Cyber-Monday was yesterday. And if you were careful, you probably got a good deal and kept your personal info intact. If not, you might have made a big mistake. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States and identity “burglars” are becoming more and more creative. Everyone is at risk and should be aware that crooks can easily look into your electronic devices to obtain your name and information, leaving you to deal with fraudulent debts. Identity thieves target people of all ages, in all communities of all sizes, hacking into personal computers and breaching corporations. Security is a top priority at this collection agency and periodically, we hear stories of personal info being stolen. No electronic device is completely safe, ranging from your family computer, your cell phone or your company computer.

Take a moment to be aware of all aspects of identity theft and what you can do to minimize your risk therefore keeping your identity and credit safe. At home or in the office it is important to be creative when it comes to encrypting passwords on all electronic devices. Using your pet’s name is not enough; be sure to combine a word or phrase you may remember with numbers or symbols in a creative manner to create a stronger password.

In addition to hacking into personal electronic devices, many identity thieves will steal information from discarded items that people believe to be clean. Take steps to keep your cell phone information safe. Encrypted passwords and removing a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card do not always protect your cell phone’s personal information once you no longer own the phone. Simple and inexpensive software programs are available to help you remove all sensitive data with a few simple steps. Also, your cell phone’s manufacturer is a good resource for information on how to permanently delete personal information from your mobile device. Keep your computer safe by overwriting files to be sure they are permanently erased. Inexpensive programs are also available for computers to wipe a hard drive clean so you may dispose of your computer.

It is difficult to maintain good credit without major hurdles like identity thieves and we aim to provide information to individuals to assist them in avoiding situations where they may be at risk. With identity theft on the rise, we know it is important to provide as much information as possible to help consumers protect themselves.

However, if you do become a victim of identity theft, be sure to immediately contact the three major credit reporting bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) to request a fraud alert on your credit file. You may also want to go one step farther and place a security freeze on your credit file to prevent new account from being opened in your name. At this collection agency, we have witnessed the most successful resolutions with identity theft from consumers who check their credit reports periodically to be sure no new unknown activity has transpired.

You are entitled to one free credit report annually so be certain to take advantage of this to reduce both the monetary damage and time spent cleaning up your credit.

Its Cyber-Monday so lets talk about identity theft; Identity theft is on the rise and although many adults take regular steps to ensure their credit is intact, they neglect to monitor their children’s credit. Shortly after a baby is born, they receive a traceable identity. Although we are all vulnerable to identity theft, children are particularly susceptible. It can be relatively easy for thieves to obtain identity information and commit their crime for a long period of time without being caught. As a partner in a collection agency, I have seen too many times people who have fallen victim to many types of improprieties.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports that nearly 7 percent of identity theft (nearly 20,000) complaints involve minors (children under 18-years old). Many children who have had their identity stolen may not realize it until they become young adults and apply for a credit or loan. As frightening as the facts may be, there are easy steps you may take to protect your child’s identity; first of which is realizing it is never really a good idea to release your child’s Social Security number.

In most cases it is legitimate to be asked to provide personal information: when you get a new job, collect Social Security benefits or apply for a loan or a credit card. However, as a general rule, you should be wary of providing too much personal information; especially providing a Social Security Number for you or your child. Once you release your child’s Social Security number, you have no way of knowing who has access to the information or what measures are being taken to secure those numbers. Secure data can easily be compromised and finding a database full of children’s Social Security numbers is a criminal’s dream come true. They can use the information to commit credit card, phone, utilities, government documents and other types of financial fraud.

In addition to being discerning about the distribution of your child’s Social Security number you should also:

• Check your child’s credit annually: Any holder of a Social Security number is entitled to one free credit check per year. This may be the best way to determine sooner than later, if your child’s identity may have been compromised.
• Follow up: After you apply for your child’s Social Security number, be sure you actually receive the card in the mail. Follow up with the Social Security administration if you do not receive your child’s card.
• Non-disclosure: Refrain from disclosing your child’s Social Security number unless absolutely necessary. If you are pressed to provide the number, ask why it’s needed and how it will be protected.
• Keep it secure: Do not store any private information card, particularly a Social Security card in your wallet; instead keep them in a secure location.
• Report immediately: Contact the Federal Trade Commission immediately to report any theft or violation.

As a collection agency, we occasionally see the fallout from people who have been negligent with their personal information.  We have seen consumers avoid potential problems with identity theft by vigilantly protecting personal information through the steps listed above and checking their credit regularly.

I am thankful for all the love I have in my life! I’m surrounded by a small group of the most amazing friends and family!!! I truly feel blessed! This time of year I find being a time more than ever that warms my heart and lifts my soul. There really is something special about seeing people opening their hearts and giving to others!!!

For most of us the Holiday Season is filled with joy but for some it is also a time of sadness from the loss of the ones we love. No matter the size of your family or circle of friends I believe everyone wants to feel loved. To me love is the best gift someone can give this holiday season and throughout the year!!!

I’m excited to share that we have a giving tree here at American Profit Recovery!!! Melissa and Ashley from our admin team are filling it with ornaments as we speak. Each ornament represents a special gift for the individuals in the families that we have adopted this season. This tree is something extra special that they came up with this year to ensure we go above and beyond blessing these families with all that we can!!!

May you too share in the the amazing gift of giving in every way this holiday season!!!

When I tell people that I work at a collection agency, I usually get a response like, “do you call people and yell at them?” or “oh, that must be depressing!”.  Although I don’t like hearing  those types of comments about the industry I work in, it gives me a chance to tell them how different American Profit Recovery is.  They may not think that you could meet some great people and leave work feeling really good about what you do, which is exactly what happened to me the other day at work.

 Recently APR collected warm clothing such as hats, gloves, and jackets as part of clothing drive hosted by Jeff Spurgess’ dad’s VFW group.  These items were to be given to local veterans.  Within days of the initiative being announced we had boxes upon boxes of items to keep people warm, as well as a giant mound of coats!  It was really cool to see how much the people I work with really care about the people in our community.

Later that day, Jeff’s father Eugene (known as Snackman to most of us ) came in to pick up the donations.  When he was wheeling out the boxes (there was so much stuff he needed to use a cart to take it all outside)  I had a chance to chat with him.  He told me that the donations would be taken to a shelter in Detroit that helps to rehabilitate homeless veterans.  I also found out that he is a Veteran of the Vietnam War, and that he spent 14 months there.  He mentioned how returning home from war isn’t always an easy transition for soldiers, especially during the era that he went to war.  He told me that the VFW is so special to him because it gives him an opportunity to participate in great charities, and how it simply just makes him feel really good to do things like this.

Not many people would think that you would have a chance to meet so many great people working at a collection agency.  But to me it’s just another day at American Profit Recovery!

As we approach Thanksgiving and either settle down to enjoy the holiday or get ready to travel cross country to see relatives, we want to take a short time out and thank everyone for making us who we are. As with many industries, there are many collection agencies for a business to choose from. We are confident people choose this collection agency because of our many different ways of doing business. In fact, I think many businesses are thankful for what we do. (That sounds a bit selfish but bear with me…)

We know as a business owner, you work incredibly hard to get a customer and retain that customer. To lose that customer is a tough thing and sometimes an expensive causality of business. We really understand this and we along with getting your customer to pay on time, want to help you keep that customer.  That why we always use a diplomatic approach to working with consumers when it comes to getting you paid. In short, we believe our customers are thankful for this. Not all in our industry share this philosophy…

In turn, we are thankful for the thousands of businesses that have entrusted their receivables to us. We are thankful for the many businesses that recognize we are more than just people who track down past due debt and thankful for those businesses that tell others about our services.

And, we are thankful for the consumers we call on who also recognize that we are different and actually thank US for how our people handle themselves.

Please be safe during this Thanksgiving season, think about what we all have and what we can do for others. Happy Thanksgiving…

American Profit Recovery’s – Customer Service Team!!! 

Our customer service team is something we really pride ourselves on!!!  In a day and age where call centers and customer service departments tend to be outsourced one of the neat things about our collection agency is that it’s all done in house! Each call is directed to a live customer service representative ready to help service our clients! Our customer service team is friendly and eager to help!!! In turn the wait time on the phone for our clients is far less and their business needs are taken care of quickly!  This enables our clients to transition seamlessly on to other business tasks.  Saving them time and increasing company productivity. 

We all experience customer service in one form or fashion each and every day.  Whether we call a business, go to the bank, or dine out with our families.  Interacting with a friendly person really makes a difference!!! Many thanks to our customer service team for all you do!!!

I am amazed by the compassion and generosity our ownership team exhibits throughout the year!!! They organize contests and fundraising activities for charities and causes; they support employees and their families in times of crisis; and they even rally together to welcome new babies and spouses to the APR family!!! WOW…Weeeee!!! That’s super neat!!!!

We, the employees, are asked to nominate charities that we support or ones that have touched our lives in a special way. The money we raise in house is periodically distributed to those charities close to our hearts! And that is a great feeling!

I’m excited to announce this year will be our 2nd annual adopt a family for the holidays project. There is truly something special about people uniting to help those in need especially during the holiday season!!!

No matter what APR does, they always truly make a difference and I love that!!!

Most people have had a handful of jobs in their lifetime and have been in the business arena long enough to know that “office culture” does exist.  It can exist in many different forms and fashions.  As my dad always says, “It all starts from the top and rolls down hill!!!”

The most remarkable and fascinating “office culture” I’ve observed throughout my professional working career has been here at American Profit Recovery!!!  I grew up in Texas and I have very strict parents! They taught me the most important character traits a person can have are to live by the utmost highest morals and values, to work hard and never let anyone or anything compromise your integrity.

A couple of years ago during my interview process here at American Profit Recovery I noticed right away that APR lived and worked by a set of core values.  They discussed work ethics, integrity and having a positive attitude.  And those were a few of the core values upon which the company was founded on and operates by each and every day.  I knew that day the APR interview experience was actually a very profound moment in my life.  At 32 years of age and many work experiences under my belt, I had yet to work for a company that operated by the traits my parents instilled in me at such a young age the same ones I value and live by.

That interview was one I will never forget!!!

Working for American Profit Recovery has been an enriching and rewarding experience!  One that focuses on business and self development at the same time!!!

I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of such an amazing Collection Agency!!!

This is a personal blog post and a hello to all you Lawn Doctor Franchisees. We’re coming to see you in Atlantic City on December 6 and we’re looking forward to meeting all of you. I and our lawn care specialist Andy Yavello will be at the Lawn Doctor annual meeting and we hope to have the chance to meet many of you to discuss how we can help you boost your bottom line and show you our interface with Real Green’s Service Assistant. We’re a different kind of collection agency and we’re eager to show you.

We work with many industries during the course of the year but it’s the green industry that we spend a lot of time with and know it well. We’ve been endorsed by Lawn Doctor and several other organizations such as PLANET so we’re well versed in the issues that surround your industry.

As many who have used us already know, we offer a low-cost flat fee solution to collections and in the process, use our very effective diplomatic solution to help you keep your customers. We know you work hard for your customers so that’s why we do everything we can to help preserve that relationship you have even after the collection process. That coupled with our early intervention and our APRweb which allows you to enter accounts 24/7, we’ve developed d a winning system that many in the lawn care industry swear by.

Most franchisees using APR love the interface we have created with Real Green’s Service Assistant software.  Right through the software, you can submit accounts and report payments.  The partnership between APR and Real Green has streamlined the collections process; by allowing everything to go through the interface you can save a large amount of TIME.

Take a look at the video below with Real Green President Joe Kucik and learn about how we help lawn care companies all across the country.

It’s exactly two weeks till our company holiday party.  This is an especially exciting time of the year here at APR!!!:)  There is a great sense of community and togetherness as we prepare for the Holiday Season.  In fact employees from several of our offices will be making their way to our corporate headquarters here in Michigan for meetings and to join us in the holiday festivities!

One of the things I love the most about working at APR is that it’s a family oriented company and our ownership team puts forth a great effort to schedule events and recognize their employees throughout the year which in turn brings us closer as a team!!!  Its no wonder why insidearm.com has voted American Profit Recovery one of the Best Places to Work in the Collection Industry for the last 3 years running!!!