United Merchant Asset Recovery, LLC (UMAR) is a third-party collection agency based in New York state. UMAR has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), such as using false or misleading language in an effort to collect a debt and threatening to take actions that cannot legally be taken. If UMAR has contacted you about past due collection items, make sure you understand rights before you take action.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), United Merchant Asset Recovery, LLC is a legitimate collection agency, founded in 2011. The BBB established a profile page for UMAR in 2012. The BBB lists UMAR as a collection agency and payment processing service. Buzzfile estimates UMAR’s annual revenue at $289,000 and the size of its headquarters staff at 10 employees.
According to the BBB, the web address for UMAR is located at the following URL: www.unitedmerchantassetrecovery.com. However, this site is currently not operating and leads to a page on the GoDaddy web hosting site that indicates the domain is for sale. UMAR has a secondary website at www.sites.google.com/site/unitedmerchantassetrecovery. According to this Google sites web page, UMAR’s “expertise and integrity have earned them a reputation as one of New York’s premier arbitration and collections firms.” UMAR states that it is “dedicated to achieving the best outcome for every client.”
UMAR assists “businesses in recovering and managing their outstanding accounts receivable…and has realized an increased demand… for more comprehensive services designed to reduce costs, increase operational efficiency and cash flow, and prepare cases for litigation.” UMAR’s “debt collection division…integrates technology to offer a timely and fair settlement arrangement prior to litigation.” UMAR is “part of the credit reporting industry”; has formed “strategic alliances with the legal community”; and utilizes “all of the compliance and reporting tools at its disposal.” UMAR uses TLO and Collections Max software, “which offers nationwide coverage and current information.”
Most of UMAR’s website has not been populated with information and still contains the original filler material, which is written in Latin. The Resources tab provides information for clients, such as HIPAA compliance form downloads. Their home page states that UMAR “adheres to the strictest compliance standards in the industry,” but there are no links or references to consumer protection laws, resources, 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.
As of March 2018, the BBB has given United Merchant Asset Recovery a rating of NR (No Rating). There is also an Alert posted on UMAR’s profile page. The BBB closed 8 complaints against UMAR in the past 3 years, with 5 complaints closed in the previous 12 months. All of those complaints alleged problems with billing and collections. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has not posted any complaint data about UMAR. Justia lists at least 2 cases of civil litigation involving UMAR.
United Merchant Asset Recovery, LLC
PO Box 545
Lockport, NY 14095
Telephone:(877) 599-2008
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely UMAR 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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The BBB has posted an Alert on United Merchant Asset Recovery’s profile page that reads, in part:
“BBB has requested that UMAR remove the BBB logo from their web site because they are not accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
“BBB has seen a major increase in collection agencies starting business in the upstate New York area over the past several years. In an effort to keep consumers informed about which collection agencies are operating in accordance with federal and state law, we have asked for specific information from all collection agencies located in our service area, including proof of licensing, bonding, and or registration required by NY state or other governments where the business is located, as well as proof of licensing required by any state in which the business operates. This collection agency has not responded to our requests.
“BBB opened an investigation on the business and found a pattern of a high volume of serious complaints. BBB reached out to the business requesting a response to the high volume pattern of serious complaints about associates of the business breaking federal laws of the FDCPA. The business did not answer to BBB.”
Complaints against United Merchant Asset Recovery cite problems resulting from disputes about the validity of debts and allegations of fraud. In June 2018, a complainant stated that she had been contacted by UMAR regarding a payday loan. According to the complainant, a UMAR representative called her and stated he was “representing a law office… and that there was a complaint against” the complainant for an outstanding payday loan. Allegedly, the representative “stated that the balance due was $1,079.81 and that they were willing to settle the account for the amount of $479.81, which would keep the action from moving forward to the” county court. UMAR also sent the complainant “a letter via email” with a case number. The complainant was convinced that that the threat was legitimate, so she “entered into a payment arrangement and paid $239.90” on two different dates. She was given “receipts by UMAR and a paid in full letter from the law office.” She noted the name of the UMAR representative who signed all the documents, and stated that she had never spoken with her. Subsequently, the complainant received a call from “another company posing as a law office…stating she owed the same amount of money” she had already paid. She “informed the representative that it had already been paid, and the representative became hostile, stating this was for a separate incident.” The complainant became suspicious, and when she contacted UMAR, the representative “informed her that they…had never heard of the company and…wouldn’t use a law office to pursue a debt for a payday loan.” She accused UMAR of swindling her “out of almost $500…and fraudulently posing as a legitimate company affiliated with the Better Business Bureau.” In response, UMAR denied having contacted the complainant, stating that “for the last several years, UMAR has been strictly a payment processing facility…with very little to no contact with consumers.” They denied knowing anything about the debt, and insisted that they had never had any contact with the complainant.
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).
But here’s the rub: If you want to enforce your rights, or recover money for violations — you need to sue. These 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…
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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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