Dorsey Thornton & Associates, LLC, a Georgia debt collections company, and its principal officers Wyteria Dorsey and Michael Thornton, have entered into an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with the Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection (OCP), resolving charges that the company committed multiple violations of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Georgia Fair Business Practices Act. OCP’s investigation stemmed from a series of reports from consumers that Dorsey Thornton & Associates harassed and deceived consumers by:

• Threatening consumers with arrest or imprisonment if they did not pay the debt;

• Refusing to send customers written proof of the debt owed;

• Identifying themselves as “Investigators” rather than disclosing that they were debt collectors attempting to collect a debt;

• Contacting third parties and divulging information about the debtor’s account;

• Calling consumers before 8:00am or after 9:00pm; and

• Continuing to contact consumers even after they told the company to stop calling them.

Under the Assurance, Dorsey Thornton & Associates has agreed to forego collection of 31,433 accounts, representing a total of $15,491,899.36 in consumer debt. The Assurance also requires the company to pay a civil penalty and to reimburse OCP for investigative and legal expenses. John Sours, Administrator of the Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection, stated:

Debt collectors who engage in this kind of harassment, deception and other illegal behavior in the state of Georgia must and will pay a steep price.

It’s good to see the Governor’s office in Georgia actively protecting consumers in the Peach State. My friend Tammy Massingale, who works with the OCP, says the action taken in this case is typical of how they work to protect consumers in Georgia. That’s certainly good news!