State AG Trying to Tie Telemarketer to 'Fake Courtroom' Debt Collector

Published on:
28 March 2011 at 07:46 a.m. ET

http://www.insidearm.com/news/00015933-state-ag-trying-to-tie-telemarketer-to-fa/

The office of Pennsylvania’s Attorney General searched the offices of a collection agency and a nearby telemarketing firm last week attempting to link the two companies, according to a story in the Erie Times-News.

The collection agency, Unicredit America Inc., was recently shut down over its use of a bogus courtroom to trick debtors into believing they were taking part in an actual legal proceeding.

Investigators are now trying to determine if telemarketing firm Creditron Financial Corp., which does business as Telatron Marketing Group, was involved in any of the illegal practices which got Unicredit disbanded. Telatron’s offices are adjacent to the former offices of Unicredit and the same family controls the two firms, although investigators have said that the companies were run separately.

Creditron filed for bankruptcy protection in 2008, where it remains.