Is Jefferson Capital Systems harassing you?
First: Read our quick summary of Jefferson Capital Systems (JCS). It will tell you everything you should know about JCS before responding to their calls or taking legal action.
Next: Determine if JCS has violated your rights. The best way to do so is to call Lemberg Law for a free consultation, but you can also consult the reference section below or skim through our FAQs. This page also provides a brief overview of your legal recourse when it comes to JCS.
Finally: Call Lemberg Law to look into filing a free-of-charge lawsuit against JCS. We can win you monetary damages, end their harassment, and remove JCS from your credit report. When we win, the law requires JCS to pay your attorney fees and court costs.
Jefferson Capital Systems, LLC (JCS) is a debt purchaser and third-party collection agency owned by CL Holdings. JCS buys customer accounts that owe debt to another company, and attempts to collect that debt themselves. They may also assist other businesses in the collection of debt. Additionally, JCS outsources its debt collection to other third-party collection agencies that help JCS collect debt.
Jefferson Capital Systems
16 McLeland Road
St. Cloud, MN 56303
Phone Number: 800-281-2793
Website: http://www.jeffersoncapitalsystemsllc.com/
Collection agencies like Jefferson Capital Systems use a variety of strategies to extract payments from consumers. Tactics include robocalls, skip tracing, phone calls, and letters. However, many customers report being contacted by phone. JCS may tell you that they have purchased your account from an original creditor. They may also claim that they are collecting debt on behalf of that business. Either way, JCS wants to gather your personal information and set up a payment plan for your alleged debt.
The harassing company pays our fees.
Jefferson Capital Systems may report your alleged debt to credit reporting agencies. This can, of course, negatively impact your credit score. If JCS has acquired your account from another company, their trade line ‘JCap’ may appear on your credit report instead of the name of the original creditor.
According to JCS’s FAQs Page, on which you can find more information about their debt collection and credit reporting practices, JCS must stop reporting debt and remove themselves from credit reports “within seven years of the delinquency date.” JCS also claims to stop reporting debt “approximately 30 days after the final payment.” After this time, JCS requests its removal from credit reports after a debt is “paid in full or paid in full for less than the full balance.”
Jefferson Capital Systems is not a scam. The practice of debt buying, third-party debt collection, and credit reporting is a highly regulated, but legal, operation. Based out of Minnesota, JCS has many offices around the US and abroad in the UK and Canada. They employ hundreds of people and produce an annual revenue of around $25 million, per Buzzfile.
While JCS may be a legitimate business, they are not above the law, and they are known to violate the regulations put in place to protect consumers like you. Our law firm and consumer-information sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) receive hundreds of complaints about JCS which paint a picture of debt collection harassment and other alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
Consumers have reported this agency harassing them from the following numbers:
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.
You may have a case against JCS if you have endured any of the following common violations:
If any of the above collection practices are familiar to you, there is a good chance JCS has violated your rights protected by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
We can help! Even if you are unsure, call Lemberg Law today for a free consultation, and find out how we can win your free-of-charge harassment case against JCS.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is your main line of defense against debt collection agencies like Jefferson Capital Systems who may be committing harassment. The FDCPA, which is a powerful federal regulation, not only protects you against harassment but also allows you to pursue a free lawsuit against JCS if they have violated any of your rights as a consumer.
Under the FDCPA, you are entitled to sue JCS for harassment and win monetary compensation of up to $1,000. You may also dispute an alleged debt with JCS. Additionally, it is possible to delete JCS from your credit report. However, the greatest tool the FDCPA offers you is to take JCS to court without having to waste time or money: if JCS has violated your rights, they must cover your court costs and attorney fees.
Your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) are broad and can become complicated. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) says the FDCPA legally forbids JCS and other collection agencies from “harassing, oppressing, or abusing consumers,” using “false, deceptive, or misleading representation or means” while attempting to collect debt, or “using unfair or unconscionable means” throughout the collection process.
Besides debt collection itself, JCS is restricted in how it reports debt to credit reporting agencies. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), for example, regulates how JCS and other collection agencies report delinquent debts to credit bureaus. In addition to the FCRA and the FDCPA, you are protected by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA).
If you want to learn more about your rights as a consumer or suspect in any way that JCS has violated your legal protections, call Lemberg Law today for an obligation-free, no-charge consultation.
Many of our clients are initially concerned that a lawsuit against Jefferson Capital Systems is an unusual or risky decision. However, the reality is that complaints and legal action against JCS are common. On consumer websites such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), you can find thousands of complaints alleging violations of the FDCPA alone. Furthermore, there have been dozens of cases of civil litigation taken against JCS so far. You are not alone, and you deserve the free justice and compensation the law offers you.
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Unlawful Debt Harassment? Learn the Law & Sue the Collector.
If Jefferson Capital Systems is harassing you for payment, affecting your credit by reporting debt to credit reporting agencies, or is threatening to sue you or garnish your wages, your best option is to file a lawsuit. The law entitles you to a free-of-charge legal process and up to $1,000 in damages if JCS has violated your rights. By suing JCS, you can end harassment and even wipe JCS clean from your credit report.
While JCS cannot make empty threats to take negative legal action against you and garnish your wages, they can still summon you to court and garnish your wages after a default judgment. While it is unlikely CRM will sue you for a debt you do not owe or they cannot validate, it is within their power to take you to court as long as they follow the proper procedures. Without an attorney representing you, JCS may also…
You can prevent any further negative action from being taken against you by hiring an experienced consumer rights attorney. Before things get worse, find out how Lemberg Law can help you by calling for a free consultation.
Here are some sample cases filed in federal court:
In January 2019, in United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, a judge issued a decision in a case alleging Jefferson Capital Systems had violated three sections of the FDCPA and the Wisconsin Consumer Act (WCA). In this case, the plaintiff incurred debt as a result of opening a “consumer credit card account with the original creditor. In 2015, she fell behind on payments.” Her final billing statement “indicated that the account was past due, that she had been charged a $26.00 late fee, and that she needed to pay $150.00 by February…2015 to ‘keep her account in good standing.’” The original creditor sent 3 additional letters, “alerting her that her account was past due and requesting payment.” The plaintiff mailed a payment to the original creditor for the past due amount, but there was still an outstanding balance of $1,400. She made additional payments over the next several months but was unable to continue after she lost her job in July 2015. Subsequently, she stopped communicating with the original creditor. They continued to send her delinquency notices, but by the end of the year, they charged her account off with a remaining balance of almost $1,800.00. Immediately after the original creditor charged the debt off, JCS purchased it and obtained a substantial amount of information about her through the original creditor’s account information. Jefferson Capital Systems referred the debt to a series of collection agencies that were unable to collect the debt and eventually hired the debt collection law firm, Messerli & Kramer (M&K). M&K sent the plaintiff a letter, but the plaintiff did not respond. Two years later, in January 2017, the plaintiff “received a summons and small claims complaint notifying her that she was being sued… by JCS…for $1,800.00 in credit card debt.” The plaintiff hired an attorney, and JCS, through M&K, “sent a proposed order voluntarily dismissing the state-court collection action with prejudice,” citing “the heavy cost anticipated in litigating the small claims case.” The plaintiff filed a lawsuit claiming JCS’s collection efforts had resulted in “stress and humiliation…that caused her to lose sleep, drink alcohol excessively, and feel suicidal, among other things.”
The plaintiff’s argument made 3 claims. First, Jefferson Capital Systems violated FDCPA Section 1692e, which prohibits using “any false, deceptive, or misleading representation or means in connection with the collection of any debt.” She argued that by “filing a debt collection lawsuit, JCS represented that they had the right to sue her,” but the WCA requires that JCS first send her a notice advising her of her rights. The second argument was similar but cited a state law rather than a federal law. The third argument was that JCS had violated FDCPA Section 1692e(3), which prohibits “the false representation or implication that any individual is an attorney or that any communication is from an attorney.” Attorneys for Jefferson Capital Systems argued that the plaintiff was not entitled to receive the notice she claimed and that regardless, they had sent her a letter that complied with legal requirements. They also argued that they were not in a position to be aware of the alleged legal violation she had stated in her complaint. The court found that the plaintiff had stated a valid objection in her complaint, that both JCS and M&K should have been aware of the state law requiring them to send a notice of intent to sue, and that their misrepresentation to the contrary was sufficient to establish a sustainable complaint that they had violated both state and federal debt collection laws. Their request to dismiss the complaint was denied, and the plaintiff was allowed to proceed with a jury trial.
“Thanks again for your assistance in bringing this case to an amicable close. You were quick, efficient, and so professional. The last time I had to have an attorney for a civil matter, it was not a pleasant experience, so I truly appreciated you! I will definitely refer your name should I be asked.”
“THANK YOU SO VERY VERY MUCH for everything you guys did for us…. This was our first time dealing with a situation like this and you guys made it so easy. Thank you!””
“My attorney was able to reach a settlement and dismissal for me today in this case. This settlement was at my request, and I am very pleased that she was able to help me in resolving this issue. She has been great to work with, very professional at all times, and has the ability to present options in a straightforward manner that I could understand. Words cannot express how much I appreciate the help I received from her in this confusing and frustrating case.”
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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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Hi, I have letters from Jefferson Capital a debt collector they say they are current creditors on my credit cards account, but my first owner is PNC Bank, they are not the first to whom I have to pay, but at this time I have debt valuation lower who take care of me from Phenix Low firm. My question is why they harassed me and coming to my house. What do I have to do?
I want Jefferson charged! charged! charged! go to jail and pay me for breaking the law, and violations and causing me more grief and hardship, they sued me in Oct 2020 I was served court papers buy the cook county sheriff in oct of 2020, and at that same time my brother had just died in Ohio, and my mother was in the hospital here in Chicago IL I BEEN GOING BACK AN Forth to the hospital to see my mother and I didn’t know what was going to happen to my mother, and my mother Died to in Jan 2021 I had too much going on with my brother dying and my mother very sick and thin I get served with these court papers while my brother had died and my mother very sick they put this judgment on the nexus Lexus record and it’s on all of my credit reports if I try to apply for any future credit now it’s gone hurt me from ever one day trying to buy a house or any future credit the court sent me a letter saying a judgment was entered against me, by Jefferson capital they are not the original creditor the original creditor had charged this dept off it was sopose to fall off my reports in this year 2022, its been on my report since 2015, but they try to find eligalways to just keep it on my credit report the judgment that was agenst me and was on my report was 4000.00 but I did not owe the original creditor 4000.00
those were extra charged add on Jefferson capital is trying to add and put even more charges on
the 4000.00 judgment now they just sent me a new letter in 2022 over 5000.00 so they can just keep charging up and up and up and I don’t feel I owe Jefferson anything! this should be a fraud I didn’t bar anything from them
the original creditor was Fingerhut, not Jefferson capital I want them charged with fraud there’s and pay a fine and go to jail something wrong about this I can’t figure it out Jefferson should be in jail I want to sue them for fraud and trying to overcharge me and causing me more stress in 2020 and now
I am from Chicago IL
THE STAR RATING IS FOR JEFFERSON CAPITAL AND FOR THE LEGAL SYSTEM TO ALLOW JEFFERSON TO GET AWAY WITH WHAT THERE DOING TO PEOPLES
It seems these kind of companies and or tactics are becoming more prevalent. In my case the store owner is the culprit. This is my third round with him. And Im really a bit miffed, since there really is no debt.
I live in Florida. Jefferson Capital is attempting to collect on a debt that is 17 years old. Statute of limitations for contract debt is 3 years , however some cases that can extend to 7 years. I have not made any payments within the past 17 years . How would you handle this in order for them to stop sending me offers to reconcile .
Jefferson capital system posted false collections on my credit report and I have been receiving harassing text messages including robo calls. These harassment are from early mornings approximately 6am to late nights 10pm.
JCS was showing on my credit report (Fingerhut). I handled this account years ago as a result of identity theft. 4.5 years later, it is still on credit report after I discovered that my credit report dropped 64 points in one day!!! I sent certified mail for validation of the debt. They ignored. I contacted them via telephone – they had no information! I have attempted to call since and they are only available for online communication! They have reported my account closed one month and re-reported the next! Sue them for all you want – keep the money – JUST GET THIS OFF MY CREDIT REPORT!! They have no right to do this!!!
Jefferson Capital sued me in court for a collection they just sent me last week. i kept all my bank statements showing my payments and my credit history with Fingerhut.
Jefferson Capital just called my work looking for me. They cannot validate a debt in my name and continue to call numerous times. When I ask repeatedly for proof of debt they refuse to provide anything. Now they’re calling my work and my home multiple times a week from 1-866-677-2706
I have been harassed by Jefferson Capital by phone and now someone sending someone to my home stating I have to be in court for them sueing me. The amount is incorrect .
This company is coming after me for a debt that has already been collected i don’t understand why I would have to pay them when this debt was already settled
I received a call on my cell phone from these guys. The asked for Sandra Bxxx (which is my mother). I replied that I was her daughter. Then he asked to speak to her. I responded with “Well, you called my cell phone, my mother lives in another town. And how did you get my number and how is she associated with my cell number?” He completely avoided the question and said that he couldn’t discuss my moms personal business with me and asked for her number. I told him that I was not giving our her phone number, but would take his and give it to her. Which I am not, I just got it to report it. I knew it was a scam because my mother has never used my phone number as hers. So here is the number
844-890-9217. His name was Barruk. They have called several times
If you get a call from a debt collector like Jefferson Capital, it’s a good idea to answer it. If you don’t answer they will just sue you for the money owed anyway, and they will eventually get what’s owed whether you answer the phone or not. If you talk to them and explain your circumstances, you can enter into a payment agreement where you agree to pay off your debt at $10 or $20 per month for however long it takes to pay it off, which might be 20 years!
If you constantly just refuse to pay, hang up the phone, ignore letters etc, then they will add fees and charges to what you owe, and the debt will just keep getting bigger and bigger, until it’s worth their time to sue you for it or go to a judge for a garnish of your salary etc. If you just agree to pay, then they have to freeze the amount you owe and can’t add anything else to it, even if you’re paying $5 a month toward a $2000 debt.
Yelling at them and disputing what you owe won’t get you anywhere. They have a legal obligation to prove you owe the money. Calmly ask for it to be mailed to you. If it never arrives, forget about it. You don’t owe them squat. The burden of proof is on the owner of the debt. No proof, no debt.
However, most debt purchasers don’t purchase debts without proof. Chances are that most of the time they will have proof that this is what you owe, be it a credit agreement, an account statement or other documentation. If this arrives, you need to accept that you owe the debt, agree that you want to pay it in instalments, and offer what you can afford to pay.
Once you set up an instalment plan with a debt collector, whatever you do make sure that it gets paid every single month. As soon as you default on it, they will come after you with more fees and charges, and probably sue you.
Don’t try to pretend that you can’t afford anything at all, they’ve heard that one before and that will just make them come after you for the full amount. The courts won’t go as easy on you as a debt collector will, and your credit score is basically ruined for 6 years if they rule against you.
When you apply for credit of any kind, whether that’s a Verizon contract, a car loan or a mail order company with a credit plan or whatever, then the terms of the credit agreement you signed will state that the debt (and your information) can be sold to a third party if you fail to keep up your payments for any reason. So don’t think you can just ignore these guys just because you didn’t give them authorisation to purchase your debt. Yes you did, it’s in the terms and conditions of the credit agreement you signed. If you don’t keep up the payments you agreed to with the original company that gave you the credit, the they can sell your debt – without your permission – to anyone they want. It’s fully legal. If they have served notice on you over this, and you think you can fight it because you never gave permission for your debt to be sold, you are going to lose.
If you buy a car on credit, drive it back to the dealership and dump the keys on them, that doesn’t clear your car loan, sorry. The dealership has no obligation to take the car back unless it’s covered under warranty, and no obligation to cancel your loan. Even if they wanted to cancel your loan, they almost certainly can’t, because they will have used a 3rd party loan company. Don’t ever do this. If you do want to take your car back to the dealership, they must first agree IN WRITING that they accept the car back from you. If you don’t have that agreement in writing, you still owe the money for the car, regardless of whether you still have the car or not, regardless of what’s wrong with it.
Hopefully this advice helps someone and stops them getting into even more financial trouble by thinking they can refuse to pay debts that they do actually owe.
I am trying to get Jefferson capital to remove it from my credit report. It was paid in full. Now after I paid it off they sent it in to the credit department as being disputed. and it is paid in full. Now I have paid it twice. I called them and they told me to quit calling back or it will get worst. This is a depth from 2004 . They refused to send me the original contract date. Now it is back on my credit again and I paid it off 3 weeks ago. Now they are trying to get me to pay more to make it go away.
I signed a contract with Verizon and paid it in full . Found out that the store salesman but the cash in his pocket and did not apply it to my account $188. dollars. It went to collections ant the original contract was signed on 2004. Found out that they put it on my credit as collections. I called them and paid it off. Now they went in on my credit report and put notes saying I disputed it. Now I am having trouble getting a home loan because it say dispute on it. I am a disable veteran and thinking if I paid it off it would go away. It is pass the 7 year that I signed the contract. They refuse to remove it and told me if I call back it will get much worst. All of this because Verizon employee keep my cash and did not apply it. Now they atre trying to destroy my credit.
This company shows up as a recently dated debt with a very old Verizon cell account they purchased. My issue is I never got any mail from them validating and if they called with one of those robo calls i would of hung up instantly. I did read that there is a Federal statute of limitations of two years on cell phone debt. Knowing this, I took a first step and submitted a dispute to all three credit bureaus that I never received any mail and the date was wrong along with being past the federal statute. I suppose I’ll wait and see. Curious if anyone knew about this statute.
Jefferson Capital Systems summons me to court and tried to sue me for debt that they couldn’t validate. This caused extreme distress for me because this company had no grounds to sue me. If anyone is reading this in distressed of this terrible debt buyer DO NOT SETTLE! Fight them! Don’t ignore there summons because if you do they will win!
They are scammers and this company should not have a rating of B according to the Better Business Bureau! They can ruin lifes and cause distressed to people. They didn’t win the settlement of their claim against me due to inadequate information! So, their claim was dismissed on my behalf. This company should not be in business!
Jefferson Capital System trying to get me to pay a debt and threating. to file a lawsuit
I received a letter from Jefferson capital on a charge off and I was planning on making payments to pay off the debit I haven’t received a billing or anything so I can do so and now they are threatening to place judgement on me a d I been out of work for awhile and trying to take care of my son and this is putting stress on me and everything else.
Jefferson capital systems llc just had me served at 4:00 pm today 12/13/18 . for a debt i have with finger hut . i did not authorize finger hut to sell my information . i also did not authorize Jefferson capital systems llc to puchace my information nor have i done any business in any way shape or form with them .and i will not do bussiness with them .
Jefferson capital system LLC is harrassing me all times of the day threating to sue me if I didn’t pay them and I know nothing of this company. I owned a car and I had so many problem with the car it stayed broke down more than I drove it. But I took the car back to drive time on the lot where I bought it from and put the keys in there hands. THey know I had so many problem with this car. I lost money putting it in different shops. Drive time never called cause they knew the problems I was having and it was my only vehicle I had. But I couldn’t keep spending money on something I I couldn’t enjoy.
Jefferson Capital Systems has called me from numerous phone numbers over the last year and each time I block one, they call from another. They have bought a charged off account from another debt collector that bought it from a different debt collector because I refuse to pay the debt, I did not incur the debt and have made numerous attempts to prove that. I have actually answered their call twice trying to explain to them that I was not the person that incurred the debt, that it was impossible for me as the town that the account was opened was 500 miles from my residence at that time (this is at least an 8 year old debt by the way). Each time I try to explain anything to the person I’m speaking with, they talk over me, call me a liar and a fraud, tell me I’m an ignorant fool and when I ask them to send me documents pertaining to the debt, they hang up on me. This debt is still on my credit report and needs to be removed, it is well past the statute of limitations. They have the account as being opened last year; that may be the time they bought it but they told me it was opened some time in 2010. They will not send me anything proving that it was me that opened the account, much less any type of correspondence whatsoever, they just continue to call me and harass me. I sent a cease and desist letter several months ago but the calls keep coming in, at all hours of the day and night including weekends. But when I try to call them…..during the week……anywhere between 9am and 5pm, “this office is closed, you need to call back tomorrow during business hours”……which are not mentioned so I have no idea at exactly what time I need to call. I’m over it and it needs to be stopped. Thank You!
Jefferson Capitol is continually harrassing me with phone calls every few minutes from different phone numbers, at least I think it is them. I will not answer my phone and the calls are coming to my cellphone, and I have already received a call from them on m landline and the caller was very rude…