KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. KSHB 41 and Gamboa are dedicated to telling meaningful stories in your community. If you have been impacted by a scam or have another issue you'd like to share, reach out. Share your story idea with Ryan.
—
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) issued a consumer alert following an investigation into Anderson Tate & Associates LLC, a company claiming to be a debt collection law firm based in Harrisonville, Missouri.
Josh Planos with the Better Business Bureau says this is prime time for debt collector scams, and his organization identified red flags after an alarming surge of 698 consumer inquiries, including 145 in the past 30 days, and more than 30 BBB Scam Tracker reports alleging fraudulent debt collection practices.
One alleged victim paid $4,000 on what she believed was a legitimate debt, only to receive another collection demand for the same account. When she requested verification, collectors told her she had to make another payment before they would provide details.
After she requested a refund and attempted to pay the legitimate creditor directly, she was threatened with legal action.
"$4,000 is a lot of money to people, and unfortunately, the reality is, the scale we are presenting is far less than what is occurring, because we know the majority of fraud is going to go unreported," Planos said.
The BBB found no law license for John Gunnar Haugenes with the Missouri State Bar, despite website claims identifying him as "founder, senior partner and CEO" who has "won 90% of law cases from 2013 to present."
The business address at 117 S. Lexington Street in Harrisonville is a registered agent service, not a law office.
The company registered with Missouri Secretary of State just six months ago on July 2, 2025.
A city of Harrisonville, Missouri, spokesperson told KSHB 41 the city does not have a current business license under Anderson Tate & Associates LLC in its database.
A visit to the Harrisonville address by KSHB 41's Cass County Reporter Ryan Gamboa, revealed it's a law office, but not Anderson Tate and Associates.
The Harrisonville law firm says it's not connected to the alleged scammer.
The original website was registered in Iceland and went offline in early January 2026, according to the BBB.
The current website contains incomplete sentences, broken links, and inconsistent company naming that Planos said is uncommon for law firms.
When the BBB called on January 23, 2026, to verify the business location, the call was abruptly disconnected.
Messages left for Anderson Tate and Associates went unanswered, as well as calls to a phone number on a card provided to Gamboa.
The Better Business Bureau also could not reaching them.
Partners in the Harrisonville law firm gave KSHB 41 a business card for a registered agency company to ask questions. The call went to an answering machine and Gamboa left a message.
According to the BBB's investigation, consumers receive threatening communications demanding payment within six hours to avoid "legal proceedings."
Many victims report having no debt with the listed creditors, and messages use generic greetings, including "To Whom It May Concern," instead of addressing recipients by name.
Planos warns consumers to watch for artificial urgency tactics, particularly the six-hour ultimatum that Anderson Tate reportedly uses.
"If somebody is demanding payment in a matter of hours or they are going to threaten legal action, that is typically not going to pass the smell test," Planos said. "There's the artificial urgency that gets folks to make decisions that they otherwise wouldn't. That is a hallmark of every scam that has ever been perpetrated."
Legitimate debt collectors are required by law to provide verification of debts and cannot demand payment before providing basic information, according to the BBB.
The tactics used by this operation appear designed to create panic and extract money quickly.
Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, consumers have the right to receive written debt verification, dispute debts within 30 days, and request that collectors stop contacting them.
If a person is contacted by a suspicious debt collection caller or email, do not make immediate payment, the BBB advises.
Request written verification, verify collector credentials with state bar associations, and contact the original creditor directly using contact information from your own records.
"Verification for anything, such as buying t-shirts to making debts go away, it all follows the same rubric, you really need to know who you're doing business with before you do business with them," Planos said.
The Harrisonville Police Department is investigating the matter, while the BBB asks consumers to report incidents to BBB Scam Tracker, the Federal Trade Commission, and their state attorney general.
KSHB 41 contacted the Missouri Attorney General's Office about this warning from the BBB and was issued a response: "According to our Consumer Protection team, we have not received any complaints against this firm to date. However, we have seen similar scams across the state, and we strongly encourage consumers to file complaints immediately with our Office at the ago.mo.gov or call our Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-392-8222."
To report a scam to the Better Business Bureau, click here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
—
