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FORMER COLLECTION AGENCY OWNER FACING 20 YEARS IN PRISON FOR WIRE FRAUD CONVICTION
- John Williams, the former owner of Williams, Scott & Associates LLC, was found guilty yesterday in a New York courtroom for conspiracy to commit wire fraud after he allegedly stole more than $4 million from 6,000 individuals by misrepresenting the status and the consequences of not making payments on their debts. Williams faces up to 20 years in prison for the conviction. Williams’s lawyer had argued in court that prosecutors had failed to show that the defendant intended to harm consumers when his employees would call consumers, claiming to be investigators or detectives and threaten prison or arrest if the debts were not paid off.
SENATORS SEEK CONSUMER PROTECTION ASSURANCES FROM FCC AS AUTODIALER RULE MOVES FORWARD
- A group of 10 Democratic Senators, led by Sen. Edward Markey [D-Mass.] sent a letter yesterday to the Federal Communications Commission and the Office of Management and Budget asking how the agencies plan to protect consumers in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling and a new law that allows individuals to be contacted on their mobile phones by automated dialers, when being contacted regarding debts owed to or guaranteed by the federal government. A recently released Declaratory Ruling by the FCC “goes much further” than the law intended, the senators wrote, and they are now asking for answers.
WAGE GARNISHMENT BILL GETS IN-DEPTH LOOK
- An in-depth look at a proposed federal bill that would cap the amount that can be garnished from the paychecks and bank accounts of individuals with unpaid and delinquent debts. For example, the bill would protect up to $12,000 in an individual’s bank account from being garnished, which is roughly the federal poverty line for a single family household. Garnishments unfairly target low-income individuals, according to the sponsors of the bill.
CITY TAKES GENTLER APPROACH TO COLLECTIONS
- The town of Reading, Penn., is looking to take a gentler approach to collecting unpaid water and parking bills. Currently, the town sends unpaid bills to a collection agency as soon as they are past their due date. The town is looking to make phone calls and send follow-up letters prior to the bills being sent to collections. The objective is to try and keep the water from being shut off to fewer households.
WORTH NOTING: The CEO of JPMorgan Chase, who made $27 million last year, is arguing in favor of giving the little guy more money … Great Britain has a new prime minister … Utah is apparently the best state for business in the U.S. … Fiat Chrysler will pay you if you can hack into any of its cars … Why Ashley Madison thinks it can redeem itself … Seven digital tools to help you get more done … Six tips to getting free or cheap airline upgrades … A company is paying employees to get tattoos of the company’s logo … Will Newt Gingrich be Donald Trump’s running mate? … The average CEO at the largest companies in the U.S. made 276 times what the average worker made last year.
It might not be a bad time to invest in the stock market
In honor of the return of “Mr. Robot”
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The Daily Digest is sponsored by TCN, a leading provider of cloud-based call center technology for enterprises, contact centers, BPOs, and collection agencies worldwide.
