Imagine a sheriff’s deputy coming to your home or workplace, asking for you, and handing you a legal document that summons you to appear in a courtroom on a debt collection lawsuit for a hearing or deposition. You show up at the building at the appointed time, enter the courtroom, and are sworn in by the bailiff. Then the judge or someone else asks you questions about a debt you did not pay and why you have not settled it. You provide your credit card number or sign over title to a vehicle, so that they can settle the debt, then you leave.
It’s all true, except that the sheriff’s deputy, the bailiff, the judge, and others involved are all employed by a debt collection agency, not the government. The courtroom was a mock courtroom in office facilities rented by the same debt collection agency. This happened recently to hundreds of consumers in Erie, Pennsylvania, according to charges brought by the Pennsylvania Attorney General.
The news story and video are at this Pittsburgh News site:
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/r/25569199/detail.html
Yet another low for debt collectors trying to collect credit card debts in a tight economy. Who could have expected that they could go any lower than the automated phone calls that debt collectors place day and night to consumers, the calls about the debt to family members and friends, and the over-the-top harassing calls from debt collectors based outside of the United States? But, they managed a new low!
This conduct violates several provisions of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and may also violate laws against impersonating an officer or a government official. Don’t let this happen to you. Any document or calls to collect an unpaid debt should be carefully vetted using reliable websites or direct contact with a consumer attorney, with expertise in defending debt collection lawsuits and credit card lawsuits. And, don’t waive your rights. Ask for written verification of the debt in writing, as stated in letter 1.1 at www.StopCollectionHarassment.com .
Robert Stempler