ATLANTA, GA – John Sours, Administrator of the Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection, today announced that RSB Equity Group, LLC, an Atlanta-based debt-buying company, and its principal Roy Mullman, have entered into a settlement with the Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection (“GOCP”), resolving charges that the company committed multiple violations of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Georgia Fair Business Practices Act. GOCP has alleged that RSB Equity Group repeatedly harassed and deceived consumers by: 

  • Threatening consumers with arrest or imprisonment if they did not pay an alleged debt;
  • Falsely representing that consumers had committed fraud or criminal acts and that a lawsuit was about to be filed unless the debt was paid;
  • Refusing to send consumers written proof of alleged debts owed;
  • Falsely identifying themselves as “attorneys” or “investigators” rather than disclosing that they were, in fact, debt collectors;
  • Contacting consumers about alleged debts at the consumers’ place of employment;
  • Contacting third parties and divulging information about the debtors’ accounts;
  • Collecting or attempting to collect amounts that were unauthorized and illegal;
  • Calling consumers before 8:00am or after 9:00pm

Under the settlement, RSB Equity Group will not be allowed to collect sums due under the 11,803 accounts it owns, representing a total of $13,054,667.16 in purported consumer debt. The settlement also requires the respondents to pay a $10,000 civil penalty and to reimburse GOCP for investigative and legal expenses in the amount of $5,000. 

“Debt collectors that employ abusive, deceptive and illegal tactics in the State of Georgia will deservedly have tough consequences to face,” says Administrator Sours.