Federal Trade Commission Federal Debt Collection Update Tom

Federal Trade Commission Federal Debt Collection Update Tom Carter, National Coordinator FTC’s Collection Protection Group Note: The views expressed in this presentation are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of FTC, its staff, or any individual Commissioner. NACARA Conference Santa Fe, NM / September 16, 2018 Federal Trade Commission

1 Overview of the FTC Federal Trade Commission

Federal Trade Commission = For The Consumer § Independent federal agency of – lawyers, investigators, and economists § Washington, D. C. and seven regional offices § Five Commissioners appointed by President to seven-year staggered terms § No more than three from one party Federal Trade Commission

Five Federal Trade Commissioners: § § § Joseph J. Simons, Chairman Noah Joshua Phillips Rohit Chopra Rebecca Kelly Slaughter Christine S. Wilson Federal Trade Commission

Enforcement Bureaus Competition Consumer Protection

Seven Regional Offices Federal Trade Commission

Enforcement Authority § The FTC was created by act of congress in 1914 – the Federal Trade Commission Act § Primary Enforcement authority is found in Section 5 of the FTC Act Federal Trade Commission

FTC

Some Debt/Credit Statutes Enforced: § § § Fair Debt Collection Practices Act Truth in Lending Act Military Lending Act Fair Credit Reporting Act Fair Credit Billing Act Equal Credit Opportunity Act Federal Trade Commission

2 FTC & Debt Collection Federal Trade Commission

We’re number 2! Federal Trade Commission

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act 15 U. S. C. §§ 1692 -1692 p Federal Trade Commission

Under the FDCPA Debt Collectors May Not. . . • • • Harass, oppress, or abuse a debtor or any third parties they contact; Call before 8 am or after 9 pm (unless given permission); Call at work if they have reason to know that the employer does not permit such calls; Call at a time that is known to be inconvenient (includes calls to the workplace if told not to); or Disclose the existence of a debt to anyone other then the debtor (or their spouse). Federal Trade Commission

Debt Collectors May Not. . . Make False Statements. Debt collectors may not deceive consumers while attempting to collect a debt. For example, they may not: ● falsely claim to be attorneys or government representatives; ● falsely claim that the consumer has committed a crime; ● misrepresent that the consumer will be arrested or imprisoned; ● misrepresent that the consumer will be sued; ● misrepresent that property will be seized or funds garnished; ● misrepresent the amount owed; or ● threaten to, or communicate, false credit information. False statements also violate the FTC Act

Two Types of FTC Debt Collection Investigations Civil Investigative Demand -Require Production of: § Documents (letters, scripts, training manuals, call notes) § Audio files (collection calls) § Employee records (monitoring reports & disciplinary actions, contact information to interview former employees) § Company witnesses for Investigational Hearings Ex Parte Investigation: § Interview consumer complainants § Obtain consumer sworn declarations § Obtain consumer records (collection letters, voicemail messages) § Informants

Two Types of FTC Enforcement Actions Dept. of Justice Filed § Permanent Injunctions § Civil Penalties Federal Trade Commission FTC Filed § Permanent Injunctions & Bans § Disgorgement & consumer restitution § Ex Parte TROs § Freeze corporate & individual assets § Immediate access to records § Appointment of receivers

Debt Collection Continues to be a Priority for the FTC In 2017: – Filed or resolved 10 cases against 42 defendants – Obtained more than $64 million in judgments – Banned 13 companies and individuals from the debt collection industry Federal Trade Commission

In 2018: – The FTC filed or resolved 7 debt collection cases against 53 defendants – Obtained more than $34 million in judgments – All the corporate and individual defendants in the resolved cases were banned from debt collection – Returned money to consumers that the FTC obtained in an earlier litigation against a phantom debt collector Federal Trade Commission

3 FTC Debt Collection Enforcement Priorities Federal Trade Commission

Debt Collection Enforcement Priorities § Egregious collection practices § Filing joint actions with state & federal partners Federal Trade Commission

Egregious Collection Practices § Phantom Debt Collection – 7 of the last 11 complaints filed involved fake debts § False Threats – particularly threats of suit, wage garnishment, arrest & imprisonment § 3 rd-party disclosure – to employers, neighbors, & roommates § Bogus Fees – fake attorney’s fees, interest charges, & other unauthorized charges § Typically file such cases ex parte and often seek a debt collection bans § Seek restitution to consumers for collection of fake debts & unauthorized charges Federal Trade Commission

FTC v. Vantage Point Services, LLC, et al. Federal Trade Commission

FTC v. Campbell Capital, LLC, et al. Federal Trade Commission

FTC v. Global Asset Financial Services Group, LLC Federal Trade Commission

FTC v. Hylan Asset Management, LLC Federal Trade Commission

Joint Actions with Partners § Filled at least 6 federal court complaints jointly with the New York Attorney General § Filed 2 cases with the Illinois Attorney General § Also filed jointly with CFPB § Brings greater resources to the cases § Provides local experience where filed § Produced very successful results Federal Trade Commission

4 Ways to Work Together to Combat Illegal Debt Collection Federal Trade Commission

#1 Use FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Complaint Database § Consumer Sentinel: A Law Enforcement Tool A unique investigative cyber tool that provides members with access to a national database of millions of Consumer Fraud complaints § Dozens of contributors, including BBB, 20 State Attorneys General, & Postal Inspection Service § Sharing information can make law & regulatory enforcement even more effective § Available to law & regulatory enforcement agencies – over 2100 members Federal Trade Commission

Law Enforcement Use • NOW AVAILABLE –All consumer complaints filed with the FTC about financial issues, such as credit reports, debt collection, financial institutions, and lending • Free to Register – Call Help Desk at 877– 701– 9595 or go to https: //register. consumersentinel. gov Federal Trade Commission

§ Join Consumer Sentinel: § § § – Search Complaints by product or violation code – Search Complaints by consumer’s state – Search Complaints by company’s location Check complaints before conducting an exam Check complaints against license applicants Check complaints against licensees to help target companies for exam Federal Trade Commission

#2 Submit Complaints to the FTC § Submit complaints to Consumer Sentinel so others can benefit: – Encourage consumers to file complaints – File complaints on behalf of consumers (one at a time) § Online: ftc. gov/complaint § By phone: Toll free @ (877) FTC-HELP (877) 382 -4357 § Data Dump: Work with our IT department to periodically download all your complaints to Consumer Sentinel Federal Trade Commission

Submit Complaints to the: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau § Online: consumerfinance. gov/complaint § By phone: Toll free: (855) 411 -CFPB (855) 411 -2372 § By mail: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau P. O. Box 4503 Iowa City, Iowa 52244 Federal Trade Commission

#3 FTC membership in the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System & Registry (NMLS) § Regulators reviewing license or registration applications or conducting audits can check NMLS to: – Find companies that the FTC has obtained orders against – Obtain a list of FTC Banned Debt Collectors Non NMLS members can find banned collectors here: ftc. gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/banned-debtcollectors Federal Trade Commission

NMLS now links to Consumer Sentinel Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Sentinel Network Summary of Sentinel The Consumer Sentinel Network (Sentinel) is a unique investigative cyber tool that provides law enforcement members with access to millions of consumer complaints. Based on the premise that sharing complaint information can make law enforcement even more effective, Sentinel allows members to access consumer complaints submitted directly to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as well as complaints shared by over 40 data contributors, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Internal Revenue Service, over 20 State Attorneys General, and all North American Better Business Bureaus. Over 2, 600 federal, state, local and international law enforcement users have access to Sentinel; hundreds of individual members access the system each week. For more information, check out the Consumer Sentinel Fact Sheet or visit the Consumer Sentinel Network home page. This site is available only to members of law enforcement organizations that have entered into a confidentiality and data security agreement with the FTC. To confirm if your agency is already registered for access with this site, look for your agency on the List of registered organizations. If your agency is not already registered for access, use the following link to submit a request for access: Request access for your agency If your agency already has access, use the following link to request your individual login information: New user registration Federal Trade Commission

#4 Refer Consumers to the FTC for Help § Consumer Education § @ FTC. gov § Toll-free Assistance Line § @ 877 -FTC-HELP § Assistance for ID Theft Victims § @ Identity. Theft. gov We can help your victims Federal Trade Commission

#5 Use FTC Brochures FTC consumer education materials are great because: § they’re FREE § they can be ordered in BULK go to bulkorder. ftc. gov § they’re in the public domain, so you can: § use as much as you want § put on your own label/logo on them We can help you educate consumers Federal Trade Commission

#6 Refer Cases to the FTC § If you discover companies selling or collecting FAKE DEBTS § If you find DECEPTIVE SCRIPTS (e. g. false threats of arrest) § If you see TRAINING MANUALS (with clear violations of the FDCPA/FTC Act) § If you discover other INTENTIONAL systematic deception Federal Trade Commission

#7 FTC Joint & Parallel Investigations • Do a joint investigation & federal court filing (We’ve done joint debt collection cases with NY AG, IL AG, & CFPB) • Do a parallel investigation & take a separate action (We can share information with most agencies that sign a confidentiality and data security agreement) Federal Trade Commission

#8 Join The FTC’s Collection Protection Group • Participants include FTC, CFPB, DOJ, 47 state • • Attorneys General, 17 state regulatory agencies, and a number of local authorities In 2015 -16, together we conducted the first-ever nationwide federal/state debt collection enforcement sweep – Operation Collection protection In 2019, together participants continue to meet, target bad actors, share information, coordinate investigations, take joint and coordinated actions Federal Trade Commission

Join Us: § The Collection Protection Group holds § § § quarterly conference calls on the first Thursday of the month We share information about illegal debt collection operations (e. g. the true location of a phantom collection agency) We hold programs on joint and coordinated investigation best practices We form working groups to jointly investigate bad actors or develop better ways to work together Federal Trade Commission

Participating State Agencies • • • • • Arizona Department of Financial Institutions Colorado Department of Law, Consumer Credit Unit Connecticut Department of Banking Florida Office of Financial Regulation Idaho Department of Finance Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection Maryland Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation Massachusetts Division of Banks Minnesota Department of Commerce Nevada Financial Institutions Division New Mexico Regulation & Licensing Department, Financial Institutions Division New York State Department of Financial Services North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions Rhode Island Division of Banking South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs Washington State Department of Licensing Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions Federal Trade Commission

Thank You! Tom Carter, Attorney National Coordinator Collection Protection Group Southwest Region Federal Trade Commission (214) 979 -9372 tcarter@ftc. gov Federal Trade Commission