The Federal Trade Commission and the Attorney General of New York have reached a settlement with a number of defendants in a debt collection case that it originally filed suit in more than three years ago. The defendants have agreed to a suspended judgment of $22.5 million and have agreed to be banned from the collection industry for the rest of their lives.
A copy of the order in the case of Federal Trade Commission and the People of the State of New York v. Vantage Point Services, Payment Management Solutions, Bonified Payment Solutions, Megan Vandeviver, Gregory MacKinnon, Angela Burdorf, and Joseph Ciffa can be accessed by clicking here.
Ciffa had previously pleaded guilty to his role in the scam and is facing up to eight years in prison.
The defendants were charged with violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act in a number of ways, such as impersonating government agents and district attorneys, threatening arrest if payments were not made, illegally charging processing fees, and by telling third parties that the individuals had committed a crime and were facing arrest.
It was alleged that the defendants netted $22 million in payments through the scheme.
The defendants are also permanently restrained from making misrepresentations related to financial products. They must also cooperate with any investigation related to this complaint.
