The debt collection company’s robocalls threatened consumers by leaving false messages claiming individuals face pending legal actions for unpaid debts.
Consumers who called back were led to believe they were speaking with a mediating law firm, which again threatened legal actions.
In each case, the pseudo law firm used stolen personal information to convince consumers they were speaking with a legitimate party.
FTC charges against Absolute Financial Services
In its complaint, the FTC accused Absolute Financial Services of using stolen consumer information to fleece $5.2 million from individuals using robocalls and pseudo law firms.
According to the Commission, Absolute Financial Services obtained the stolen consumer information from the other defendant, National Landmark Logistics.
The court issued orders halting all the operations and freezing the assets of the two abusive South Carolina debt collectors.
“For many years, we’ve been working with our law enforcement partners to crack down on illegal and abusive debt collectors,” said FTC Consumer Protection Bureau Director Andrew Smith, in a statement.
