Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed a lawsuit against suburban Chicago-based collection agency PN Financial, alleging the company has used abusive and threatening tactics against consumers.
"The allegations are really some of the worst that I've seen," she says. "There were multiple violations of state and federal law. And they include that PN Financial routinely pretended that they were a law firm when they were contacting consumers."
Her office has received 52 complaints about Skokie, Ill.-based PN Financial. The Better Business Bureau's Chicago office reported 82 complaints filed against the firm. PN Financial officials were not available for comment.
Madigan's office cites several Fair Debt Collection Practices Act violations, including posing as a law firm, disclosing debts to third parties and attempting to collect debts that were already paid in full.
PN Financial allegedly went so far as to include fake case numbers on some collection notices. The agency also is alleged to have accessed consumer credit reports without authorization and debited more money from consumers' bank accounts than what consumers granted.
The lawsuit filed in Cook County (Ill.) Circuit Court seeks to shut down PN Financial and prohibit the agency from ever collecting debt in Illinois. The action also calls for restitution for affected consumers and unspecified civil penalties.
