Hey .................and you thought that Deanna Natale and her band of obnoxious, overly aggressive henchmen disguised as bill collectors attempting to scare the "bejesus" out of debtors by issuing "'bogus draft statement of claims'" so that the recipients of these illegal documents honestly believed that they had been sued and were now been taken to court. Well, get a load of this next case that happened in Pennsylvania.

In this action, the would-be Uncle Sam is Unicredit America Inc., an
Erie-based debt collection agency that garnered cash from delinquent consumers by staging courtroom-like proceedings ----------- complete with bogus judges, attorneys and deputies.

According to a lawsuit filed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Unicredit staged their version of "Law and Order" in an office at its Erie, Pa. location. The room had a raised bench for the judge, bookshelves jammed with legal tomes, and tables for attorneys. The suit claims that Unicredit used phoney deputies issuing fake summons' to lure unwitting consumers to "court" in order that they make good on their debts. Once there, the suit alleges that Unicredit staged fake courtroom proceedings that often resulted in "defendants" reaching into their wallets and for their checkbooks to pay for debts held against them by the agency.

"This is an unconscionable event to use fake court proceedings to deceive, mislead or frighten consumers into making payments or surrendering valuables to Unicredit without following lawful procedures for debt collection." Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett said in a statement.

Last week, Erie County Court Judge Michael F, Dunlavey ordered Unicredit to shut down its debt-collection operation. A full hearing is scheduled for December 13, 2010.

While it's too early to say for sure how the Erie County Court will decide the case, consumers should take heed of this cautionary tale.

I received one of those letters years ago and the best thing to do is shred it. The gov’t doesn’t care when it comes to people owing money unless you owe them. If they put a stop to the draft letter she will find another scare tactic and bleed that for another ten years.

I've seen the warning sent from the previous Minister of Consumer Services in Ontario to stop sending draft statement of claims. They (and every other agency) have been warned many times by them to stop doing this as it was being used as a scare tactic too much.

Natale is the only one who still uses this at every chance they get.

As much as I agree with you that they do very little to protect consumers from this form of harassment, it is still worth making them aware that this is a continual problem. In my opinion it's better than doing nothing and hoping that they stop.

At a certain point they will have to step in, but it usually takes media exposure on these types of things for the government or banks to make any real changes.

The gov't can't stop them and natale knows the loopholes to the system.

File a complaint with consumer protection of Ontario. Deanna Natale have many complaints about this type of thing.

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

A collection agency may not:

- Use threatening, profane, intimidating or coercive language, or use undue, excessive or unreasonable pressure.

- Give false or misleading information to any person.

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They're definitely using intimidating language and unreasonable pressure by 'suggesting' you will be sued for an $800 phone bill.

It is also misleading if they do not actually plan to sue the person and have continually shown this is a standard tactic they use to scare people.

The Ontario Ministry has already told agencies not to send 'draft' statement of claims due to their intention to mislead consumers. If more complaints keep coming about this they will have to eventually stop this stupid tactic. It's a big waste of time and money for everyone involved.

Side note: There is no court stamp, but it appears to had a draft stamp on it.

So, Ive been reading up a lot on the internet, and Ive found quite a lot of interesting information about Natale Law Offices.

My girlfriend owes rogers, and has for quite some time (not over 7 years), but she hasnt made payment in about a year since she makes only enough money to feed herself after rent.

Anyway, she just recieved this letter from Natale Law Offices saying they will take her to small claims court if she doesnt "Govern herself Accordingly"

She owes Rogers Comm, roughly $800. The "Court" document, which now seems laughable, most notably without a court stamp, states Rogers Comm as the business/Natale Law as the representative. I would assume then that Rogers still owns the debt, and she shouldnt have to even bother calling this office, correct?

her document has her signature, but upon closer inspection, you can see the pixels to prove she didnt really sign it and thats it a computer generated image.
any advice?