The Minnesota Department of Commerce said you can add ID theft, forgery and theft to the long list or reasons for hating bill collectors. And, if you wondered where all that money went when you closed on your house, it might be that your title company kept the premium.
The Department of Commerce investigated bill collector Lee Hanna and HS and Associates LLC, a collection agency, and alleges that Hanna committed ID theft by using customer information to open a credit card account, forged checks with the same customer’s name and transferred client money from the company’s trust accounts and operating accounts for personal expenses, including bar tabs and rent.
The credit card account opened by ID theft was charged $14,389.91; the two forged checks totaled $6,500 and the client money inappropriately used for personal expenses was in the amount of $19,000, according to the department.
In an unrelated investigation, First Financial Services Inc., another collection agency, was found to have duped a bank into issuing a $40,000 check to the collection agency from the accounts of two consumers First Financial had repeatedly contacted in reference to purported debts.
The company is accused of ID theft, forgery and providing false information to the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
Finally, Andrew Morris and Morris Abstract and Title Inc. are accused of forging property owners’ signatures on bank documents, failing to record mortgages and failing to issue title insurance despite collecting insurance premiums and other fees at closings. When the department inspected Morris’ home, Morris allegedly said he had kept the fees and premiums from roughly 100 closings without issuing insurance policies.
Tags: Andrew Morris, bill collector, collection agency, First Financial Services Inc., forgery, HS and Associates, ID theft, Identity Theft, Lee Hanna, Minnesota Department of Commerce, Morris Abstract and Title Inc.
