April 16, 2010

By: Michelle Grinberg, Esq.

 After almost nine months of defending a lawsuit, National Enterprise Systems, Inc. (NES), a collection agency, has reached a settlement with the Ohio Attorney General for approximately $400,000. About half of the settlement money will be used to pay consumers for various violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”).  Some of the violations that NES allegedly committed included contacting third parties, calling consumers prior to 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., attempting to collect debts which were not owed, as well as making unauthorized withdrawals from consumers’ accounts.  NES President, Ernest R. Pollak states that he hopes to have all calls made by their debt collectors recorded.  Debt collectors need to be closely monitored to prevent future FDCPA violations.