On September 8, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the New York State Attorney General announced they filed a complaint against five New York debt-collection companies, along with the individual owners and managers of the firms.  The complaint, filed in the Western District of New York, alleges the defendants used deceptive and improper methods including threatening legal action, threatening to contact consumers’ employers, friends or family, and misrepresenting the amount of the debts owed, in order to induce borrowers into paying debts, in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), 15 U.S.C. §§ 1692b, 1692c, 1692d, 1692e, and 1692g, the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA), 12 U.S.C. § 5536(a), and several New York state laws.  The complaint seeks consumer redress, disgorgement, civil money penalties, and injunctive relief.