They used to send statement of claims (without the court stamp) that said they were going to file if a debt was not paid.

The Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services had told them (and all agencies in Ontario) to stop doing this or they'd add it to the provincial laws that agencies can't continue.

I assume they've stopped, but in case someone does receive the phony statement of claim from them again, make sure the ministry is aware.

http://www.sse.gov.on.ca/mcs/en/Pages/Complaint_Steps_to_File.aspx

Thanks again. I'll be sure to keep an eye on my credit report for any re-dated debts and ignore them altogether.

will they continue to send me letters consistently or do they tend to do it randomly.? Even though I will dismiss the letters, getting them on a regular (if that is the case) will get annoying. Basically will they eventually give up and not bother anymore?

I moved some time ago and I'm not even sure how they go my new address but then again these people get paid to be sneaky and backhanded.

They lost the ability to sue you three years ago so all they can do is annoy you and even that there are limits to how much they can bother you.

Just don't acknowledge the debt by mistake which is easy to avoid by just never communicating with them.

If they attempt to re-date the debt and list it as a current collection then come back and just search for one of the re-dating topics for information on how to fix that. You should keep on eye on your credit going forward because collection agencies have a bad habit of re-dating debt.

The other reason to ignore them is if you admit to the debt, they might use it against you and re-start the clock again. I would check your credit file to make sure this item is not reporting.

Thank you for the feedback average Joe and Millie, much appreciated.

Average Joe, I live in Ontario

I would not contact them because your debt is considered stats barred. What province do you live in?

Yes. If you search on here you will find plenty of references to Natalie.

She can't sue you as the debt is stat barred. Basically they buy debt that can't be collected for a fractions of a cent and then they send out these letters hoping that someone either just pays because they are intimidated or they accidentally acknowledge the debt making it collectible.

Just ignore it. Don't communicate in writing with them. Check your Equifax every few months or just sign up for the credit watch program and you'll get an e-mail if they try to add this to your report. They can't show this as a collection but sometimes they try.

Hello,

I have a 9 year old debt with Sears that was originally 1k but now with interest apparently 2k. I was really surprised when i received a letter from a "Natalie Law Office" on behalf of Global Credit and Collections claiming they have been authorized to negotiate a payment plan and I should contact them.

I believe they use this "lawyer" approach to intimidate people when they have no other means of collecting money. Am I correct and should I not worry about it at this point.