What to Do

If you are like me and many of my fellow business community members, you will likely go through a period of confusion, frustration, anger, and ultimately a need for retribution and satisfaction. I can tell you getting emotional alone will not solve your problem. You will have to take some meaningful action. I believe in being fair and giving the benefit of the doubt. However, if you are reading this web page, you should realize that this situation has been going on since the Summer of 2006. The period of "being fair" and "benefit of the doubt" is now over.

Cobra Collections and Janice Ledden were given many notices, ample chances, and fair warning by several parties. If you feel the need to go through the entire process as many of us have, that is certainly your right and perogative. But do not say you have not been warned. You will only lose more time, money, and energy as many of us have.

Most of us have full-time jobs. Either that or we simply have better things to do with our day. However, I think you will agree that doing nothing is also not the solution. We have to take some action. And it has to be meaningful, productive, and impactful action. When you take action, you cannot and should not be limited by one single train of thought or one course of action. Janice Ledden and her crew are very smart, crafty people. You should not attempt to resolve this by yourself. You should take action as part of a united front and a united team.

This is a not a personal or company issue. This is a business community issue! There is a very real financial danger and cancer that lives within our city that have affected scores if not hundreds of people in one way, shape, or form. Money is being stolen from so many of us. The dangerous entity known as Cobra Collections must be stopped. Do yourself a favor and take some meaningful action. Below are some guidelines and suggestions of what to do.

Cease & Desist Order (Updated: 6/27/07)

I have provided a copy of the Cease & Desist Letter I issued to Cobra Collections. Unfortunately, this action is now pointless as the office has shut down and the owners have since fled the Columbus, GA area.

Who to Report To (Updated: 6/27/07)

If you have been victimized by or have a complaint about Cobra Collection Agency and want to report your information, I can include your information on this web page. You may also contact the following organizations for assistance. However, because the owners of Cobra Collections have fled the Columbus, GA area, I would strongly reporting it to the police. They are the only people who can do anything at this point.

Columbus-Ledger Enquirer. Their newsroom numbers are 706.571.8565 or 800.282.7859. You may FAX them at 706.576.6290.

WTVM News Leader 9. The newsroom number is 706.494.5458. You may FAX them at 706.327.0179. You may also email them at newsrelease at wtvm dot com. Zaneta Lowe of WTVM's ConsumerWatch covered the story once on June 1, 2007. You may email her at zlowe at wtvm dot com.

WRBL News 3. The newsroom number is 706.324.6397. You may FAX them at 706.323.0841. You may also email them at news at wrbl dot com.

Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Columbus Georgia. Leonard Crain, President of BBB of Columbus GA, is compiling reports of Cobra Collections in their files. He can be reached at 706.324.0707 or 706.325.6000. You can email him at lcrain at columbus dash ga dot bbb dot org. To get the latest information on Cobra Collections from the BBB, you can do a search on "Cobra Collections". I have given him permission to pass my name and contact information onto others that want to contact and share information information with me on Cobra Collections.

State of Georgia - Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs. You may contact them at 800.569.1123 or 404.651.8600 or FAX them at 404.651.9018. You may send corresponence to: Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs, 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE, Suite 356, Atlanta, Georgia 30334-4600.

Columbus Police Department. Detective Bennie Jennings is currently the primary contact for this case. He can be contacted at 706.225.4326. His email is bjennings at columbusga dot org. Sgt. Karen Gaskins was the initial contact person for "white collar" financial crime cases. Her direct phone line is 706.225.4299. Her email address is: kgaskins at columbusga dot org. Both Det. Jennings and Sgt. Gaskins are pleasant and helpful. What Cobra Collections is doing is either criminal or borderline criminal. I am obviously not an attorney or law enforcement officer. But having briefed Sgt. Gaskins initially, she quickly responded on May 30, 2007 by assigning Det. Jennings to this case. I believe I speak for all of us that we appreciate her taking our complaints and this page seriously. BEFORE YOU CONTACT EITHER OF THEM PLEASE READ BELOW!!

Recourse for Unauthorized Electronic Debit Charges (Updated: 5/30/07)

Michelle S., a financial controller based in Destin, FL, contacted me representing a company that owed money to one of her vendors. She reported to me that Cobra Collections (without proper authorization) electronically charged and debited their corporate account an amount of over $5,000.00 (over a period of time) for a $1,500.00 debt. Clearly, this company more than made good on the debt.

Michelle aggressively took action and made contact with AmSouth Bank regarding the unauthorized charges. She shared the good news with me that she successfully reversed the more recent charges. Cobra Collections has since been banned from making any more charges to their AmSouth Bank account. However, Michelle is still fighting with Cobra Collections for the monies taken without permission prior to the recent transactions.

The lesson here is, if you have a good banking relationship, your bank will likely come to your defense and reverse fraudulent or unauthorized electronic debit charges. I have been a victim of electronic fraud. And in both cases with the two different banking institutions, the charges were reversed and I was protected. Clearly, most banks hate this sort of stuff and look out for their customers.