt is necessarily fake, just that it may be. Before you send out $100, check with the court.
2007-03-16 04:45:15 · answer #8 · answered by Pooky Bear the Sensitive 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ALERT it is a well known scam they are really trying to get your bank account #'s or credit card info.
If it was a valid collection agency they would have to follow federal debt collection law which means they need to give you notice in writing. You would also have a means to ask for verification (copies of said tickets) and dispute the debt.
2007-03-16 04:42:55 · answer #9 · answered by professorc 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It has been waaay too long for this charges to be collected. If and when the municipal court used them, first things you should have gotten would be a statement in writing. If you have no received that, I would agree with the people that responded earlier and warn them that they are using unlawful practices.
Inform yourself, 1995 is too long for any debt to be collected. Seriously reserach this because you don't want a collection ruining your credit.
2007-03-16 06:01:59 · answer #10 · answered by grldragon101 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋