DCM Services LLC or Deceased Case Management Services is a debt collection agency which receives a lot of consumer complaints to our law firm for debt harassment. Find out who they are, why they might be calling, and how you can stop them.
Deceased Case Management Services, LLC or DCM Services is a third-party collection agency that focuses exclusively on collecting delinquent accounts from the estates of deceased debtors. DCM has received complaints from consumers alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) such as failing to verify debts and harassment. If you have been contacted by DCM Services, make sure you know your rights before responding.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), DCM Services is a legitimate collection agency founded in 2006 and services the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan region. The BBB lists DCM as a collection agency, an insurance company, and an attorney and legal firm. DCM uses Balogh Becker, Ltd. as an alternate business name and maintains an alternate website at www.baloghbecker.com. Buzzfile estimates DCM Services annual revenue at $25.9 million with a staff of 180 employees at its headquarters.
Responding to DCM Services, also known as Deceased Case Management Services, LLC, requires understanding your rights under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA). DCM Services is a third-party collection agency that specializes in collecting overdue debts from the estates of deceased debtors. It’s important to be aware that consumers have lodged complaints against DCM Services, alleging violations of the FDCPA, such as inadequate debt verification and harassment. If you’ve been contacted by DCM Services, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with your rights and obligations before taking any action.
DCM Services works to recover probate debt from providers of healthcare, financial services, credit unions, and government agencies. According to its website, DCM is the “only collection agency in the U.S. focused exclusively on deceased person’s accounts,” and they cite a “singular focus and precise attention as core to their success”.
DCM Services offers three levels of service: a self-service desktop application known as Probate Finder on Demand; Probate One-Source, a “full-service solution” for debt recovery of probated accounts; and Signature Service, similar to Probate One-Source, but focusing on both probated and non-probated estates. DCM works to recover probate debt from providers of healthcare, financial services, credit unions, and government agencies.
They also cite three reasons for focusing on the estates of deceased individuals:
The ability to eliminate “unnecessary contact with survivors of the deceased account holder”;
The ability to honor “the intentions of the decedent who, while alive, set aside funds…to pay creditors…without bother to survivors”; and
because “claims against probated estates…can liquidate at rates substantially higher than non-probated estates and can represent a significant share of recoveries.”
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 15 complaints against DCM Services in the past three years, with 4 closed in the past twelve months. Of these complaints, 6 were closed to the satisfaction of the complainant. Most of the complaints were about advertising or sales issues, but also included complaints about billing and collection and customer service. Since September 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has logged 7 complaints against DCM for attempts to collect debts not owed and improper sharing of information. Justia lists at least 4 cases of civil litigation naming DCM Services as a defendant.
DCM Services, LLC
7601 Penn Ave S A600
Minneapolis, MN 55423-3645
Telephone: (612) 243-8620
Website: https://www.dcmservices.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely DCM Services 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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Unlawful Debt Harassment? Learn the Law & Sue the Collector.
Absolutely. You can sue a debt collector. Here is a Sample Case Filed in Federal Court:
DCM Services, LLC is on the receiving end of a proposed class action lawsuit alleging that it unlawfully sought to collect a debt for medical services from the spouse of a man who had passed away. The plaintiff in the case, the man’s wife, says she received several debt collection letters from the defendant indicating that she “may have liability” for her late husband’s medical expenses. The suit argues that the plaintiff’s liability to pay the debts had not yet been established only weeks after her husband’s death and that the defendant’s demand for payment was an illegal attempt to “capitalize on the death in the family to collect debts that the spouse and immediate family members may not be obligated to pay.”
Also, many complaints against DCM Services result from inappropriate or illegal communication tactics and sharing, disclosure, or access of information. In May 2017, a complainant whose father had passed away, leaving some consumer credit card debt and only a small estate, had contacted the credit card companies to arrange settlement terms. In the meantime, the complainant started receiving weekly calls from DCM demanding account information. In January 2016, a complainant indicated she had received a letter from DCM regarding the estate of her deceased husband; however, her husband was still alive and had received and read the letter before passing it on to his wife. Also in January 2016, a complainant whose mother had passed away a year and a half earlier without leaving any unpaid bills received calls from a woman at DCM “who sounded inebriated asking for information concerning [her] deceased mother’s estate.” In November 2015, a complainant received a letter requesting information about the estate of her deceased daughter, who was still alive. In September 2015, a complainant whose mother had passed away two weeks earlier received a letter from DCM Services even though the judge had not yet approved the probate paperwork, his mother’s death had not yet been published, and creditors had been directed to contact the court directly.
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.
Consumers have reported this agency harassing them from the following numbers:
You may have a case, if…
“I was almost going nuts receiving calls every afternoon from a person using profane language to push me to pay debts I don’t owe. Someone I trust referred me to Lemberg Law, and I don’t regret having contacted them. The attorneys were very kind and always available when I needed them.”
“Thank you for standing with me Lemberg Law. I was so afraid I could lose my job because of a caller who called my job number 4 hours straight back to back. He not only harassed and threatened me but also abused workmates who received the call when I wasn’t around. Since I solicited for your services, I’ve had a peace of mind, and I’m happy because of the few dollars I got as a settlement.”
Chances are good that we can help. Call us today and we’ll explain.
Share your story
Have you had a bad experience with this agency’s debt collectors? Sound off and share your experience with other visitors in the comment box below.
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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DCM contacted me by letter regarding my parents who are both deceased 2 years now. Phone was in Dads name. On the paperwork they had my estate surrogate court case number. Do I have to pay that back?
Just got a letter from DCM claiming they just found out about my uncles death. He died over a year ago. His estate is insolvent. There’s no money. All of his creditors were contacted and told the situation by the family. Probate has closed. At this point they are past the statue for collecting on his debt and there’s nothing to collect and no one to collect it from. Probate was done to legally close the debt on an insolvent estate worth under $75k. In MN that is under the filing requirements. In MN they had 4 months from the date of publication to file or the debt is no longer valid. As they did not file with probate in the time given, the debt is not valid. If there had been no probate, in MN the max collection period is a year after death. It is now past the 1 year mark. The debt is not valid. They are blocked by all family and friends due to attempting to collect debt that is not valid and will not be responded to per attorney instructions as the debt is not ours. The owner of the debt is deceased and left no money to pay. They can go figure out where he is and take it up with him.
My wife has passed away at 52. We were together for 30 years. We have no debt. House is paid off and within 6 weeks of her passing I get this letter not telling me who they are and wants me to call them. How disgusting of a company is this. We had great medical benefits and our medical contacted us and said all your bills will be paid 100%. I know what this is and how greedy the Doctors are. So a Doctor will send a bill for a procedure I never seen( my wife was unconscious for a week in the hospital) for 5000 dollars. My insurance will pay the contracted amount of 4000 dollars. So they try a Hail Mary for me to pay the 1000 dollars. I talked to my medical insurance and they stated that the Doctor agreed to the amount the insurance paid and to not pay the bill. Good Luck!
Dcm contacted me and in the first 30 sec. they asked 3 times if I was responsible for this debt . I told them no that I was husband the people you need to talk to are her attorney and they instantly hong up on me they would not tell what this debt was about and I’m her husband. its funny they didn’t want anything to do with attorneys
My wife of 51 years and 5 days passed away in August 2020 the result of a very intense form of cancer. Since then I have had 2 companies calling and sending me letters. Now I am a trained Legal Assistant, however that was over 25 years ago, and my knowledge of the law has gone by the wayside. Thankfully my old Partner on the Police Force went on to become an attorney, and on the passing of my wonderful wife, he called to pass on condolences. One thing he stressed was, since my wife left no Estate, I should agree to NOTHING when these collectors call because they will poke and push for you to say you are responsible for the debt even though legally you are not. They will then use your admission on a recorded phone call against you to attempt collection of the debts. So I have been using this simple reply to the callers. “Since my wife left no estate, there is no representative. My attorney has advised me that I could indeed talk to you, however not to agree to anything you suggest.” This causes an almost immediate hang up, I believe the important thing in that statement is the “My Attorney.”
Do i need to pay the balance or make payments for my deceased debts. He has no assets
My wife recently passed away in April 2019. I notified the credit card companies by letter with a copy of the death certificate with whom she had accounts that she had passed. I actually spoke to American Express who informed me that since I was not a co-signer to her account that I was no responsible for the debt. I was not a co-signer to any of her credit cards. In September, I received a letter from a debt collector, DCM Services, in Minneapolis, Minnesota asking for the name of the person designated with the authority to pay her outstanding bills. I wrote back saying that my wife died without a will; that there is no estate in her name; and that there is no one designated with the authority to pay any of her outstanding bills. This week I received three phone calls from Ascension Point, a debt collector in Coon Rapides, Minnesota, asking to speak to the person responsible for her debts. I sent the same letter that I sent DCM Services, adding that I consider 3 phone calls in one week, two on the same day, as harassment in accordance with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and that if the calls continue that I will report the harassment to the proper Federal authority and secure legal counsel if needed. What do you advise? Thank you.
My mother is deceased and left her estate she owes back rent. In rhe beggining I was offered an equity check but I would like to keep the estate as I am her only child. Management wants me out and says I have no rights to stay in the coop is this true?
Mary B
My husband deceased April 18th 2018. I received a letter from DCM Services stating there is a balance owed on my husband medical bills. I know that not to be true due to the fact we never received any bills with an outstanding balance. My husband had very good medical insurance with Medicare & a 2ndary with United Healthcare. Also, my husband does not have an estate. DCM will not be getting one red cent from me. I will be contacting Emory Healthcare to inquire about this accusation, which is false. I think this is the lowest an organization can go to prey on deceased family members. It is hard enough trying to adjust to the new normal.
My sister passed away last year. She left no will and had insufficient assets for an estate. She did have some bills, but I am not liable for them. She was on disability, and her income was very limited. I had her mail forwarded to a local address (not mine; I’m not that dumb), and got two letters from DCM asking for info about the executor of her estate. The estate she didn’t have. Is there a way to find out who engaged DCM Services to try and collect? I’m not worried about being pressured myself; I have access to excellent legal advice. But I’d sure like to know who thought she had the money to pay outstanding bills.
I got a letter about husband being deceased, he is not. Where do these people get info of person being deceased no death certificate ever filed because he is not deceased.
I received a letter concerning my mother’s estate. Just wondering if this is a legit company. Only debt that I know of was a Lowe’s bill. When I called to report her death they told me that I was not responsible for this. The only thing that she had left was personal items and a old ATV and a 1982 old pickup.
I am a Verizon account holder who had a subaccount for an ex-boyfriend. Verizon won’t remove the subaccount from my regular account. The ex-boyfriend died last year. DCM Services say the account for ex does not have either my name or SS # attached to it. Yet Verizon won’t remove the written off account from my regular account.
The father of my ex called DCM and told them that there was no estate for him to be executor of, and that he and his wife handled bills that came in and so forth but he was not named an executor. DCM will not release the debt from Verizon in order to clear my account. Verizon is being a nightmare as well. HELP!
My mother passed away in a nursing home under hospice care on August 1, 2018. She had Medicare, Tenncare, and Aetna medigap insurance. She was living with my husband and me and left no estate, other than a small funeral insurance policy. She had two credit cards with balances, Wells Fargo and American Express, both of which I mailed letters to as soon as I had her death certificate in hand so I could send them copies of said certificate. I also told them she had no estate. American Express offered to give me a credit account with them and they would transfer the balance of her card to the new account. They said if I didn’t reply they would close the account in thirty days. The balanced on that card is about $2,300.00. I did not take them up on the credit offer. I have heard nothing from Wells Fargo. The balance on Wells Fargo is about $5,400.00. I received only a couple of small medical bills, addressed to my mother only, and at least one of the bills stated I was not responsible for her medical bills. I never claimed responsibility for her debts before or after her death.
Today I received a letter from DCM Services, the same address as is mention on your website, requesting me “to identify and locate the person who has the authority to pay any outstanding bills out of Vivian Merrill’s estate.” They did not state who they were representing. I have not contacted them. I do not know if I legally have to contact them or not. We cannot afford to get an attorney, so I went online with my questions and that is how I discovered your website. My husband is disabled and our credit cards are maxed out as I could not work away from home due to both my husband’s conditions and my mother’s (she had mild dementia and also went through cancer therapy during the thirteen years she lived with us, She was 91 when she passed), Now I am close to 70 myself and have two disabling eye diseases that would make it very difficult for me to go to a job, let alone work at one. I would happily pay off my mother’s credit cards if I could. I don’t know if I am liable for these debts and would appreciate any input you have.
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
My father passed away on 2 August. He lived in an Assisted Living Facilty in Florida. He had no estate. He and I owned a condo that is being rented. I pay the mortgage. He had no credit card, no income (except his Social Security), and no other assets. Today (28 August) while I am on business travel in Pennsylvania, my wife received a call from an woman who identified herself as Anna Brown who wanted to know who was responsible for my father’s estate. She would not tell my wife what she was calling about. She left her number 877-326-5674. She avoided answering my wife’s question about what company she was with. After several requests, she said she was with DCM Services. She wants me to call her as soon as possible.
My husband died Jan.2, 2018 of Cancer after 47 years of marriage. All the credit cards he had were used for business, reimbursed through an expense account. I think this was one of them through Chase. It says Chase in this letter they sent me. I have no credit card debt. All other credit cards cancelled the cards and thatbwas that. DCM wants 429$ through the estate. When I called Chase, they referred me to DCM. I asked what DCM was and they said DCM would call me . They did, asked a bunch of queuestions and then told me they were debt collectors. They said they would call me again but instead I got this letter today. I am so confused. I am 68 years old and trying to deal with 3 years of stress of caregiving for my husband. My husband took a Prime Equity loan to pay bills I knew nothing about I assume to protect me from knowing how difficult things are. I now pay 500$ a month on that.
I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to pay this money.
Received a letter about outstanding debt for prescription medications for my mother’s estate. She was covered by Part D, private supplemental insurance and Hospice so she did not pay for her medications. In addition, all medication was dispensed through her ALF and not Weston Pharmacy that claims we owe them $719.
Received a letter about an outstanding debt. Three months after the estate had been handled and closed!!! There is NO debt!!!! I personally paid any and all debts owed…if there was an actual debt then I would have seen a bill in the last three months and would have paid it. My father left very clear instructions and has NEVER owed a debt collector in his life! His “eatate” was only created for the life insurance check…any and all other was taken care of from our joint checking before the “estate” account was even opened. Once all checks cleared the account was closed and dispersed. There is NO debt!!!
However, if there was, what took them 3 months to find it, why is it addresses to the “estate”, and why had I never received anything else regarding the so-called debt?!?