C&M Associates Group, Inc. (C&M) is a third-party collection agency based in Illinois. C&M has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), such as using false or misleading information in an effort to collect a debt and failing to provide written verification of debts. If C&M has contacted you about past due financial obligations, be sure you know your rights before you take action.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), C&M Associates Group, Inc. was founded and incorporated in 2011. The BBB established a profile page for C&M in 2012. The BBB lists C&M as a collection agency, debt relief service, credit and debt counseling service, and repossession service that uses the alternate business name, Chadworth & Macons Associates Group, Inc.
According to its website, C&M “is a collection agency that specializes in consumer debt settlement and recovery.” C&M has made a “commitment…to help resolve debt in an effort to improve consumers’ credit history background.”
The C&M website does not provide a lot of detailed information about its business practices or the type of businesses and industries for whom they collect debts. Their home page states that “the debt that… obtained by [C&M]… has already gone through the process of the original creditor’s internal collection department, and has also been disbursed to other collection agencies; …however, these accounts still remain outstanding.” C&M’s mission “is to settle the debt in a manner that is feasible to the consumer, the original creditor, and [C&M].”
Their website also includes a payment portal that identifies them as a bill collector and requires site visitors to enter identifying information, including a C&M account number and the last four digits of a Social Security number. In addition, there is a Contact page with a phone number, mailing address, and email address.
The C&M website does not provide any information about its regulatory compliance polices. There are no links or references to consumer protection resources, laws, 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 November 2019, the BBB has closed 2 complaints against C&M Associates Group in the preceding three years, with 1 complaint closed in the previous 12 months. Both of those complaints alleged problems with billing and collections. As of December 2014, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has closed 28 complaints involving C&M. Justia lists at least 1 case of civil litigation involving C&M.
C&M Associates Group, Inc.
PO Box 7070
Westchester, IL 60154
Telephone: (877) 889-6936
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely C&M 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 Complaint:
Complaints against C&M Associates Group cite problems resulting from disputes about the validity of debts and allegations of harassment. In June 2019, a complainant stated that C&M had “threatened to take legal action against him for a… debt that does not belong to him.” According to the complainant, when he accepted a phone call from the C&M representative, the representative “would not give him any information and hung up on him twice.” During the conversations the complainant was able to have with the C&M representative, C&M allegedly stated that “there was a claim out against the complainant’s social security number and that C&M would pursue legal action against” the complainant. The complainant insisted he had “never owned … a card from the original creditor in his life.” He also said that C&M was trying to collect “a fictitious debt that he had already taken legal action over in the past.” The complainant stated his intention to take further action if C&M continued its collection efforts.
In May 2019, a complainant stated that he had recently “received the second of two calls from” C&M Associates Group. According to the complainant, C&M was “claiming that he owed a debt from approximately 20 to 25 years” previously. Allegedly, the complainant “explained to the individual on the phone that he had no knowledge of any such debt and found it very odd that through loans he had secured over the years, i.e., mortgage, vehicles, etc., this record of debt never surfaced on any report from the three credit reporting agencies.” The complainant “also proceeded in asking the C&M representative to mail validation of this debt.” The C&M representative stated that “he already had and didn’t intend to do so again.” The complainant said that he had “no record of this letter” C&M claims to have mailed, and that C&M was attempting to collect an amount in excess of $9,000.00. When the complainant challenged the C&M representative on the validity of the debt, the representative “appeared to become aggravated and proceeded to threaten the complainant with a lawsuit and wage garnishment, asking him if he still worked at” his current employer. The C&M representative also went on to state that the complainant had “plenty of available credit… to pay what he was asking for,” quoting the exact amount of the complainant’s unused credit. The complainant “explained to him that he had no intention of paying anything without the proper supporting documentation.” He told the C&M representative that it “would be in his best interest to contact an attorney, so they… can get to the bottom of this” dispute. Allegedly, the C&M representative hung up on him. The complainant stated that based on what he had “learned so far and the failure of the individual to provide any form of meritorious documentation,” he was suspicious of C&M’s claims and concerned that it may “be a scam.”
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…
“I used to get up to 15 calls a week from several collection agencies. It got so bad I felt like I should just get a new phone number to make it quit. Happily, I discovered Lemberg Law. They immediately put an end to the calls. Now, when my phone rings I do not dread it.”
“I would recommend your company to anyone. You have the debt collectors off my back, and I will finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Throughout the entire procedure your employees were courteous and professional. I was blown away by their efficacy also.
“Prior to contacting you, we had tried repeatedly to handle this matter without threatening litigation. In the end, not only were they unapologetic, but they were dismissive – even of an attorney friend who called on our behalf. Sincerest thanks for resolving this matter for us!”
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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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C&M Associates phone number (708)315-7555 located in Tinley Park, IL has called me and my parents, whom I no longer live with and whose phone number would not be the same as it was when I supposedly incurred the debt, they are supposedly trying to collect. I asked the gentleman who called me his name is Samuel Douglas for any information he had on the debt they were trying to collect as I have never done business with an EZ Corp EZ Money before, he gave dates in 2014 and told me money was deposited into my checking account and he even knew my former address and my former employer but that was all the information he had he then transferred me to his supervisor who was a woman and whose name I can’t remember and she told me a totally different date than he did from 2013 and she told me I should go to my bank to get more information on this loan after giving me a deposit date. She claimed to be offering me a deal and told me there was over $1,500 worth of interest on this account for me but she could offer a settlement of only $987 yet when I go to the website and enter my information it shows I owe $987. I went to my bank and there is no deposit from any payday loan company on or around the time they claim this was deposited so I then called EZ Corp EZ Money who has numerous complaints about the same type of thing happening to many many other people on the Better Business Bureau’s website and they even have a warning about this type of thing on their BBB profile along with when you call the number they list on the BBB profile and she said they get between 60-180 calls a day about this same situation. She ran my name and social security number through her database and confirmed I have never done business with them. She said I should reach out to the Federal Trade Commission to report this as it is a scam which I have done, I also submitted a complaint to the BBB and to the Wisconsin Attorney General. They claim they did their due diligence but there is no way they did any type of due diligence other than looking at my credit history. I have no idea where this business acquired this debt from but they really need to check their source. I hope they get shut down.
I’ve been harassed by this group saying that they will serve me with a subpoena to appear in criminal court if I didn’t give them account information and they were constantly calling giving a high amount Due We asked multiple times for documentation for the debt because we currently bank with who they are trying to collect money from it doesn’t make sense none of the people trying to reach us were courteous or fair they keep threatening me with lawyers and being served on my job I even waited here at my house for them to service and they never came. Never once providing proof of this debt to us just a bill. We currently bank with this said debt that we owe so it just doesn’t make sense