Afni: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

Afni, Inc.; AFNI INC.

Headquarters

Bloomington, IL

Collects

telecommunications, wireless, internet and cable accounts, insurance premiums and subrogation claims

Phone numbers it lists

(866) 352-0479, (866) 377-8844

Website

afni.com

214 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about AFNI INC. from November 13, 2023 to November 12, 2026. A complaint is a consumer's account, not a finding that the company broke the law. Read the complaints in the CFPB database.

Who Is Afni?

Afni, Inc. is an Illinois corporation headquartered at 1310 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Bloomington, Illinois. Today it markets itself mainly as a customer-engagement and business process outsourcing company, with contact centers in the United States, the Philippines and Mexico. Collections is one of its service lines alongside sales, customer care and insurance support. Its website lists a collections line of (866) 352-0479 and a general office line of (866) 377-8844.

Why Afni May Be Contacting You

Afni's website says it works heavily with telecommunications, wireless, internet and cable or satellite companies, including helping them recover outstanding balances. In its 2020 consent order, the CFPB described Afni as a collector that collects debts on behalf of telecommunications companies, including debts for service and equipment installment plans. The most common reason for an Afni letter, then, is a final bill from a phone, internet or TV provider after an account closed, often including charges for equipment that was not returned.

Afni also says it handles premium collections and subrogation for insurance companies, so a letter could concern an unpaid insurance premium or an insurer's claim against you after an accident.

In a consent order issued November 12, 2020, the CFPB's findings stated that, on many accounts from at least March 2016 through July 2018, Afni did not report an appropriate date of first delinquency to the credit bureaus, instead using dates such as the service disconnect date or charge-off date, and that some indirect credit-report disputes were not reasonably investigated, including disputes handled by automated software. The Bureau concluded these practices violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Regulation V. Afni consented to the order without admitting or denying the findings, except as needed for jurisdiction. The order required changes to its furnishing and dispute procedures and a $500,000 civil money penalty.

How to Check a Debt Afni Says You Owe

• Read the validation notice. It must name the creditor and itemize the balance (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34). Compare it to your final bill from the carrier.
• Dispute equipment charges with proof. If you returned a modem, phone or receiver, send Afni your return receipt or tracking number with a written dispute inside the validation period.
• Confirm the current owner. Ask whether the carrier still owns the account or whether it was sold.
• Check your credit report's dates. A collection should drop off about seven years after the original delinquency; make sure the reported date of first delinquency matches when you actually fell behind.
• Mind the clock. Texas generally allows four years to sue on a consumer debt (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers may not sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Other states' periods differ.

What Afni Can and Can't Do

When it collects consumer debts owed to its telecom or insurance clients, Afni is a "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6).

• It may not report information it knows or should know is false, and must note a dispute when it reports a disputed debt (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(8)).
• It may not add fees the service agreement doesn't allow (15 U.S.C. § 1692f(1)).
• Calls are limited to seven in seven days per account before harassment is presumed (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).
• It may not call at times or places it knows are inconvenient, including work if you say your employer forbids it (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(a)).

See how long a collection can stay on your credit report, or visit our FDCPA attorneys page.

Government Actions on the Public Record

• CFPB consent order (credit reporting accuracy and dispute investigations; $500,000 civil money penalty) (2020-11-12)

We Sue Debt Collectors That Break the FDCPA

Texas Debt Law files Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits against debt collectors in federal court for consumers in Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia and Colorado. If Afni or anyone collecting for it harassed you, misstated what you owe, threatened action it could not take, or told others about your debt, you may have a claim. A court can order a collector that violated the FDCPA to pay your actual damages, up to $1,000 in additional statutory damages, and your attorney's fees and costs (15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)). An FDCPA claim generally must be filed within one year of the violation (§ 1692k(d)), so keep your letters, call logs, voicemails and screenshots, and talk to us early. Texas residents may also have claims under the Texas Debt Collection Act. Learn more from our FDCPA attorneys.

Free FDCPA Case Review(214) 851-2250

Or start your free case evaluation online. No lawyer can promise a result; every claim depends on its facts and proof.

Sources

• Afni: home page
• Afni: Global Locations
• Afni: Industry Expertise
• CFPB: Afni, Inc. enforcement action
• CFPB: Afni, Inc. consent order (Nov. 2020)
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: AFNI INC., debt collection

This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Afni has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.