Four private companies can nowcollect federal tax debtfor the IRS.
But that doesnt mean theyre all doing it in accordance with the law.
After reviewing call scripts obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the investigating groupmade four claimsagainst Pioneer.
4 Complaints About Pioneers Tax Collection Tactics
Want to know what the letter says in plain English?
Here are the major complaints the Senate group made against Pioneer Credit Recovery.
Pioneer fails to adequately protect taxpayers from criminals posing as IRS agents.
Pioneer was found to hold accounts for only five days before calling taxpayers again.
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Faking urgency is a tactic IRS impersonators commonly take, the complaint letter explains.
Pioneer pushes taxpayers into products that could risk their home and retirement security.
Pioneers call scripts may violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
This violates the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, sincethese contractors dont have that power.
Apparent violations of Pioneers IRS contract and IRS policies.
But Pioneers scripts didnt indicate this option, nor did it inform payers about the Taxpayer Advocate Service.
But seems like Pioneer is not adhering to these protections.
Pioneer Credit Recovery was removed from its duties of collecting overdue student loan debt in2015for misleading borrowers.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issuing Navientfor failing to inform student loan borrowers about income-based repayment plans.
Lisa Rowan is a writer and producer at The Penny Hoarder.
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