Debt Collectors Use DAs’ Letterhead

Some district attorneys are allowing debt collectors to send out collection notices under their letterheads as they crack down on people who failed to keep up with their bills. The district attorneys say the surprising partnerships allow them to worry about bigger offenses, but debt collectors have come under attack recently for threatening jail time in their letters to people with overdue debts. In addition, the letters on D.A. letterhead often come with a fee for a “financial accountability” class, sometimes hiking up costs by several hundred dollars. While prosecutors stand by the practice, some consumer lawyers say it is a case of “guilty until proven innocent.”