Complaint: Debt collection company used lies, profanity

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal court complaint says a North Carolina debt collection company and its leaders used lies, profanity and threats to trick consumers into paying debts they didn’t owe or that the company had no right to collect.

The Charlotte Observer reports the Federal Trade Commission said Lombardo, Daniels & Moss LLC violated the FTC Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. In its 15-page complaint , which was released Tuesday, the FTC said it is seeking a permanent injunction, restitution, refunds and other relief in connection with the Charlotte-based company’s actions.

The FTC says the defendants’ collectors regularly used profanity to intimidate consumers into paying. The complaint says one collector told someone to just “pay the f—— thing” or go to jail, while another collector cursed at a consumer’s 16-year-old daughter.

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Information from: The Charlotte Observer, http://www.charlotteobserver.com