The economic collapse has inspired a wave of cowboy debt collectors who harass, intimidate and at times break the law.
Anthony Richardson, a 52-year-old legally blind Manhattan man, knows all about it.
His bank account was frozen last fall by Palisades Collection LLC for a $1,423.32 debt more than six years old.
He agreed to pay $20 a month to unfreeze the account, and that's when the dunning calls began.
"It was like a loanshark, breaking legs," he said of the calls. "I felt like I was being intimidated."
Stories like Richardson's have become all too common with the surge in debt collection businesses, including firms that buy debt from credit card companies for pennies on the dollar.
To make money, they:
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