Pennsylvania Debt Collection Agency Created Fake Police Officers, Courtroom, And Judges

By on November 11, 2010 in News 12

ABC Channel 4 in Pittsburgh reports on a Pennsylvania debt collection agency that set up its own private “legal system,” with fake sheriff’s deputies, handing out fake subpoenas, and fake courts with fake judges and phony court hearings:

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  • DeepCough

    Why did I just get this sudden vision that, in the future, every major corporation in the world will have their own
    private judicial system for trying its own customers?

    • E.B. Wolf

      You too, huh.
      I’m wondering if they’ll have their own debtors work camps too. If you can’t pay your bills, you go into debt slavery making the company’s products until it’s paid off.

  • DeepCough

    Why did I just get this sudden vision that, in the future, every major corporation in the world will have their own
    private judicial system for trying its own customers?

  • Andrew

    Ayn Rand would approve.

  • Andrew

    Ayn Rand would approve.

  • Siminatongue

    These debt collection agencies are scum. Twenty some odd years ago some debt collection agency put a Bradlees charge card debt of $158 dollars on to me. I have never had a Bradlees charge card in my life. When I called them we compared information. It was my same name, different state and address, different SS # (DO NOT GIVE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY # TO THEM IF THEY ASK FOR ANY REASON, EVEN THE LAST FOUR DIGITS) and there was a different middle initial on the charge account. It was clearly not me. They said they would fix the problem. They fixed the problem “FOR THEM” by selling the debt to another collection agency. I went through the same thing with them, disputing the credit claim. They said they would fix the problem. They did fix it, they sold the debt to another collection agency.

    Lets skip ahead ten years. A collection agency called my work and told my boss that I was in quote “heavy” and “critical” credit problems unquote. I might point out here that I have only ever used credit cards to buy gifts or something expensive when I don’t want to carry around a lot of cash and I pay it all at the first installment. They were talking about $158, that’s heavy and critical? Can you imagine what it’s like when your boss has to call you into his office because debt collectors are calling him? I told him it was over $158 that wasn’t mine to begin with and he just looks at me like “yeah right”.

    Fast forward another ten years. The only outstanding debt on cards was that $158 for the last ten years which I kept disputing over and over. Which was continually removed by credit bureaus until it was sold to another company at which point it was put back on. The latest company said that if I sent them $50 they would erase the debt for good. That was their exact words, “erase the debt for good”. Well I had been dealing with this for twenty years on and off. So I just decided to cave and pay the $50 dollars. BIG MISTAKE. They sold the debt AGAIN. When I called them they said the $50 was late and processing fees and that the debt was sold to another company and I’d have to deal with them. I said “You said you’d erase the debt for good!! “Yes” they said “It is permanently erased from our accounts, this matter has nothing more to do with us”. Those FU%*^3RS!!! They kept my fifty bucks and did the same shit! Please excuse my language. Which is a lesson to all of you. If you pay them anything it’s not going to make a bit of difference. What was I going to do really, sue them for $50? I did put in a complaint with the better business bureau, which was taking more of my time on a problem that shouldn’t have been in the first place. Never heard anything back

    I find out after having dealt with this, YET AGAIN, just a year ago, that if you just let the bad debt ride on your credit, without doing anything about it for seven to ten years it eventually just disappears most likely. No guarantees though. I had to pay a damn lawyer a couple hundred bucks to find this shit out. $%_*$_%#_+!*(@&#$#_%_+!~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    The whole system is rigged as a corrupt slave driving… I followed the damn rules, I followed the redress system to fight this crapola… They whip you into submission with bureaucracy…awe damn… You know, I just don’t give a damn any more. F#%K it!

    Again I apologize for my crass language but this has been a thorn in my side forever and it’s very sensitive when I see crap like in this video. It’s all a scam and nothing will ever be done about it. The only solution is to ignore them. I have a mind to stop paying on anything I owe. Well I don’t owe anything on my credit cards so I’ll have to go charge something and then not pay it god damn it!!!

    • E.B. Wolf

      You also have to be very careful about what you say to them if you answer their phone calls. NEVER admit to the debt over the phone. Statutes of limitation vary state to state, but seven years is the norm. After that, they can still try to collect from you, but they have no legal power to garnish your bank accounts unless you send them any money. If you do send them anything after the time limit has expired, it starts the process all over again.

      • Simiantongue

        About the statute of limitations. Apparently there are loopholes where debt is concerned. I’m not an expert though.

        From what I was told by a lawyer who specializes in credit fraud etc. This depends on the state the debt collection company is in, also, every time they sell the debt it renews the claim and every time you dispute it then that does also. I didn’t know this for 20 some odd years. So every time you dispute it, it is seven to ten years from that point. If you continue to dispute it it could go on indefinitely.

        This was the exact advice from that lawyer. “You could pay it, but that’s no guarantee they will remove the debt”. Like my $50 bucks. “You can continue to dispute it, in which case every time you do it keeps the debt claim alive”. “Alive” was his word exactly. “You can take them to court, this would cost thousands of dollars with a lawyers help, without a lawyers help you will probably be forced to pay it and also be liable for their court costs also if you lost.” “or I can just ignore it and hopes that eventually it goes away”. He was actually a little confused about why I was getting legal advice about $158 dollars and when I told him they call my house continually every four or five days and called my place of employment a few times, not even to make contact with me personally but to talk to my boss. This has been going on for two decades plus. He said “This sounds like a rare case, calling your employer was illegal too.” Though he offered no further explanations, just gave me those options above. So here I am letting it ride hoping it will disappear some day.

        But what gets my goat is how the average joe has absolutely no rights or recourse in this system. Especially when they’ve done nothing wrong. All the power and rights lie with the companies who can do whatever they feel like.

        This was way too long too apologies.

  • Siminatongue

    These debt collection agencies are scum. Twenty some odd years ago some debt collection agency put a Bradlees charge card debt of $158 dollars on to me. I have never had a Bradlees charge card in my life. When I called them we compared information. It was my same name, different state and address, different SS # (DO NOT GIVE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY # TO THEM IF THEY ASK FOR ANY REASON, EVEN THE LAST FOUR DIGITS) and there was a different middle initial on the charge account. It was clearly not me. They said they would fix the problem. They fixed the problem “FOR THEM” by selling the debt to another collection agency. I went through the same thing with them, disputing the credit claim. They said they would fix the problem. They did fix it, they sold the debt to another collection agency.

    Lets skip ahead ten years. A collection agency called my work and told my boss that I was in quote “heavy” and “critical” credit problems unquote. I might point out here that I have only ever used credit cards to buy gifts or something expensive when I don’t want to carry around a lot of cash and I pay it all at the first installment. They were talking about $158, that’s heavy and critical? Can you imagine what it’s like when your boss has to call you into his office because debt collectors are calling him? I told him it was over $158 that wasn’t mine to begin with and he just looks at me like “yeah right”.

    Fast forward another ten years. The only outstanding debt on cards was that $158 for the last ten years which I kept disputing over and over. Which was continually removed by credit bureaus until it was sold to another company at which point it was put back on. The latest company said that if I sent them $50 they would erase the debt for good. That was their exact words, “erase the debt for good”. Well I had been dealing with this for twenty years on and off. So I just decided to cave and pay the $50 dollars. BIG MISTAKE. They sold the debt AGAIN. When I called them they said the $50 was late and processing fees and that the debt was sold to another company and I’d have to deal with them. I said “You said you’d erase the debt for good!! “Yes” they said “It is permanently erased from our accounts, this matter has nothing more to do with us”. Those FU%*^3RS!!! They kept my fifty bucks and did the same shit! Please excuse my language. Which is a lesson to all of you. If you pay them anything it’s not going to make a bit of difference. What was I going to do really, sue them for $50? I did put in a complaint with the better business bureau, which was taking more of my time on a problem that shouldn’t have been in the first place. Never heard anything back

    I find out after having dealt with this, YET AGAIN, just a year ago, that if you just let the bad debt ride on your credit, without doing anything about it for seven to ten years it eventually just disappears most likely. No guarantees though. I had to pay a damn lawyer a couple hundred bucks to find this shit out. $%_*$_%#_+!*(@&#$#_%_+!~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    The whole system is rigged as a corrupt slave driving… I followed the damn rules, I followed the redress system to fight this crapola… They whip you into submission with bureaucracy…awe damn… You know, I just don’t give a damn any more. F#%K it!

    Again I apologize for my crass language but this has been a thorn in my side forever and it’s very sensitive when I see crap like in this video. It’s all a scam and nothing will ever be done about it. The only solution is to ignore them. I have a mind to stop paying on anything I owe. Well I don’t owe anything on my credit cards so I’ll have to go charge something and then not pay it god damn it!!!

  • E.B. Wolf

    You also have to be very careful about what you say to them if you answer their phone calls. NEVER admit to the debt over the phone. Statutes of limitation vary state to state, but seven years is the norm. After that, they can still try to collect from you, but they have no legal power to garnish your bank accounts unless you send them any money. If you do send them anything after the time limit has expired, it starts the process all over again.

  • E.B. Wolf

    You too, huh.
    I’m wondering if they’ll have their own debtors work camps too. If you can’t pay your bills, you go into debt slavery making the company’s products until it’s paid off.

  • Simiantongue

    About the statute of limitations. Apparently there are loopholes where debt is concerned. I’m not an expert though.

    From what I was told by a lawyer who specializes in credit fraud etc. This depends on the state the debt collection company is in, also, every time they sell the debt it renews the claim and every time you dispute it then that does also. I didn’t know this for 20 some odd years. So every time you dispute it, it is seven to ten years from that point. If you continue to dispute it it could go on indefinitely.

    This was the exact advice from that lawyer. “You could pay it, but that’s no guarantee they will remove the debt”. Like my $50 bucks. “You can continue to dispute it, in which case every time you do it keeps the debt claim alive”. “Alive” was his word exactly. “You can take them to court, this would cost thousands of dollars with a lawyers help, without a lawyers help you will probably be forced to pay it and also be liable for their court costs also if you lost.” “or I can just ignore it and hopes that eventually it goes away”. He was actually a little confused about why I was getting legal advice about $158 dollars and when I told him they call my house continually every four or five days and called my place of employment a few times, not even to make contact with me personally but to talk to my boss. This has been going on for two decades plus. He said “This sounds like a rare case, calling your employer was illegal too.” Though he offered no further explanations, just gave me those options above. So here I am letting it ride hoping it will disappear some day.

    But what gets my goat is how the average joe has absolutely no rights or recourse in this system. Especially when they’ve done nothing wrong. All the power and rights lie with the companies who can do whatever they feel like.

    This was way too long too apologies.