CFM Group , LLC. (CFM) is a third-party collection agency based in Georgia. CFM has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), such as using false or misleading information in an effort to collect a debt and threatening to take actions that cannot legally be taken. If CFM has contacted you about past due financial obligations, make you understand your rights before taking action.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) established a profile page for CFM Group in 2013, but CFM has neither claimed nor authorized this page. The BBB does not provide any information about CFM’s founding date. The BBB lists CFM Group as a management consultant. Buzzfile estimates CFM Group’s annual revenue at $306,000 and the size of its headquarters staff at 4 employees.
According to its website, CFM is “a full-service Accounts Receivable Management ARM company operating both commercial and consumer divisions.” CFM employs “a highly trained staff and state-of-the-art technology…to assist clients… in the management of… accounts receivable, freeing… staff to concentrate on…business.”
The CFM Group website does not provide any information about the types of businesses or industries for whom they collect debts. Their Services page provides a long list of collection and accounts receivable-related services, including business office services; commercial and consumer collections; cure programs; consulting services; early-out collections; facilities management; payment monitoring; small balance account servicing; total portfolio management; high performance recovery and letter services (HPRS); and pre- and post-charge-off services.
Third-party contingency collections “are CFM’s core business, and they provide this service to most businesses among” their clientele. Cure programs; early-out services; and pre-charge-off services offer clients a way to service accounts that have not yet been sent to collections. Small balance account services use “strategies such as skip tracing, custom letters, and the use of a predictive dialer.” CFM also provides payment monitoring of accounts already on payment plans.
The CFM Group website is partially unfinished and contains pages that are still under construction. Their Compliance page states that CFM “employees are held to the highest standards” and undergo “training and continuing education to keep up-to-date on all FDCPA and HIPAA regulations and guidelines.” However, there are no links or references to consumer protection resources, laws, or enforcement agencies.
Who are we? We are Lemberg Law, a Consumer Law Firm
Lemberg Law is a consumer law firm helping victims of collection harassment and abuse. We are ranked A+ by the BBB. We’ve helped more than 15,000 consumers stop harassment and recover money from debt collectors. Harassed? Abused? Misled by a collector? Call our Helpline today! There is no charge unless we win.
The BBB has closed 5 complaints against CFM Group in the past three years, none of them closed in the previous 12 months. All of those complaints alleged problems with billing and collections. As of March 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 28 complaints against CFM. Justia does not list any cases of civil litigation involving CFM.
CFM Group, LLC
PO Box 674257
Marietta, GA 30006
Telephone: (877) 553-7926
Website: http://cfmgroup.biz/5001.html
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely CFM would sue you for a debt you may not owe or they cannot validate. However, debt collection agencies are known to have summoned debtors to court and garnish wages after a default judgement. Contacting an attorney BEFORE this could possibly happen would be a smart move. We’ve helped thousands of consumers fight back against unscrupulous debt collection harassers. Find out if we can help you too today!
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Absolutely. You can sue a debt collector. Here are some Sample Complaints
In May 2011, in United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division, a judge issued a Memorandum Opinion and Complaints against CFM Group commonly cite problems resulting from disputes about the validity of debts and very poor customer service, including allegations of harassment. In May 2018, a complainant stated that he had “called the number on the notice he had received to ask for more information,” but the CFM representative “spoke limited English and wouldn’t answer questions.” According to the complainant, he had “received a notification from CFM…addressed to his… home address (although with the incorrect zip code).” The letter included a“Reference Number” and “another string of numbers that was unidentified.” He “called the number listed on the letter…to ask what” the charge was for because he did “not recognize the amount… or the ‘original creditor.’” Allegedly, the CFM representative “who answered the phone spoke limited English,” and at “many times the complainant was unable to understand anything he was saying, even to the extent that he could not tell what language he was speaking.” The complainant stated that he had asked the representative if he could tell him what this bill was for, but the representative allegedly only replied that the complainant “should give him his credit card information on the phone, starting with the expiration date.” The complainant stated that he asked the CFM representative, “I don’t even know what this bill is! Why would I provide an unknown person my credit card information over the phone? ”The representative allegedly responded, “I cannot help you if you won’t give me your credit card information.” The complainant stated that if “CFM is a legitimate collection agency, then they should be able to provide the name of the creditor. And if it is a legitimate bill, then he would like to know why he had never received a bill in the first place.”
In March 2018, a complainant stated that CFM Group had “refused to acknowledge an affidavit of fraud/forgery and a police report submitted to them via fax.” According to the complainant, CFM had also harassed his family members over the phone. He stated that he had “received a letter from CFM… for Primary Home Health Care.” He said he had “called them…and explained” the charge was the result of “forgery/fraud and that he had sent all” the relevant information to the creditor and his financial institution. CFM allegedly “requested a notarized affidavit of forgery and a police report.” The complainant “sent 12 pages…and called…to verify receipt” but did not receive a call back. Subsequently, his daughter sent him a “recording of multiple calls from CFM over the past few weeks about this debt that …listed the complainant’s name as debtor.”
CFM attempted to address the concerns in both these complaints, but their initial efforts were rejected by the complainants in both cases.
Federal laws protect you. The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) regulates the behavior of collection agencies by prohibiting actions such as the use of abusive or threatening language; harassment; or the use of false or misleading information to collect a debt. The FCRA regulates how collection agencies and creditors report delinquent debts to credit reporting agencies. Additional consumer protection laws include the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA).
Yes. If you want to enforce your rights, or recover money for violations — you need to sue. Federal laws provide individuals like you with a means to seek monetary damages in court. For example, the FDCPA allows consumers who have been violated to recover damages of up to $1,000, plus attorney fees and court costs.
You may have a case, if…
“I have to admit, I was not sure of y’all initially but you proved me wrong. You not only got the calls to stop but you have the company to dismiss the accounts once and for all! It had been more than I anticipated.”
“Prior to contacting you, we had tried repeatedly to handle this matter without threatening litigation. In the end, not only were they unapologetic, but they were dismissive – even of an attorney friend who called on our behalf. Sincerest thanks for resolving this matter for us!”
“Lemberg Law has saved me from the endless calls, and harassing voicemails. They really do go to bat for you. I didn’t know that debt collection agencies can end up paying your legal bill. What a surprise, to receive free legal help. I’m very grateful for all the hard work they did to finally give me my life back.”
“Thank you and your team at Lemberg Law for the exceptional work you did on my behalf. I have never experienced the level of care, professionalism, timeliness in follow-through, and monetary compensation obtained through your firm.”
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Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
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My name is Kyle and I acquired a business, changed the name of the business, moved the business to a new address, and I operate my business as an LLC. I recently began receiving rude and harassing calls from Jim Chapman saying that I owe $6,572.13 for a debt that I have nothing to do with. Jim Chapman called my business and ask for the owner and got my name from someone who works at my business and since then he has called and threatened to report me to the credit bureaus. I ask Jim Chapman to email me any paperwork, bills, or contracts relating to this matter to show me that I owe him anything. He refuses to email me anything to prove that I owe him a bill. I do not owe anyone any past due balances and am clueless as to the bill that this Jim Chapman is threatening me with, but because he is so aggressive and threatening, I am writing because he is threatening to place negative things on my credit report. I am respectfully requesting that Jim Chapman provide proof that I owe him anything. I am also requesting that if he has nothing to show me that your bureau fine and discipline Jim Chapman and his company to the fullest extent that is allowed by law. Last, I request that if Jim Chapman cannot provide any proof that I owe this bill, that he be told to stop calling me with threats. Thank you for your attention to this matter.