State Collection Service or SCS is a third-party collection agency based in Wisconsin. SCS has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), including improper conduct or sharing of information and threatening to take actions that cannot legally be taken. If you have been contacted by State Collection Service, make sure you understand your rights before responding.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. State Collection Service or SCS is one of the more well-established agencies in the collections industry. Their main office is in Madison, WI, with additional offices in Beloit, WI; Milwaukee, WI; and Chicago, IL. The Better Business Bureau indicates that State was founded and incorporated locally in 1949. The BBB’s file on State was opened in 1995. Manta estimates State Collection Service’s annual revenue at $500,000 and the size of its headquarters staff at 5-9 employees.
Although 85% of State Collection Service’s business comes from the healthcare industry, they also accept accounts from utility companies; commercial and retail credit; and local, county, and state government agencies. Their first client in 1949 was a hospital based in the Midwest that is still one of their most productive accounts. Their accounts receivable management services allow them to act as the initial billing service for many of their clients as well as a third-party collection agency for delinquent debts. Their collection techniques consist of sending validation letters; telephone campaigns; follow-up letters and phone calls; skip tracing for accounts with no contact information; and a legal team for specifically defined delinquent accounts.
State Collection Service is very serious about training and compliance. Their management team is responsible for ensuring compliance with the FDCPA and FCRA; Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); contract review; outgoing correspondence review; credit bureau reporting regulations; dispute resolution; and a host of industry regulations set by professional organizations such as the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA); the American Collectors Association (ACA); and the International Association of Commercial Collectors (IACC).
Their Web Resources link provides access to their online pay portal as well as links to the three major credit reporting agencies; the BBB; the Federal Trade Commission; the General Accounting Office; the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions; the FDCPA and the FCRA; and the consumer debt counseling resource, Ask Doctor Debt. Their web-based consumer contact from provides a fairly comprehensive and transparent disclaimer.
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 Better Business Bureau lists a total of 71 complaints against State Collection Service in the past three years, with 33 closed in the last 12 months. 22 complaints have been accepted as resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant. Complaints against State Collection typically allege errors in reporting debts to the credit reporting agencies or mistakes in billing. The 10 negative customer reviews allege problems with customer service. Many of the complaints result from calls for unverified debts or excessive phone calls. In addition, there are 13 negative customer reviews of this company complaining of rude collection agents; inaccurate billing and reporting information; and excessive phone calls. The BBB has given them a rating of A+. Justia lists at least 7 different cases of civil litigation in which State Collection Service appears as a defendant.
State Collection Service, Inc.
PO Box 6250 | 2509 S. Stoughton Rd.
Madison, WI 53716
Telephone: (800) 477-7474
Website: https://www.statecollectionservice.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely SCS 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 are some Sample Cases and Complaints against State Collection Service, Inc.
The FDCPA and the FCRA in particular contain provisions that require collection agencies to adhere to laws designed to protect “the unsophisticated consumer” from abuses. In other words, some collection agencies tempt to “fool” or mislead consumers by taking advantage of consumers’ unfamiliarity with the laws regulating the collections industry. When these cases go to court, the collection agencies often do not prevail. State Collection Service has established itself as an expert in the area of compliance. So-called unsophisticated consumers faced with financial difficulties sometimes file complaints out of frustration, and many complaints against State are focused on credit reporting or billing issues. Some of these complaints have been litigated. For instance, a 2016 civil case alleged that SCS violated the FDCPA’s provisions prohibiting phone calls during times that have been identified as inconvenient and other provisions against unfair or unconscionable means of debt collection. Although the court acknowledged the right of the plaintiff to bring charges, evidence at trial found that thry had not committed any violations. Nonetheless, consumers with valid complaints have prevailed in some civil actions against State Collection Service—a 2015 decision in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, awarded a plaintiff a judgment of $1,001 in statutory damages and reasonable attorney fees for State Collection Service’s violations of the FDCPA.
Press Releases of Lawsuits Brought On By Lemberg Law Against State Collection Service Inc
March 9, 2017. On behalf of our client, Lemberg Law recently filed a complaint in U.S. District Court, Middle District of Georgia. The case, against State Collection Service, charges the debt collection agency with violating federal and state law and asks for $1,000 in statutory damages under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, actual and punitive damages under state law, plus other relief.
Medical bills can be daunting. They can certainly be overwhelming. Debt collection calls after medical problems can make the whole situation worse. Our client says that State Collection Service began calling her cell phone in order to collect medical debt owed by her husband. She informed State Collection Service that her husband was covered by Medicaid and Medicare, and that all of his expenses were covered by insurance.
She also told SCS that her husband couldn’t be reached at her cell phone number, and asked the debt collector to stop calling her cell phone in order to speak to her husband. Nevertheless, SCS kept calling our client’s cell phone. Sometimes, when our client answered calls from them, the debt collection agency immediately hung up the telephone. She says that State Collection Service kept calling, even though she’d disputed the debt, refused to pay the debt, and ask that all calls to her cell phone stop.
This lawsuit charges that State Collection Service violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) by contacting our client at a place and time known to be inconvenient; by engaging in harassing behavior; and by using unfair and unconscionable means to collect a debt. It also charges that SCS violated the Georgia Fair Business Practices Act.
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 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.”
“I just called in to thank you for the incredible help you offered to my sickly father who was bothered with frequent calls from scammers. At a point, he just wanted to pay them to get rid of all the annoyance, but because of Lemberg Law’s assistance, he got free help, and the bothering calls ended immediately.”
Chances are we can. Call us to today and we’ll tell you how we can help.
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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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I dealt with State Collection Service awhile ago. An employee of theirs told me that State Collection Service is a branch of the Wisconsin government employed by them to collect on debts (He explained that’s why they are called State Collections Service) and that he was a Wisconsin State employee and that if I didn’t agree to their payments than I would be prosecuted by the State of Wisconsin and local law enforcement would be visiting my home.
They called 5-6 times a day, harassing me for payments over the phone, than saying I never paid (they claimed to have no records of any payments) I had to produce bank statements and talk to many supervisors (retelling my story every time, because there was never a record of any of my previous calls (which were always recorded per their script)
Finally had it all paid, still received phones call for a month about non-payment.
At least they contacted some people, they didnt even contact me in any way to let me know of this supposed debt. I found out the hard way when they took my state return without notice, when i tried to get my money to make a payment on back rent and had my card declined. I literally had to go online to my h and r block account to see money was taken. Then had to go to lending tree website through h&r block to find out it’s for some supposed debt i had, but never seen before. It didnt even have any basic info to when or what it was supposedly from. Just their name, the amount they stole from me ,and a incorrect collection date. Which i know is wrong due to getting my money on my card only 12 hours before my card got declined.
State Collection Service keeps calling ma after I told them they have the wrong number and do not call me back. I have no business with them. How do I stop this harassment?
I HAVE BEEN GETTING THREATING AND HARRASSING CALLS FROM A COMPANY CALLED STATEWIDE PROCESSING. THEY HAVE REFUSED TO GIVE ME DEATILED INFORMATION. JUST DEMANDED PAYMENT AND SAYING THEY WILL SERVE ME AT MY JOB AND TAKE ME TO COURT FOR A SIMMONS. I HAVE CALLED SEVERAL TIMES AND IM HUNG UP ON AND THIS LAST TIME SHE SAID OH MAAM WE HAVE SUBMITTED YOU FOR COURT AND WE WILL BE TAKING UR 2015 NISSAN SINCE YOU DIDNT PAY US. I NEED HELP TO STOP THESE THREATING CALLS AND GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS ISSUE. I EVEN TRIED TO CONTACT THE COMPANY THEY SAID I OWE AND THEY INFORMED THE INORMATION WAS CLOSED AND SENT TO ANOTHER COMPANY{NOT THE COMPANY THAT WAS CALLING ME} BUT SAID BECAUSE THIS ACCOUNT WAS YEARS OLD THEY NO LONGER HAD IT AND COULDNT HELP ME.
A LADY BY THE NAME OF “MS JONES” CALLED MY BROTHER IN LAW AND LEFT A MESSAGE TELLING HIM TO HAVE ME CALL BECAUSE I HAD BOUNCED A CHECK AND SHE NEEDED TO SPEAK WITH ME BEFORE SHE SERVE ME COURT PAPERS. OF COURSE HE REACHED OUT TO ME AND INFORMED ME OF WHAT SHE SAID. I THEN CALLED THE NUMBER BACK AND ASKED WHY THEY ARE GIVING INFORMATION LIKE THAT TO A THIRD PARTY AND WHAT WAS THIS VEN ABOUT AS I DIDNT HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY OR WHAT THEY WHERE CALLING FOR. MS JONES BEGIN TO TELL ME SHE WOULD BE SENDING ME COURT PAPERS AND WHEN I ASKED WHAT THIS WAS ABOUT SHE REPLIED SAYING “YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS FOR! THE LOAN YOU TOOK OUT AND DIDNT PAY!” I THEN TOLD HER I WAS A VICTIM OF ID THEFT AWHILE BACK AGO AND WOULD LIKE MORE INFO ON HER CALL. SHE REFUSED. SHE SAID SHE WOULD BE FILING THE COURT PAPERS AND THEY WOULD BE TAKING MY 2015 NISSAN. SHE DISCONNECTED IN MY FACE. I CALLED BACK AND SPOKE WITH SEVERAL WOMEN WHO WHERE ALL REALLY NASTY RUDE AND UNPROFESSIONAL. I ASLKED IF THEY ARE GOVERNED BY THE FDCPA AND THEY SAID NO BECAUSE THEY ARE A PRIVATE AGENCY AND THEY ARE INDEPENDETLY CONTRACTED. I HAVE RECORDED CALLS OF SOME OF THIS BEHAVIOR. WHAT CAN I DO TO STOP THE CALLS AND FILE COMPLAINTS?