Ray Bueno is a Marine veteran and the owner of “Keeping It Real With Credit”, one of the most influential YouTube channels in the finance space.
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After he returned from his service in 2013, Marine Corps veteran Ray Bueno found himself in debt. He began receiving threatening phone calls from debt collectors attempting to collect a debt from an account listed on his credit report. They told Bueno that if he did not pay them, they would pursue legal action. To avoid this, Bueno agreed to pay the debt collector $350 a month until the balance was resolved. In total, he paid the collection agency over $3,800 over 11 months.
While he was making payments, Bueno decided to be proactive to see what else he could do to improve his credit. In this process, he came across information on consumer rights that he was not previously aware of and several factors led him to believe he was being taken advantage of. Bueno learned the debt collector wasn’t listed on his credit report and the balance wasn't reflecting the payments he had been making. Bueno also learned he had the right to ask for debt validation— which would certify the company as the right party to pay — but when he requested more information about the debt, he was emailed an unconvincing Photoshopped document. This was all very suspicious, so Bueno wondered if he could take legal action.
After hiring a consumer attorney Bueno learned that the debt collector was unlicensed in Florida and could not legally collect debts. Daniel Tam, Bueno's attorney, then got an investigator, who tracked down the company's registered owner to Hilton Head, South Carolina - which coincidentally is near where Bueno went to Marine Corps boot camp in Parris Island. Tam remarked that the case "took more leg work than usual."
Typically, legitimate collection agencies that have infringed on consumer rights are the subject of regular collection lawsuits. This company, however, completely fabricated its ability to collect debts, making the case a bit tougher to investigate. For those who think they may be in a similar situation to Ray’s, Tam’s advice is to consult with a lawyer immediately to see if there’s a violation. Too many people allow this harassment to continue.
Bueno was very lucky that he won his case and got his money back. Most attorneys would most likely never take a case like this because there is no guarantee they will find the company responsible. This fake debt collector was very good at what it did - they called themselves "Franklin, Cohen, and Albright" giving the impression they were attorneys, and they had all of the information from Bueno's credit report, including personal information and account details. This led Bueno to believe they were the company he needed to deal with regarding the debt they were trying to collect. Bueno believes that just because someone calls people stating they are a debt collector, and recites personal information and account details over the phone, it does not make them the person that needs to be dealt with.
“As a consumer, it is important to be aware of your rights and make sure that any company you are speaking with regarding a debt claim is legitimate. If someone accuses you of owing money over the phone, take the time to research the company and ensure that the debt is valid before responding. Otherwise, you may end up in a situation where you are responsible for a debt that you don't owe,” said Bueno.
In the end, Bueno got the company’s owner to pay him back in full. However, the fight didn’t stop there.
"This situation that happened to me could very well happen to the next veteran," Bueno said. "It's a problem for everybody, and for some reason, the information to avoid a situation like this is not promoted anywhere at all whatsoever. So somebody has to do it."
More information about Ray Bueno is available on his official YouTube channel.
Contact Info:
Name: Ray Bueno
Email: Send Email
Organization: Dispute Nation
Address: United States
Phone: 3059857682
Website: https://youtu.be/ryTn81fJUko
Release ID: 89085545
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