06/23/09: A.G. Cuomo Disconnects Harassing Debt Call Operators

Original YNN Buffalo Air Date: 06/23/09
Debt collection is on the rise in these tough economic times, but New York’s attorney general says that’s no excuse for abusive and harassing phone calls.“Debt collection offices have a right to operate, but they have to operate legally,” said NYS Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.He says enough is enough and announced the shutdown of nine debt collection companies across Western New York owned by Buffalo businessman Tobias Boyland.Erie County Sheriff’s deputies took Boyland into custody Tuesday morning. He’s being held on weapons charges for carrying a loaded semi-automatic pistol and having another in his house. Federal agents found the weapons as they searched his Harvard Place home and four of his debt collection locations.Many of Boylands neighbors on Harvard Place say they are surprised by the investigation. Some say Boyland comes across as a generous neighbor known to many around Buffalo as the man they call “Bags of Money.”Boyland’s website describes him as “hood rich” with a bevy of entertainment based business ventures. But it’s his 30 employee debt collection company’s telephone tactics that’s sparking controversy. Cuomo cited three types of calls which cuomo deemed to be over the line.
Sample Phone Recording: “Make sure you have somewhere for your kids to go, lock up your house, get some clean clothes because you’re not coming home anytime soon.”
Cuomo says just because a person has an overdue bill doesn’t mean they don’t have rights. His office has issued 20 subpoenas to similar operations across New York State. He says these strong arm “bullying” tactics were intended to extort money from the customers.“The whole scare, the threat, ‘we’re going to throw you in jail, the district attorney. there was no DA warrant or judge warrant. These were all tactics to get people to pay a bill,” say Cuomo.The Attorney General urges anyone with questions about a debt collection agency to contact the state attorney general’s office http://www.nydebthelp.com/.