Washington, DC - “Is it getting hot in here?” For companies that engage in illegal debt collection practices, the answer is a resounding yes. One reason is the unprecedented cooperative effort by federal and state law enforcers to turn up the heat on violators. There’s more to come, of course, but efforts like Operation Collection Protection prove that consumer protection agencies are stronger when we work together. That’s why we’re taking a moment to offer a public thanks – and an FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Partner Award – to an esteemed ally in the fight: the New York Attorney General’s Buffalo Regional Office.

The complaints in cases like Delaware Solutions, 4 Star Resolution, National Check Registry, and Vantage Point Services challenge a broad range of debt collection violations, but they all begin with the same line: Federal Trade Commission and People of the State of New York. That’s because the New York AG’s Buffalo Regional Office was instrumental in each those actions. What’s more, they co-hosted the first Debt Collection Dialogue, one of our federal-state summits to discuss debt collection law enforcement and industry compliance. We think their efforts – to quote the Partner Award citation – “have significantly advanced our joint mission to protect consumers from abusive, deceptive, and unfair debt collection practices.”

This is the fourth Partner Award announced by the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Previous awards to the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, the Consumer Protection Division of the Florida Attorney General’s Office, and the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs demonstrate that when it comes to protecting America’s consumers, united we stand.