Bureau of Medical Economics or BME is a debt collection agency is bound by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Learn more about the company and how you can stop harassing debt collection calls.
Bureau of Medical Economics or BME is a legitimate third-party collection agency based in Arizona. Bureau of Medical Economics has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), including attempting to collect debts not owed and illegal communication tactics. If you have been contacted by Bureau of Medical Economics, make sure you understand your rights before taking action.
According to its website, Bureau of Medical Economics has over 50 years of professional debt collection experience. Bureau of Medical Economics “was originally instituted by the physician members of the Maricopa County Medical Society in response to inadequate alternatives to the hard-core collection tactics that prevailed in the poorly regulated collection industry.” Bureau of Medical Economics’ mission “is to maximize recovery of your delinquent dollars without alienating the patient in the process.”
Bureau of Medical Economics offers a variety of debt services. In support of its debt collection efforts, Bureau of Medical Economics employs a highly-trained staff with access to the most up-to-date call center technology, electronic skip-tracing, and asset search downloads. Further, Bureau of Medical Economics utilizes technology to report individual debtors to the national credit bureaus in order to prevent debtors from obtaining new lines of credit until their debt is paid in full. In addition to these services, Bureau of Medical Economics also monitors for bankruptcy filings, accident case settlements, attorney liens, and estate filings. This means that if the medical debt originated from an injury that resulted in death or disfigurement, Bureau of Medical Economics will attempt to collect from any legal judgments awarded to the debtor or the debtor’s estate.
Finally, if these methods don’t provide full payment of the debt, Bureau of Medical Economics will utilize its nationwide account litigation services to enforce debt recovery. If a law suit is filed against the debtor, any judgment obtained against the debtor will continue to accrue interest until the amount is paid in full. In addition, the original amount owed by the debtor will substantially increase due to the addition of attorneys’ fees and court costs. This judgment can serve as the basis for obtaining a wage garnishment from the individual debtor’s employer. In addition to a wage garnishment, Bureau of Medical Economics will seek to attach a lien to any assets owned by the debtor.
Bureau of Medical Economics specializes in delinquent debt collection for healthcare providers.
As a third-party debt collection agency, Bureau of Medical Economics is required to adhere to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), a federal law that protects consumers from abusive debt collection tactics. Nevertheless, consumers have filed complaints accusing Bureau of Medical Economics of violating the FDCPA. Those accusations have included claims that the debt collection agency has threatened to sue consumers without actually intending to do so and talking to third parties about consumers’ debts. It’s imperative that you know your rights under the law before speaking with Bureau of Medical Economics debt collectors.
Stop Debt Collector Harassment with the help of Lemberg Law
Contact the dedicated consumer-rights law firm that knows how to stop them – and make them pay you up to $1000 penalty, plus our legal fees. Fill out the form here, or call us at +1-844-685-8700
Bureau of Medical Economics is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), though the BBB issued Bureau of Medical Economics an “A+” rating, despite the presence of 34 complaints against Bureau of Medical Economics in the past three years, only 12 of which have been resolved in the past 12 months. 32 of these complaints contained allegations related to Bureau of Medical Economics’ billing and collections practices, while the remaining complaints contained allegations related to services provided by Bureau of Medical Economics. Since May 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has received 26 complaints against Bureau of Medical Economics, 25 of which contained allegations related to Bureau of Medical Economics’ debt collection practices, including its communication tactics, false statements, and attempts to collect debts not owed, while the remaining complaint contained allegations related to credit reporting. In addition, Justia, one of the largest online legal databases in the United States, lists at least 20 federal cases of civil litigation involving Bureau of Medical Economics.
Are you asking yourself…
Bureau of Medical Economics could be calling for a number of reasons, all of them related to debt collection:
If you’ve been contacted by BME it’s important to know your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. If they’ve violated your rights, you can take the agency to court and sue for statutory damages of up to $1,000 – along with court costs and attorney fees.
First you can write a cease and desist letter. Explain to Bureau of Medical Economics that they have the wrong person and insist that they stop calling you. Make sure to send your letter via certified mail with a return receipt requested. If debt collectors from BME persist in calling you, make sure to keep a log. Note the date and time of each call, the name of the debt collector, and what was said. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, debt collectors, who violate the law, must pay consumers up to one thousand, dollars plus attorney’s fees. A fair debt attorney can represent you at no charge, and can readily evaluate your case. It’s also important to file complaints with the Better Business Bureau and with the Federal Trade Commission.
No. If you’ve been contacted by BME, you have the right to sue them in federal court if the debt collection agency has violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Signs that you may be on solid legal footing are:
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act was put into law in order to protect consumers like you, but there’s a catch. While the government sues debt collection agencies that egregiously violate the law, it doesn’t sue agencies on behalf of individual consumers. Instead, the FDCPA has what’s called a fee-shifting provision. This means that, if you sue and win, then the debt collection agency has to pay your court costs and attorney fees. Fee-shifting levels the playing field so that you can assert your rights.
Yes. Bureau of Medical Economics can sue you if you owe the debt, however, threatening to sue or serve you with papers if they don’t intend to do so is a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Additionally, after receiving the first collection notice, you have 30 days to dispute the debt. If you dispute the debt, then BME is required by the FDCPA to prove that you do, in fact, owe the money. A debt collection agency isn’t allowed to sue you if, for example, the debt is past the statute of limitations or if you do not legally owe the debt. It’s a good idea to speak with a fair debt attorney if you’ve been served with a summons or legal complaint.
Yes. However, Bureau of Medical Economics cannot threaten you to garnish your wages and garnishment can only only occur if BME files a lawsuit and obtains a judgment against you. It’s common for consumers to ignore notice of a lawsuit; if you don’t appear in court, the judge may automatically rule against you. Debt collection agencies have been known to avoid serving consumers with notice to increase the odds of obtaining a judgment. This is called “sewer service” or “gutter service.” The bottom line? If wage garnishment takes you by surprise, talk to a consumer attorney who can fight for your rights.
Yes. Bureau of Medical Economics can report debts in collection to the three major credit reporting agencies – Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Once a debt is reported to the credit bureaus, it will appear on your credit report and will impact your credit score.
Yes. However, as with wage garnishment, a property lien can only arise out of a court judgment against you. If BME files a lawsuit against you and the judge rules in their favor, then the debt collection agency has a right to collect that money. One way of doing that is by putting a lien on your house or property. That’s why it’s imperative to respond to legal papers and to have an attorney by your side who will fight on your behalf.
Yes, Bureau of Medical Economics can call you at work however there are strict limits about what BME can say or ask about you if they are calling your at your place of employment. If you want them to stop calling your job, you should tell them not to and you say that your employer either doesn’t allow those types of calls or it’s inconvenient for you. If they keep calling after you have made this request, it’s actually a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act for them to continue to call you. These laws prevent calls to work when you’ve told them not to, so it’s important to make that clear to the debt collector calling you. Take the date, and time, and the name of the person that you spoke with when you asked them not to call at work and then consult with an attorney about your rights
Yes. Again however, there would be strict limits to what they can say. It would be illegal, for example, if BME called your family and discussed your debt with them. It might be easier to say that the ONLY reason a debt collector can contact your family is to obtain or confirm your location information so that they may contact you. That is the only exception to the law regarding third party contact. Collection calls are annoying enough, but when a collector is calling your friends, family, co-workers or place of employment and discloses information about your finances, the annoyance can quickly turn into harassment. Under federal law, debt collectors cannot discuss your debts with your children, roommates, and in many states, even your spouse.
No. Bureau of Medical Economics – or any other debt collection agency like BME for that matter – has no authority whatsoever to arrest you. In fact, threatening you with arrest or jail is a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. While so-called “debtors prisons” are illegal, only non-payment of things like traffic tickets can lead a judge to issue a bench warrant, which in turn can lead to arrest.
Yes. You can sue Bureau of Medical Economics if you believe BME violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The FDCPA says that debt collection agencies that violate the law must pay consumers up to $1,000 in statutory damages, as well as court costs and attorney fees. That’s why engaging a fair debt attorney to represent you in an FDCPA lawsuit typically doesn’t cost you anything out of pocket. The attorney that agrees to take on your case knows that the debt collection agency will be forced to pay their fees.
If Bureau of Medical Economics – or any other debt collection agency – is calling you to the point of harassment, using abusive or profane language, or violating the FDCPA in some other way, it’s time to fight back. Under the law, you may be entitled to up to $1,000. At Lemberg Law, we won’t charge you a dime out of pocket, and we only get paid when you win. Call us today for a free, no-obligation, case evaluation. We’ll get the justice that you deserve.
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.