I'm on the other side of the scam coin. I was a shareholder in a company that went bankrupt, with a supplier unfortunately caught in our company's downfall. It should be noted that I wasn't in Accounts Receivable. I was in Sales and Marketing, and I had no A/R control - and no signing authority.
We got a call from CI, telling me that I was being held personally responsible for the debt to the supplier company. I tried to explain to them that they're flat-out wrong. Someone in Sales and Marketing, with no access or control over A/R for an LLC is not held personally responsible for the debt of a company that was closed 18 months ago.
They, in effect, told me "they know" but our job is to "harass your ###", and that they'll call me twice a day until I pay them. "Them?" you mean the supplier? Nope. Money was to be sent instead of Commercial Investigations... Uh huh...
But - I'm broke. I took no salary from the company, and took no compensation, and was left without so much as a dime.
The supplier called and let me know that they'd "done some investigation and found that I had plenty of money hidden". Riiiiiight.
Long story short, I explained to CI that they were barking up the wrong tree with both the supplier and with me personally - knowing my full legal rights.
Well - the case has apparently been passed on to some more agressive commission folks who (this is true!) called the supplier company and told them that "they found my money, and that he'd better pay them thousands NOW in order to freeze that account before I move it!" They then informed the supplier company that I had sent them a check in September of 07 that went NSF (I've never sent them a damned thing, nor will I), and that I'd sent them another check in March, that went NSF.
They have misrepresented themselves to the supplier - completely. They have lied through their teeth in regards to that supplier's rights. They have lied about the legalities in recovering money on behalf of a corporation from an individual who didn't even have signing authorty for A/R. They lied to the supplier about contact they've had with me, about my background, about my financial position, about communications... everything. It's been amazing.
And yet, on the phone this morning, they've basically said "Don't be a f'ing deadbeat ###. You don't have to live your life as a loser. Just make us an offer. Do we lie to the clients sometimes to get you ### to pay up? Sure".
I then told them that I'd recorded some of the calls we've had to which they responded "That s**t isn't going to hold up in court, and you and I both know that."
My attorney has asked that we inform CI that the communication is recorded, which it will be.
In the meantime, we're filing complaints along with affidavits to the County (L.A.) out of which they are currently operating.
