Thanks to a brilliant tipster (send in your tips here) I received word that the J Hass Group has allegedly closed down and reopened as a tax exempt company known as Fingo Group in Arizona. And apparently in the same office. The address for Fingo Group was also used by J. Hass Group as well. (7590 E GRAY RD #204, SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85260) – Source
A look at the Fingo Group site made me wonder about a few things so I took a closer look.
Fingo Group was incorporated in Arizona on August 24, 2010 by Jason Hass, Ben Pozaz, and Rene Moreno. Jeff Hass was the statutory agent. – Source
After incorporating they made some changes to their board “as a result of conflict checking.” The entire original board resigns on September 1, 2010 and is replaced by Michelle Hass, Rebecca Spangler, and Amy Pozez. – Source
Now knowing the company was just incorporated in August of 2010, how in the world can they make the following representation of performance that goes back to January of 2009? – Source
The Fingo Group site is also a little light on details. For example. How about their “About Us” page.
So here is how all of this reached me. Apparently a company called Atlas Consumer Cooperative sent out this email.
Note the contact person for Atlas is none other than Ben Pozez, one of the original incorporators of Fingo Group. And guess what address they list on their site, 7590 East Gray Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85260. A look at the Arizona records can not locate any registered company under the name Atlas Consumer Cooperative.
Even the Atlas site is vague with who they really are. “Who runs Atlas? Atlas is run by an independently elected Board of Directors. A member may nominate and vote on those directors.” – Source
What I do know is what was reported to me:
I’ve researched these players. They are linked with Fingo Group which used to be J. Hass Group (a debt settlement company) Atlas wants to charge $200 a month for their services which is just a discount shopper program and a lot of fluff. But if you sign up with Atlas you get Fingo for a 5% settlement commission.
This statement seems to be supported by statements on the Atlas homepage. – Source. They say:
Start Saving Today
By using The Atlas Discount Network® to assist you in many future buying and planning decisions you will find ways to save money you never thought possible. It’s fun, it’s fast and the savings are real!
Get The Help You Need
You may have found us because you felt overwhelmed with your personal debt. We here at the Atlas Consumer Cooperative are dedicated to providing you the tools to make that a reality. We have Partnered with Fingo Group, Inc, an excellent Non Profit Negotiations Firm to help our Members who are struggling with debt.
Here is a very odd statement on the Atlas site.
And last, but perhaps most important to you, we have negotiated the absolute lowest price to work with FiNgo Group, Inc. FiNgo, is one of the nations leading Debt Relief Firms. They are a Not For Profit Organization, and they have a reputation for having the best negotiators in the industry! Because we will be providing you with so many tools on your journey, and because we help further their Charitable Purpose, we were able to secure our Members a discount that may leave you pinching yourself. – Source
A search of IRS approved charities could not locate Fingo. So apparently Fingo is only an Arizona non-profit organization.
If anyone has any additional information on the Fingo Group or Atlas Consumer Cooperative please post it in the comments.
You are not alone. I'm here to help. There is no need to suffer in silence. We can get through this. Tomorrow can be better than today. Don't give up.
Do you have a question you'd like to ask me for free? Go ahead and click here.
I can always use your help. If you have a tip or information you want to share, you can get it to me confidentially if you click here.
Fingo Archive
Atlas Consumer Cooperative Archive
- Plastic Pandemic: US Credit Card Debt Surges Nearly 20% in Q1 2021! - May 12, 2023
- The IRS Resumes Collections Notices: What You Need to Know Before It’s Too Late - May 12, 2023
- How Can I Deal With Payday Loan Debt? - May 12, 2023
j hass and fingo still do not make call to the creditors becuase they do not f/u i was an employee and we misled clients to believe we did something. when an acct got settled , soemtimes the creditors will call the clients to tell them its still owed. when a client call j hass to let them know it takes months for them to do something , then whay they will do is tell the client yeah we took care of it when really we didnt. this compnayis very unprofessionalas to when clients call in we put the on mute while we chat with other coworkers. also clients can never get ahold of a supervisor becuase the supervisors tell the employees not to transfer calls to them.i was only there for less than three months and im getting fired 5/13/11 so i didnt show up no point
j hass and fingo still do not make call to the creditors becuase they do not f/u i was an employee and we misled clients to believe we did something. when an acct got settled , soemtimes the creditors will call the clients to tell them its still owed. when a client call j hass to let them know it takes months for them to do something , then whay they will do is tell the client yeah we took care of it when really we didnt. this compnayis very unprofessionalas to when clients call in we put the on mute while we chat with other coworkers. also clients can never get ahold of a supervisor becuase the supervisors tell the employees not to transfer calls to them.i was only there for less than three months and im getting fired 5/13/11 so i didnt show up no point
i want to let everyone know fingo or j hass is closing 6/1/2011 supposely due to money issues , but they are moving to the phillipines to hire new people and pay them lesser. alot of eomplyess have left or quit or fired. they claim there is no money but in truth is they just want more money in pockets and pay the lesser amoutn to someone else for the same work. they hired some people to do the calls for them and yet these employees are strugglign to find a job yet along get time approved fo ran interview becuase they are afraid they might get fired.
i want to let everyone know fingo or j hass is closing 6/1/2011 supposely due to money issues , but they are moving to the phillipines to hire new people and pay them lesser. alot of eomplyess have left or quit or fired. they claim there is no money but in truth is they just want more money in pockets and pay the lesser amoutn to someone else for the same work. they hired some people to do the calls for them and yet these employees are strugglign to find a job yet along get time approved fo ran interview becuase they are afraid they might get fired.
the fingo group claims to have the non profit out of texas
the fingo group claims to have the non profit out of texas
What I find so amusing, is that the J. Hass group in the past had no problem posting comments on this site. All attempts to defend their company practices seem to have ceased.
Appears someone got spanked by the people ( with your help Steve ).
Thank You… Thank You… Thank You
What I find so amusing, is that the J. Hass group in the past had no problem posting comments on this site. All attempts to defend their company practices seem to have ceased.
Appears someone got spanked by the people ( with your help Steve ).
Thank You… Thank You… Thank You
RE: The J. Hass Group
What will this group of individuals not try in their attempts to mislead consumers.
Honestly, I beleive they would stick it to the homeless & disabled … if they thought they could make a buck or two.
RE: The J. Hass Group
What will this group of individuals not try in their attempts to mislead consumers.
Honestly, I beleive they would stick it to the homeless & disabled … if they thought they could make a buck or two.
Ooh-rah Devil Dogs, never thought I would have to post my bio…my final word on this thread is; service is in my blood, compliance is always at the top of the list. When I was in the franchise world, guess who was and to this day is still the regulatory body? That’s right, the FTC! Want to talk about full and fair disclosure, take a look at a UFOC (Uniform Franchise Offering Circular). Did you know that anyone wishing to sell franchises must register with the FTC?
When a marine graduates boot camp after 13 weeks of training, guess what…he’s a professional. It’s all in the training and one’s desire and ability to apply what’s been learned.
Michael Reilly
Emerge America
I’m sorry I’m late to the confrontation, oh rats. Looks like everyone else addressed the issues. Semper Fi as well.
I am not on the payroll of anyone. I don’t pick the ads, I have no hand in who appears and a full description of the ad process can be found here. In fact, while I keep saying it, people don’t seem to understand the ads that you might see are potentially different than I or anyone else might see. Past surfing history, geographic location, page content, time of day, day of week, etc. all factor in to what ad Google presents to a viewer.
As far as honorable mentions, I have no qualms about mentioning debt relief companies that deliver what they promise, live within the rules, treat consumers fairly and provide full refunds to any disgruntled client.
Semper Fi
Ok….here goes nothing,
To Mr. Debtfreeguy, we are all entitled to our opinion and for the most part I respect others unless I figure out there’s a motive and/or it comes to light that the individual is not genuine. I’m not saying you’re either.
Allow me to answer a few questions for you. My time in grade is 2 years and almost 11 months, (I guess you could call me a pup) you can see my certification with the IAPDA on my website homepage by going all the way to the bottom of the page, in the last paragraph that talks about certification will provide a hyper link. To save you some time, in January 2011 I will be certified 2 years.
Emerge America is a Delaware LLC. born in October 2009 and the link you provided is when we registered to do business in NY…read carefully. You should also go to the department of licensing and there you will find our telemarketing licensing which most companies in this space do not have. To get one, as I’m sure you know, you need a bond. More over we provide additional security by maintaining a fidelity bond which can also be seen on the home page under “Bonded for your protectionâ€.
Prior to forming Emerge America my partners and I started our firm under a different LLC called JTLS in Westchester NY, it was short lived but gave us and entity for banking and to start Emerge.
Prior to JTLS, my partners and I worked with Alex and Dan from NewEra Debt Solutions in the only affiliate NewEra allowed and that took some work to get them to come around. At the end of the day for them and us, it was all about the consumer. With our interests aligned we operated under the Newera label. Performance based just as we are today! As an FYI, NewEra did not break that relationship, we did, it was a business discussion, nothing more.
Prior to Newera we piloted a program with another performance based operation here on the east coast called DMB Financial. Great people 7 plus years in the business and very successful.
Prior to DMB I personally became an affiliate of Debt Care USA and after enrolling just a handful of clients to include a family member I could no longer sleep at night and put an end to the relationship.
Prior to Debt Care USA I worked with 2 other small operations that were very much undercapitalized, those relationships didn’t last a month combined.
10 years prior I spent a limited time (2 years) in the Title Insurance industry and 8 years of my life building what became a very large and successful residential real estate appraisal firm (5000+ appraisals per month) that I took to the franchise level, ACE Franchising, Americas Cutting Edge Real Estate Services…. google that.
I’m a former United States Marine so say happy birthday!
Anytime you’re on the east coast in my neck of the woods feel free to stop by and I’ll show you an operation and some technology that I’ll knock your socks off.
My firm nor I pay anything to this site and expect nothing but quality information about a industry that we are passionate about. We believe we can make a difference because we are, what say you?
Michael Reilly, CDS
Emerge America
Debtfreeguy, so what you are saying since Mr.Reilly has only been in business for 6 months because of many factors only Mr. Reilly knows himself, will disqualify him from making suggestions or spread his own opinions? I am not a dentist but I know for sure if everyone has to clean their teeth atleast 3 times a day, oh wait I can’t say that because I am not a dentist.
My company has NEVER taken upfront fees for settlement & were a dinosaur in this business. Because of that we have 1 salesman, 5 support staff & will be EARNING our settlement fees for the next 3-4 years. In nearly 200 posts, i have offered my company name once & received no response.
If Mr. Reilly was with a company before that charged upfront fees than he isnt now. Mr. Rhodes has never asked us for a dime.
It’s not OK for Reilly to change his model to become compliant with the new law? I can only guess that you are offended at his comments because you are working the loophole with Fingo….? Why else would this bother you? Say what you want but my guess is that the loophole models will get knocks on their doors- And i hope it was all worth it in the end because right now, you are all continuing to give this industry a REALLY bad name. And until youre all gone, compliant, consumer driven companies that must EARN our living will be hurt by you, just as the consumers you steal from are hurt by you.. Instead of picking on someone attempting to put forth an honest effort, perhaps you should focus on finding a business that people will appreciate, rather than hate.
We are working to change the industry- Because when preformed correctly, it actually works & can be a valuable help to consumers in debt… Not just pick their pockets some more.
What kind of a man are you?
I don’t know Mike Reilly or Steve Rhodes, but I respect both of them.
You won’t last. There’s simply too much momentum going the other way now.
Pretty funny that Mr. Reilly is also advertising his own debt settlement company http://www.emergeamerica.com/ , there is no info on Better Business Bureau website on his company, nothing under the name, the website site address or their customer service and mail 800. So I checked the NY Secretary of State and Emerge America has been in business and registered since April 9, 2010.
http://appext9.dos.state.ny.us…
Mr. Reilly before you make assumptions you should look back at your company and business practices. Because either you are completely new to the industry and have no idea or your are running from a previous company with a bad reputation. 7 months in Business and your already a seasoned professional~!
Mr. Rhodes. when are you going to realize debt settlement companies are only being nice and willing to “work†with you on your website in hopes they perhaps one day you will recommend them to potential clients or with the hopes that one day they will be able to advertise on your site. In short they looking for free leads and honorable mentions. The questions I have for you Mr. Rhodes are you now accepting money from Debt Settlement companies? Are you now on certain companies payrolls?
Mike,
Thanks for doing that research. Interesting stuff.
Steve
I spent a little time on the IAPDA website looking at the member links just to see some of the changes made on member websites….very interesting stuff. I only went through a few and this is what I discovered:
http://www.cleardebtsolution.c… No longer accepting new clients
http://www.americanfinancialse… Home page still advertizing “Pennies on the dollarâ€
http://www.kgdebt.ca/home Canadian group, home page issues, don’t appear to be attorneys, making claims they will stop creditor calls and other bold statements and settlement predictions.
http://www.abmdebtservices.com… some of the Q&A is very interesting.
http://www.debtreliefalliance…. no longer a working url
Many other websites under construction.
This industry is sure going through a change.
Michael Reilly, CDS
Emerge America
I spent a little time on the IAPDA website looking at the member links just to see some of the changes made on member websites….very interesting stuff. I only went through a few and this is what I discovered:
http://www.cleardebtsolution.com/ No longer accepting new clients
http://www.americanfinancialservice.org/ Home page still advertizing “Pennies on the dollar”
http://www.kgdebt.ca/home Canadian group, home page issues, don’t appear to be attorneys, making claims they will stop creditor calls and other bold statements and settlement predictions.
http://www.abmdebtservices.com/index.html some of the Q&A is very interesting.
http://www.debtreliefalliance.com/ no longer a working url
Many other websites under construction.
This industry is sure going through a change.
Michael Reilly, CDS
Emerge America
Mike,
Thanks for doing that research. Interesting stuff.
Steve
Pretty funny that Mr. Reilly is also advertising his own debt settlement company http://www.emergeamerica.com/ , there is no info on Better Business Bureau website on his company, nothing under the name, the website site address or their customer service and mail 800. So I checked the NY Secretary of State and Emerge America has been in business and registered since April 9, 2010.
http://appext9.dos.state.ny.us/corp_public/CORPSEARCH.ENTITY_INFORMATION?p_nameid=3928829&p_corpid=3935058&p_entity_name=%45%4D%45%52%47%45%20%41%4D%45%52%49%43%41&p_name_type=%41&p_search_type=%42%45%47%49%4E%53&p_srch_results_page=0
Mr. Reilly before you make assumptions you should look back at your company and business practices. Because either you are completely new to the industry and have no idea or your are running from a previous company with a bad reputation. 7 months in Business and your already a seasoned professional~!
Mr. Rhodes. when are you going to realize debt settlement companies are only being nice and willing to “work” with you on your website in hopes they perhaps one day you will recommend them to potential clients or with the hopes that one day they will be able to advertise on your site. In short they looking for free leads and honorable mentions. The questions I have for you Mr. Rhodes are you now accepting money from Debt Settlement companies? Are you now on certain companies payrolls?
My company has NEVER taken upfront fees for settlement & were a dinosaur in this business. Because of that we have 1 salesman, 5 support staff & will be EARNING our settlement fees for the next 3-4 years. In nearly 200 posts, i have offered my company name once & received no response.
If Mr. Reilly was with a company before that charged upfront fees than he isnt now. Mr. Rhodes has never asked us for a dime.
It’s not OK for Reilly to change his model to become compliant with the new law? I can only guess that you are offended at his comments because you are working the loophole with Fingo….? Why else would this bother you? Say what you want but my guess is that the loophole models will get knocks on their doors- And i hope it was all worth it in the end because right now, you are all continuing to give this industry a REALLY bad name. And until youre all gone, compliant, consumer driven companies that must EARN our living will be hurt by you, just as the consumers you steal from are hurt by you.. Instead of picking on someone attempting to put forth an honest effort, perhaps you should focus on finding a business that people will appreciate, rather than hate.
We are working to change the industry- Because when preformed correctly, it actually works & can be a valuable help to consumers in debt… Not just pick their pockets some more.
What kind of a man are you?
I don’t know Mike Reilly or Steve Rhodes, but I respect both of them.
You won’t last. There’s simply too much momentum going the other way now.
Debtfreeguy, so what you are saying since Mr.Reilly has only been in business for 6 months because of many factors only Mr. Reilly knows himself, will disqualify him from making suggestions or spread his own opinions? I am not a dentist but I know for sure if everyone has to clean their teeth atleast 3 times a day, oh wait I can’t say that because I am not a dentist.
Ok….here goes nothing,
To Mr. Debtfreeguy, we are all entitled to our opinion and for the most part I respect others unless I figure out there’s a motive and/or it comes to light that the individual is not genuine. I’m not saying you’re either.
Allow me to answer a few questions for you. My time in grade is 2 years and almost 11 months, (I guess you could call me a pup) you can see my certification with the IAPDA on my website homepage by going all the way to the bottom of the page, in the last paragraph that talks about certification will provide a hyper link. To save you some time, in January 2011 I will be certified 2 years.
Emerge America is a Delaware LLC. born in October 2009 and the link you provided is when we registered to do business in NY…read carefully. You should also go to the department of licensing and there you will find our telemarketing licensing which most companies in this space do not have. To get one, as I’m sure you know, you need a bond. More over we provide additional security by maintaining a fidelity bond which can also be seen on the home page under “Bonded for your protection”.
Prior to forming Emerge America my partners and I started our firm under a different LLC called JTLS in Westchester NY, it was short lived but gave us and entity for banking and to start Emerge.
Prior to JTLS, my partners and I worked with Alex and Dan from NewEra Debt Solutions in the only affiliate NewEra allowed and that took some work to get them to come around. At the end of the day for them and us, it was all about the consumer. With our interests aligned we operated under the Newera label. Performance based just as we are today! As an FYI, NewEra did not break that relationship, we did, it was a business discussion, nothing more.
Prior to Newera we piloted a program with another performance based operation here on the east coast called DMB Financial. Great people 7 plus years in the business and very successful.
Prior to DMB I personally became an affiliate of Debt Care USA and after enrolling just a handful of clients to include a family member I could no longer sleep at night and put an end to the relationship.
Prior to Debt Care USA I worked with 2 other small operations that were very much undercapitalized, those relationships didn’t last a month combined.
10 years prior I spent a limited time (2 years) in the Title Insurance industry and 8 years of my life building what became a very large and successful residential real estate appraisal firm (5000+ appraisals per month) that I took to the franchise level, ACE Franchising, Americas Cutting Edge Real Estate Services…. google that.
I’m a former United States Marine so say happy birthday!
Anytime you’re on the east coast in my neck of the woods feel free to stop by and I’ll show you an operation and some technology that I’ll knock your socks off.
My firm nor I pay anything to this site and expect nothing but quality information about a industry that we are passionate about. We believe we can make a difference because we are, what say you?
Michael Reilly, CDS
Emerge America
Semper Fi
I’m sorry I’m late to the confrontation, oh rats. Looks like everyone else addressed the issues. Semper Fi as well.
I am not on the payroll of anyone. I don’t pick the ads, I have no hand in who appears and a full description of the ad process can be found here. In fact, while I keep saying it, people don’t seem to understand the ads that you might see are potentially different than I or anyone else might see. Past surfing history, geographic location, page content, time of day, day of week, etc. all factor in to what ad Google presents to a viewer.
As far as honorable mentions, I have no qualms about mentioning debt relief companies that deliver what they promise, live within the rules, treat consumers fairly and provide full refunds to any disgruntled client.
Ooh-rah Devil Dogs, never thought I would have to post my bio…my final word on this thread is; service is in my blood, compliance is always at the top of the list. When I was in the franchise world, guess who was and to this day is still the regulatory body? That’s right, the FTC! Want to talk about full and fair disclosure, take a look at a UFOC (Uniform Franchise Offering Circular). Did you know that anyone wishing to sell franchises must register with the FTC?
When a marine graduates boot camp after 13 weeks of training, guess what…he’s a professional. It’s all in the training and one’s desire and ability to apply what’s been learned.
Michael Reilly
Emerge America