Huntington West Virginia Blog - Public Service

Public Service Consumer Alert

stephanie@sheck.com (Huntington West Virginia) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:48:25 -0500

There is a group of telephone scammers working the Huntington West Virginia area known as NCO.

NCO claims to be bill collectors, but in reality NCO tries to collect on old accounts that are far outside the statute of limitation by using telephone harassment to wear the victim down, and to sometimes get them to pay a bill that they don't even owe at all. NCO has been known to go after people who merely have the same phone number that was once held by someone else, or to try to collect an alleged debt that was owed by a previous resident where the victim currently lives.

NCO was fined over 1.5 M by the Federal Trade Commission several years ago for shady collection practices so they are no strangers to federal law enforcement. Here is a link to the FTC website to verify this.

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/05/ncogroup.shtm

If you are contacted by NCO you will most likely encounter an obnoxious NCO telephone solicitor demanding that you give them checking account or credit card information to pay a bill that you allegedly owe that is most likely more than ten years old.

Do not give them any banking information whatsoever, or you will be setting yourself up for identity theft. Do not confirm or deny your social security number to the NCO caller. They will start abusively calling you on a daily basis and they use automated computer equipment to call and hang up in many instances.

Pick up the phone and call the consumer protection division of the West Virginia Attorney Generals office. 1-800-368-8808. West Virginia has very stern laws against telephone harassment and abusive debt collection practices, and the attorney generals office will not hesitate to enforce those laws and prosecute violators.

The best way to deal with obnoxious bill collectors in my experience is to bypass the collection agency and contact the original creditor and pay what you legitimately owe, and or remind the original creditor that they can be held liable for the misconduct of their agent if the statute of limitations has expired. It worked for me. Talk to a lawyer to get better advice than I can give.

To the best of my knowledge NCO is not licensed to do business in West Virginia and this poses a severe danger when NCO harasses vulnerable people in their homes by telephone demanding banking information from our citizens.

If you are getting debt collection notices by U.S. Mail from NCO for bills that you do not owe. Contact the U.S. Postal inspectors. They are very interested in mail fraud. Charleston WV Postal Inspector James R. Hoke Telephone (304) 357-4140 Email JRHoke@uspis.gov

Abusive phone calls are not only contrary to law but phone company regulations as well. Call the business office of the phone company in West Virginia (304)-954-6200 and ask for help with phone harassment issues. They will try to help you block the calls as much as possible.

The citizens of this state should never live in fear of the abusive phone calls of predatory tele-scammers like NCO. I have given you some phone numbers to make NCO live in fear of honest people. The only way to drive abusive predatory business entities out of this state is to bury them in complaints to make the cost of harassing our citizens exceed the potential for return.

Stephanie Heck Huntington West Virginia

Hurricane Rita Texas

stephanie@sheck.com (Huntington West Virginia) — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 23:58:24 -0400

Hurricane Rita in Texas

As we witness Hurricane Rita heading for anticipated landfall at Galveston Texas. Let us be very mindful of those who refused to leave New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Rita promises to be a huge hurricane storm of category 4 or category 5 intensity. Hurricane winds of category 4 or 5 strength are quite lethal and produce huge property damage and loss of life. It is my sincere hope that the residents of Galveston Texas have the common sense to evacuate according to mandatory evacuation orders. I understand the authorities have issued evacuation orders. The seawall in Galveston will protect against storm surge of 15 to 17 feet. However the potential hurricane storm surge from a category 5 is anywhere from 20 to 50 feet creating massive coastal flooding along the coast of Texas.

Anyone left on Galveston Island in Texas is a good candidate for a body bag if they fail to evacuate. In light of the fact that it is a certainty that the seawall WILL NOT protect Galveston or Galveston Island. I strongly urge President Bush to order mandatory evacuation by executive order. It is a crime to disobey a direct order from the President in time of war or emergency. This would make evacuation orders mandatory and non optional. Persons refusing to leave could be lawfully forced to evacuate. Short Term Martial law declared by the Governor of Texas may well be a viable option to prevent looting in the aftermath of the storm.

The problem with Hurricane Katrina was that we as Americans were caught off guard and FEMA failed in many critical areas. There is no excuse for foulups this time around. This time we are forewarned and know exactly what we are facing in advance and how to plan to minimize Human catastrophe's due to recent malefic experience with Hurricane Katrina. It is my strong desire that all be safe from the eminent danger posed by Hurricane Rita. Many in the Galveston Island area of Texas are moving away from areas threatened by Hurricane Rita toward Huntsville Texas along the hurricane evacuation route. Well over a million people are in various states of evacuation

There is a potential for storm surge flooding in Houston Texas in low lying areas. I have friends in the area and I am concerned for them in light of the danger posed by Hurricane Rita.

Hurricane Rita in Texas

There is a potential for storm surge flooding in Houston Texas in low lying areas. I have friends in the area and I am concerned for them in light of the danger posed by Hurricane Rita.

Hurricane Relief

stephanie@sheck.com (Huntington West Virginia) — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 20:35:08 -0400

NATO has offered aid. The UN has offered aid. Canada has offered to bring disaster relief supplies via naval convoy. Venezuala has offered a free tanker of gasoline for our emergency vehicles. Poland has offered food and medical supplies and medical doctors. Britian has offered to send relief by Naval Convoy. France has offered money and food supplies and medicine. Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria have offered money. Russia has offered oil to ease shortages caused by the hurricane. Belgium and Sweeden have offered money. Even that S.O.B. Fidel Castro has offered to send a hundred doctors for the sick and injured. The best wishes of the world are going out to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Why is our government too stuck up to accept help? Are we expected to believe that FEMA can do it all? We spend billions for rebuilding Iraq. I see American children dehydrated and the elderly die in the flooded streets of New Orleans waiting for their government to help them. I fondly remember the America that heard the pleas of the children and the old ones, and responded with kindness, and it grieves the hell out of me to know my country has gone this far down the tubes. This is unacceptable.

Stephanie Heck

Huntngton West Virginia

New Orleans

stephanie@sheck.com (Huntington West Virginia) — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 09:51:04 -0400

Please do what you can to help the victims of Katrina. If you can do nothing else send a check to the State of Louisiana. They need the money for disaster relief. Sovereign States can legally accept gifts from non residents. I was going to donate to a charity, however I decided to send the money directly to the state government of Louisiana, and make a note on the check for disaster relief.