Can Pinnacle Credit Services LLC sue you?

Answer 1

I think they can. I actually just received a letter from an attorney. They gave 30 days to resond and dispute the money I supposedly owe. I would try to contact them and find out what is going on. You might want to make sure these people are legit. It could be anyone trying to collect but only you know if you really owe money. Whatever you do keep records of everything.

AddedThey routinely don't. What they do is place the debts that they purchased with attorneys or collectors who could use this as a method, but calls to them about their practices are continually routed to their downstream assignees. Potentially, this is done as a method to distance themselves from the actions their assignees might take in the collection of debts. Basically, their motive is to get a portfolio of debts, reassign it to other collectors, and take their cut. But if they aren't correctly reporting after you've attempted to notify them, that's where they're responsible.

You should also be aware that a check of Pinnacle reveals a lot of information about poor and potentially unethical/non-legal practices and misrepresenting information about debts. While I cannot confirm any of that, I know that I personally am someone who has had a debts discharged due to the debts being considered fraudulent and successfully prosecuted many years ago. The debtor has continued to pass this bogus debts down the pipeline trying to recover, and Pinnacle is among the most recent to have picked it up. So what I can tell you is that based on calls to them and other observations of their practices, they take a very arm's-length approach to any culpability.

If you think they're not operating within the guidelines of the FCRA (as loose as those can be), you should work with the collector to disprove, work with the original organization to do the same, and certainly work with the Attorneys General of your individual state to notify them of unethical or non-legal practices.

ADDED:

Yes, they can legally sue you if they can prove that they are the legal holders of the debt. This isn't legal advice, but they must be able to prove that you are the holder of the debt, prove that they legally acquired it, prove that they've given you adequate notice, and then take you to court. Don't be fooled by what they might tell you, the burden to prove the legitamacy of the debt is on the collection agency.

Before they can sue you, they must provide you with debt verification.

In addition, they must bring about a lawsuit before the statute of limitations expires in your state. It is best to contact a lawyer about the SOL as it can get fuzzy.

I personally dealt with Pinnacle Credit Services and they tried to establish themselves as the original creditor on a fraudulent account so they could extend the SOL on the debt by four years. They also attempted to collect twice the amount of the original fraudulant debt through "interest and fees." Considering the original debt was supposedly 6 years old, even if it was valid they would have bought it for pennies on the dollar.

To make matters worse, Pinnacle Credit Services normally farms out to "attorneys" to collect the debt and will refuse to answer your calls and have even refused to provide a mailing address. Failing to provide a mailing address is a very big red flag. Many times these farmed out collectors will attempt to collect the debt until you demand that they provide verification of the account. They then remove the account from your credit report, send it back to Pinnacle, who then farms it out to another company a year later.

Make sure you request verification directly to Pinnacle Credit Services and the company they farm the debt out to. You should keep records of your request for verification, send it by certified mail with a return reciept, and follow up with another letter 15 days later if you have not received any information. In addition, I would recommend sending the copies of your dispute to your State Attorney General's office and file a complaint with the FTC if you feel that your rights are violated.