A Williamsville debt-collection company has been fined $85,000 by the state attorney general for misleading and abusive business tactics to collect debts from consumers.

National Action Financial Services Inc. was the subject of approximately 90 complaints over the past three years, with about a third coming from New York state residents.

According to the attorney general's office, the company engaged in "skip tracing" violations, where collectors continually called third parties for location information despite requests to end the practices.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said in a prepared release that the company has the right to collect money owed, but collectors do not have a right to abuse and harass consumers.

Other complaints indicated that NAFS collectors were falsely claiming that they were calling from an attorney's office, claiming that NAFS or a creditor was about to commence legal action, discussing debts with third parties, and/or continuing to call debtors despite requests to stop.

In addition to the fine, the company has agreed to immediately reform its business practices to comply with state and federal laws. NAFS must also submit a report to the office by March 11 detailing the changes.