USCB to Pay Millions in TCPA Debt Collection Class Action Settlement

Have you been receiving pre-recorded messages or automated phone calls to your cellphone from debt collectors? It seems you’re not the only one.

Last month, USCB Inc., a receivable and resource management company, agreed to a $2.75 million settlement that will be paid out to roughly 12,000 consumers in order to resolve a Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) class action.

The suit claimed USCB Inc. used an auto-dialer to call consumer cellphones without permission or prior consent in order to collect debt. The class action was filed in November of 2013, when lead plaintiff Brenda Johnson alleged that USCB Inc. called her cellphone repeatedly with automated messages, attempting to collect a debt she did not owe.

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, USCB Inc. will compensate consumers who received unwarranted, pre-recorded calls to their cellphones from the company from November 2009 through May 2014. While the amount to be paid to each class member depends upon how many of them choose stake their claim, at least $1.47 million will be apportioned to the group.

Ultimately, USCB was violating both the TCPA and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Making repeated calls to consumers is considered to be harassment and is unlawful under the FDCPA. Likewise, the calls were made using an auto-dialer to consumer cellphones without their prior consent – a violation of the TCPA.

If you are receiving automated messages or calls to your cellphone from debt collectors or other callers, email us and consult with one of our lawyers, without charge to you. There are laws that these callers are required to follow, and if they don’t, they should be held responsible.