Fair Collections & Outsourcing or FCO is a third-party collection agency based in Maryland. FCO has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), such as communicating information about delinquent debts to unauthorized third parties and failing to provide written verification of debts. If Fair Collections & Outsourcing has contacted you about delinquent financial obligations, make sure you understand your rights before you take action.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Fair Collections & Outsourcing file was opened in 1996. The BBB lists FCO as a collection agency. Buzzfile estimates FCO’s annual revenue at $3.8 million million and the size of its headquarters staff at 33 people.
Fair Collections & Outsourcing have been in business for over 30 years. The agency specializes in collections for groups of assisted living, military housing, student housing, and student accounts. Their site boasts of “multiple call centers digging deeper to the money,” and claims to have developed skip tracing technology that supplies their collectors with immediate results. They have software that creates outbound calls and letters. Along with such tactics, they also report to the 3 national credit 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.
As of April 2017, the Better Business Bureau reported 102 complaints against Fair Collections & Outsourcing over the previous few years, such as 42 closed Fair Collections & Outsourcing complaints over the past 12 months. The BBB provides Fair Collections & Outsourcing an F rating. Additionally, Justia lists two FCO complaints filed in federal court in the past year alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and one alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Moreover, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) lists 165 closed FCO complaints for 2016.
Fair Collections & Outsourcing, Inc.
12304 Baltimore Avenue, Suite E
Beltsville, MD 20705
Phone Number: 877-324-7265
Website: http://www.fco.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely FCO 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
In 2015, a judge in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, granted judgment to the customer in Jarzyna vs. Home Properties, et al., where Fair Collections & Outsourcing was charged with violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. In the complicated scenario, the consumer had rented an apartment from an organization, and the rental later converted into a month-to-month tenancy. In the end, the consumer made plans to move, but the plans fell through, and he signed a lease for his current flat. The property manager sent him a late note for $1,415, which then snowballed into a greater amount. Fair Collections & Outsourcing came into the picture when it delivered the consumer a set letter. The customer disputed the debt, and maintained that FCO continued to call him even though he had been represented by a lawyer. The judge ruled that the consumer was entitled to judgment under the FDCPA because FCO failed to identify as a debt collector when leaving voicemails on his telephone and tried to collect a debt he didn’t owe.
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).
Consumers have reported this agency harassing them from the following numbers:
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 can’t start to tell you how happy this makes me. It is actually comforting to know that there are people ready to do the things you have done. I am really blessed to have found you guys, and was not worried about anything. I think that at the end was the best part for me, reassurance. I’ve got the release here and have signed it, I will fax it over the hour.”
The Lemberg company and everyone we dealt with were true professionals. Michael and I’m very pleased at the final outcome of all our cases. The settlements we received were honest and the activities against the agencies to stop the harassment were swift.”
“Joann was so professional and helpful each time I had a question or needed help.
The brief answer is probably yes. And won’t charge you a cent for a consultation or our aid.
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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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We settled with the Property Management Company via FCO for an outstanding amount we owed for move out costs. We have a letter showing the balance due is $0. Recently we discovered that FCO is collecting on behalf a new client (Lease Term Solutions) for the balance! However, we don’t have a balance. BTW this is from 2016. We were recently denied an application for a new apartment and we are not going to pay for something we don’t owe. We are trying to dispute with the CRAs.
I lived at an apartment complex in Ft Lauderdale FL called Berkshire Lauderdale by the Sea.
During covid, a family member passed and I informed the leasing agent i was moving out. I owed 1 months rent. I did not have a security deposit. I paid $375 for a sure deposit which should cover any carpeting or picture hangings FCO put on my credit report $2546 for 1 month rent and $2,000 debt for Sure deposit. I need this removed from my credit report so I may get an apartment.
I’ve been working on my score for over a year and a half….. Getting credit cards, a new car loan, disputing things, etc….. Thought my score had no hope because it was barely moving with all of the hard work I did. When I first talked to Chad(a friend) less than 2 months ago and he told me about credit brainiac, I was thinking “there is nothing else these guys can do, because I did it all”. I always believed i could just do this on my own and if i couldn’t do it, they couldn’t. But i listened to how confident Chad was in them, and decided: why not let them try? So, I let them.Well, they cleared my doubts! And with everything they did, my score jumped over 250 points!!!!! My credit report has never been this better in a very long time.
Fair Collections? Where did they get this name?. Anyhow, I have a collection from them on my credit report. I paid all of my apartment bills promptly, and even made sure of it, with Avalon in Lexington MA. Well, somehow Fair Collections has my super high bill of $4000, which they said was damages of the carpet. When I called Avalon, they said they have no record of this issue and it is out of their hands, and to call Fair Collections. I told them I don’t owe it. I have disputed this 5 times and still on my credit.
I have lived at one expensive apartment an renewed my lease for four times since 08/2013 to 06/2017. I had to terminate my last lease due to harassment, theft and murdering from one main suspect stalker/hacker and his friends. By habitability and safety law, I have the rights to terminate my lease without paying any breaking lease penalty fees. But the apartment management tried to extort me and sent terminating lease fees -two months rent about $4000, plus other extorting fees to FCO despite my previous attorneys’ letters explains the bill is illegal, but FCO still reported the collection to three credit report agencies to ruin my credit. FCO persists that the bill is correct and forced me to pay the bill. now I am going to rent a new apartment and discover the collection on my credit report and was denied rental from multiple places. I have damages from FCO.
I had to move out of my apartment quickly, my stepmom passed unexpectedly and my dad has a brain tumor, I let the office know I needed to leave and the day I would be leaving. They proceeded to evict me, even though I left and left the keys. I asked the landlord to please send me the final bill after she took out the security deposit. So I figured around $3000. She ended telling emailing me a total of over $6000. A little time has passed and my mom signed the lease with me, but didn’t live there, just helping me out, the FCO sent her a bill for $6110. I was never contacted, even though I left my address. My mom is very upset. I am not sure what to do.
Thank you
I gave a two month notice for my apartment in Rhode Island. They’re staying I didn’t and puts the deficit on my credit report. FCO is now calling me emailing me and mailing out letters to my new address. I’ve no idea how they got my new address. Also there was a new tendentious that moved in my apartment one month after I left if not less . That was in the state of Rhode Island which states the apartments owner can’t charge you if a new tenant has moved in.
Received letter from FCO, dated January 27, 2018 claiming I owe an apartment development $2326.98, but will be willing to take a 70% discount of $698.09. I’ve dispute this charge, moved from the apartment complex since 2014, which has since had numerous claims for putting several tenants out without notification due to flooding and asbestos conditions. I was never served from the complex stating I owe this money, nor was nor is there an active judgment filed against me. FCO, has reported this money on my credit report causing much distress. What can I do about this? Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.
I am dealing with a collection from Great Expectations. I tried to cancel my membership with them, but they told me that I could not do that and then turned me into collections with FCO. GE has a class action in the state of Washington that was settled out of court. GE is a fraud. At this point I am trying to clean my credit report. I have offered to pay a small amount of what GE says I owe just to get it off my report. FCO says that that Great Expectation will accept my offer. I want FCO to wipe my credit report. They say that they can not do that but it can be noted that the dispute was settled for a lesser amount. I want it completely removed from my report. Can this be done?
I have a debt which was turned over to fco and I made payment arrangement and they are informing me that is has to be paid off by Dec 20 or it will be turned over to someone else what should I do