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Is McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff A Scam? How to Respond

George Simons | January 13, 2025

George Simons
Co-Founder of SoloSuit
George Simons, JD/MBA

George Simons is the co-founder and CEO of SoloSuit. He has helped Americans protect over $1 billion from predatory debt lawsuits. George graduated from BYU Law school in 2020 with a JD-MBA. In his spare time, George likes to cook, because he likes to eat.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Hannah Locklear
Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: To settle debt with McCarthy Burgess & Wolff, verify the debt's accuracy, calculate what you can afford, negotiate a settlement in writing, and pay the debt as agreed. Keep payment records to avoid future issues. Solo can help with all this and more.

McCarthy Burgess & Wolff is a legitimate debt collection agency that contacts consumers with pending debt on behalf of their clients. They collect debt for companies that offer services such as credit cards, utilities, medical care, auto loans, or student loans. If you have unpaid debt in these areas, McCarthy Burgess & Wolff may contact you to ask you to pay the outstanding debt.

McCarthy Burgess & Wolff (MB&W) has been in business for over 41 years with an A+ accreditation from the Better Business Bureau. They are a multi-location company, and their headquarters is in Bedford Heights, Ohio. Below is the McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff phone number and other contact information:

  • Phone Number: 888-584-3053
  • Address: 26000 Cannon Rd, Cleveland, OH 44146
  • Website: www.mbandw.com

Once McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff receives your account information from the original creditor, they will call or email you requesting you to make payments. Responding to them when they contact you is the best move as opposed to postponing the need to address your debt situation. If you are undergoing financial constraints, they may help develop a plan on how you can clear your debt.

Below, we break down some steps to respond to McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff and resolve your debt while avoiding court.

Settle debt with McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff

You can negotiate debt settlement at any stage of the collections process. SoloSettle makes it easy.

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Respond to McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff with these steps

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) contains federal laws that guide how collection agencies should interact with consumers. Knowing these laws will increase your chances of having a positive outcome with MB&W. Below are two legal steps you can take under the FDCPA when MB&W calls.

Step 1: Ask for more information.

Before responding to MB&W’s requests, ensure you are talking to an MB&W employee and not a scammer trying to tarnish the company’s image or convince you to make the debt payments to a questionable account.

Ask the MB&W agents to identify themselves properly by giving you their full names, employee numbers, the name of the original creditor to whom you owe the debt, and their contact information. Inform them you need to have everything in writing, and they should email this information before you respond to their request.

Step 2: Request for debt validation

Debt information sometimes gets mixed up or lost as it moves from the creditor to the collecting agency. Verify that the debt is yours and that the amount is accurate if it belongs to you.

Send a debt validation letter, asking McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff to provide the following information:

  • Breakdown of the debt in question
  • Details of the original creditor
  • Statement allowing you to dispute the debt if you find discrepancies
  • Statement allowing you to ask for more information if the validation notice is still not clear

Once you receive the debt validation notice, go through it carefully to verify the details are accurate. If you find errors, dispute the debt with Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. Make plans to start payments if the information is accurate and the debt is familiar to you. However, first check the date of the last payment you made on the debt and make sure it has not exceeded the statute of limitations for your state. If it’s an older debt that has expired, be aware that making a payment restarts the clock on the statute of limitations. .

How to answer a lawsuit by McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff

McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff rarely takes consumers to court unless all other avenues to collect the debt have been exhausted. They understand it is an overwhelming experience to be taken to court, and it’s a drain on their resources, so they will contact you several times before they file a lawsuit against you. If you receive a lawsuit letter from them, take the following steps.

File a written Answer

The first step is to file a written Answer to the court within 14–30 days after receiving the lawsuit. Solo can help you draft an Answer for free within minutes. The response should include any defenses you have, such as the statute of limitations having expired, you already paying the debt, or it’s a case of mistaken identity.

Plan to go to court

Failing to go to court may lead to a default judgment where McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff automatically wins the case. The courts may allow MB&W to garnish your wages, access payments from your bank account, or get a lien on your property.

Show up in court on the assigned date whether you have the means to settle the debt or not. You are allowed by law to represent yourself in court, but you have to prepare well by:

  • Doing legal research on debt collection
  • Gathering all defenses you can use
  • Learning about the simple court rules
  • During the court procedures, ask McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff to prove you owe the debt, that the debt is accurate, and that you owe it to them and not someone else.

Check out our guide on How to Prepare for Court for more information.

Negotiate with McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff to settle the debt for less

If you are sure the debt in question is yours and the figures are correct, you can negotiate the debt and settle outside the courts.

You should consider the following before starting the debt settlement process.

  1. Evaluate your finances to determine how much you can offer as a settlement.
  2. Reach out to McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff in writing with a debt settlement offer.
  3. There may be some back-and-forth negotiation, but once you’ve agreed on an amount, get it in writing with a settlement agreement signed by both parties.
  4. Pay the settlement amount and keep meticulous records showing that you’ve paid the amount in full.

SoloSettle is a software tool that allows you to draft your settlement letter, track correspondence and safely initiate a payment while protection your financial information.

To learn more about how to negotiate with McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff and how much you should offer to settle, watch the following interview with an experienced attorney who shares debt settlement tips and tricks.

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