collection agencies

5 Stories

Debtor’s Prison Makes Its Ugly Return

Government 'shakes down' citizens for collectors

(Newser) - Strongly worded letters and menacing phone calls aren't enough, it seems, to whip America's debtors into shape. Instead, the country's collection industry is turning to civil courts, using taxpayer money and government resources to pursue "low level deadbeats," finds Reason . The process pits debtors against a system that...

Man Awarded $1.5M for Debt Collectors' Racist Calls

Harassed him with incessant voicemails

(Newser) - A jury has awarded a Texas man $1.5 million in his lawsuit over a series of racist and profane voicemails allegedly left by insistent debt collectors. The man, 26-year-old Allen Jones, says employees of Advanced Call Center Technologies harassed him with ever more aggressive calls, using racially charged language....

30 Years of Bail Jumpers Owe Philly $1B

Outstanding payments date back to the 1970s

(Newser) - Criminal defendants who skipped court dates in Philadelphia owe the city a total of $1 billion, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. For decades, the city has done little to try to collect full bail payments from those who don’t show. Critics say the system is farcical. “Bail judgments just...

New Fear for Katrina Victims: Collectors

Company claims it overpaid on some rebuilding grants

(Newser) - A contractor responsible for doling out federal rebuilding money to Katrina victims is seeking another company to collect what may amount to hundreds of millions of dollars from Katrina victims. ICF International claims it overpaid some applicants in a rush to get $11 billion out the door; meanwhile, a third...

Retailers Bully Shoplifters for $$
Retailers Bully Shoplifters for $$
Feb 20, 2008 2:00 PM CST

Retailers Bully Shoplifters for $$

'Civil recovery' systems using threat of legal action to extort funds

(Newser) - A system designed to compensate retailers for losses incurred by shoplifters has few controls to prevent the extortion or harassment, the Wall Street Journal reports. “Civil recovery” laws allow retailers to turn the names of suspected shoplifters over to collection agencies who demand fees of $200 or much more—...

5 Stories