Attorney General Phil Weiser wins temporary restraining order and order freezing assets against collection agency

Sept. 6, 2019 (DENVER, Colo.)— Attorney General Phil Weiser announced that his office has secured a temporary restraining order against Tormey Bewley Corporation, operating as The Advantage Group or The Advantage Network Systems (“Tormey Bewley”) and Michael C. Tormey. Additionally, the Attorney General’s office secured an order freezing the corporation’s assets.

The Administrator of the Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“CFDCPA”) within the Consumer Protection Section of the Colorado Department of Law learned through complaints and investigation that led to serious concerns Tormey Bewley had failed to remit amounts collected from consumers to its clients in a timely fashion as required under the law.

“Most often, our efforts in the Consumer Protection Section focus on addressing aggressive debt collection practices. But when debt collectors fail to timely remit funds to their clients or provide an accounting for funds that consumers pay, that also violates Colorado consumer protection laws.” said Weiser. “We are committed to protecting Coloradans by acting quickly and decisively when collectors aren’t complying with the law. The restraining order protects both companies that are owed funds and consumers who have paid their debts; in so doing, this action sends a clear message to bad actors that prohibited debt collection practices won’t be tolerated.”

Under the orders issued by the Denver District Court, Tormey Bewley and its officers and employees are prohibited from transferring funds, collecting additional money from consumers, or destroying company records. In addition, the company’s bank accounts are frozen. The CFDCPA Administrator also denied Tormey Bewley’s collection agency license renewal.

If concerned consumers have further information about Tormey Bewley or are a consumer or client of Tormey Bewley, please contact (720) 508-6022 or car@coag.gov.

The Consumer Credit Unit regulates companies and individuals involved in consumer lending, debt collection, and debt management and enforces a variety of statutes governing those and related practices. To learn more, visit the Colorado Attorney General’s website.

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