联邦法院下令临时叫停「幽灵债务」催收团伙并冻结资产：FTC指其冒充律所逼消费者偿还不存在的债
美国联邦贸易委员会（FTC）11月9日宣布，应该委员会请求，一家联邦法院已签发临时限制令，叫停一家涉嫌「幽灵债务」催收团伙的运作，并冻结其资产。
FTC在诉状中指控，McDonnell & Associates LLC（同时以 First Capital Group、Maxwell & Bryant Group 和 Lewis, McDonnell & Associate LLC 等名义经营）及其所有者 Oscar Gerardo Gonzalez Martin 与 Oscar Ruiz Canela，谎称自己是律所或与律师有关联，用高压手段逼迫消费者偿还他们往往根本不存在的债务。这类手法被称为「幽灵债务」催收。诉状称，该团伙借此向消费者收走逾2,000万美元。
诉状指，被告会留下欺骗性的语音留言诱使消费者回电，并威胁说若不付款就联系消费者的雇主和家人。消费者回电后，被告又连番作出虚假陈述与威胁，声称要起诉消费者、扣押其工资、在其房产上设留置权，但实际上被告从未采取、也无意采取这些行动。
FTC还指，被告在催收时没有作出法律要求的披露，例如没有表明自己是债务催收方，也没有向消费者提供列明所谓债务金额、债权人等关键信息的债务确认通知。实际上，多数消费者并不欠下被告所称的债务，或者被告根本没有权利催收这些债务。
FTC消费者保护局局长表示，冒充律所或律师、威胁联系消费者的雇主和家人来逼人偿还不存在的债务是违法的，法院叫停这一骗局，发出了明确信号：FTC不会容忍不法分子用违法催收手段胁迫消费者付款。
（来源：美国联邦贸易委员会）
Court Temporarily Halts Phantom Debt Collection Operation and Freezes Assets at FTC's Request
At the Federal Trade Commission's request, a federal court has temporarily halted and frozen the assets of a debt collection operation that allegedly used deceptive and unlawful tactics to pressure consumers into paying debts that they frequently did not owe, the FTC announced on November 9.
According to the complaint, McDonnell & Associates LLC, also doing business as First Capital Group, Maxwell & Bryant Group and Lewis, McDonnell & Associate LLC, and owners Oscar Gerardo Gonzalez Martin and Oscar Ruiz Canela, falsely claimed to be a law firm or affiliated with attorneys and used high-pressure tactics to coerce consumers to make payments on debts that the consumers often did not owe, a practice known as phantom debt collection. The complaint alleges the scheme collected over $20 million from consumers.
The defendants allegedly left deceptive voicemail messages to get consumers to respond and threatened to contact consumers' employers and family members if they did not pay. When consumers called back, the defendants allegedly threatened legal action, wage garnishment and liens on their properties, actions they did not take nor intend to take.
The FTC also alleges the defendants failed to make legally required disclosures, including that they were debt collectors, and failed to provide debt validation notices. In reality, most consumers did not owe the alleged debts, or the defendants lacked the authority to collect them.
"Pretending to be a law firm or affiliated with attorneys and threatening to contact consumers' employers and family members to induce consumers to pay debts they do not owe is illegal," the Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection said.
(Source: U.S. Federal Trade Commission)
来源：美国联邦贸易委员会
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：位于华盛顿的美国联邦贸易委员会总部 Apex 大楼。Harrison Keely 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Apex Building, headquarters of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. Photo by Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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