OT scams and bad days

Since we were talking yesterday about scams and having bad days,try this one out. We had July Board of Review yesterday. A guy came in with a problem. He hadn't recieved his tax notice on a 77 acre vacant parcel when he should have. He checked with the township treasurer. The notice had been sent to The Department of Housing and Urban Development in D.C. but was returned for incorrect address. He wanted to know what was going on. The assessor told him that that was what her records were showing as the owner of the property. She called the Register of Deeds office and they said that there had been a transfer due to a forclosure. He had inherited this place after his Dad had bought it cheap in the 80s. There hadn't been a mortgage on it! We're assuming that with all the forclosures around here it must have been a typo somewhere,but the assessor told him it was up to him to go to the courthouse and straighten it out. HOW in the WORLD does the average person go up against the federal government when they just come right up and say that they own your land? I told him that he was a LOT calmer about it than I'd have been,he wasn't armed.

I got a call from some idiot collection group. Demanding to talk to my wife about a overdue bill. I told him that would be impossible since she passed away in Dec 04.He informed me to stop playing games and let him speak to her. Told me that he had talked to her two months ago and she had not returned his calls. Said he was going to call the police and have her arrested.Also that we will be taken to court over this bill and that we would be made to pay all court cost and judgments. The bill is from July of 2007. So I just said do what you have to do and hung up. Can't wait to go to court and take my wife urn with me.

Welcome to the dark side of the computer age. With just a few keystrokes, you can be completely wiped out...your bank account cleaned out, your property transferred, your vehicles transferred, and all done without your knowledge...if they choose to do so. And it's not just the "hackers" who do this for kicks; the government can do this to you at any time.

And there's pretty much nothing you can do about it. Sure, you can b1tch and complain and show up in somebodys office with a fistful of receipts...but that only means something if the folks in charge say so.

We decried things like this when the Soviet Union was doing it years ago, but now that we essentially ARE the Soviet Union of the 1950's, it's too late to stop it from happening. What're you gonna do--arm yourself to the teeth and go out in a blaze of glory when the SWAT team comes to evict you? You'll still be just as dead at the end.

It is only through the "benevolence" of the banks and the government that this hasn't already occurred on a widespread scale. And I don't look for that "benevolence" to last through my lifetime.

I maintain multiple copies of everything (deeds, tax statements, etc) just for the reason that **it happens. I also frequently check our property documents frequently which is easy via the County Public Parcel search. Some Counties/Townships/Cities don't have them yet, but its getting more prevalent.

When we bought our property 5 years ago, the signed deed was sent to the County for recording. Didn't notice that the paperwork had a note to return the original to the Title company instead of me. Following year, I was going through the paperwork and noticed we only had a copy, without the Liber & Page recording information. I called the Title Company and they said they had to go offsite to get at the records. After a couple of weeks I got a "photocopy" of the recorded deed. They admitted that they couldn't find the original and they went to the County and got a copy. Assured me it was good enough. I verified with the County all the info, but to this day it bothers me that I don't have the original.

Sure wouldn't want to be the owner of the land who has to straighten that mess out. On the other hand, maybe he can work this to his advantage. Since the Federal Government doesn't pay local property taxes, the county won't expect a check twice a year. And the Feds probably don't know they are listed as the owner. He could live there tax-free for a long time. Then, wait twenty years and file a lawsuit claiming abandonment rights. There was recently a ruling in Michigan that if YOU file the lawsuit first, any government body can't claim government immunity from a squatter's claim (not sure if this also applies to the feds) and you automatically get title to the disputed land.

Sometimes best bet is to go to court and tell it to the judge. Judges are used to foul ups and have power to compell apearance of official upon motion and compel production of records- usually scammer and foulups don"t appear to answer summons/subpeona and you get judgement by default. This is only first step but if you get a judge like Ritter in Utah was- the federal agents get very nervous, they don"t like to spend a month or two in lockup for contempt. Identity theft charges and misconduct in office charges for government agents get response when they don"t respond to court orders- judges sometimes get mad a dilatory tactics of government agents and prosecuters, taking up court time to cover up their mistakes and setting court calendar back to make judges look like they are not able to keep up with case load- that"s when judges reach for Ritters decisions on prosecuter summary contempt cases and note he had least case backlog in federal court system as well as record number of contempt charges against government prosecuters, agents and witness"s- the factors seemed to be related. Misconduct and theft charges against government agency can get rapid response in court, especially if you have paper the judge can look at. RN

Don't think for a minute you will get a chance to meet them in court! They will claim you were served with papers and go to court on "your" appointed date. You won't show up (because you weren't served) and the court will rule in their favor. They can now freeze/seize you bank account, assets and wages with the court's blessing. This has recently happened here in NY to tens of thousands of people. The AG's office has just filed charges against process serving companies who falsified records and fraudulent debt collectors. It is a HUGE scam. My daughter was a victim of it. You must file with your state's AG office and file a police report to protect yourself.

Thanks for the tips. But I am not really worried about it. The bill was for a date well after my wife died and I have her certificate of death. Plus down here the court will send the papers by mail.

But what if they file claim in court in their office area and 'serve' you with papers from that court area? Some financial institutions have a office address in Delaware or North Dakota just for the lack of usery law limit or ease of incorporation- fine print on credit card apps says disputes must be handled in Delaware or North Dakota or New Jersey court systems. File locally first and charge criminal fraud charge beside, ID theft and interstate fraud can go to federal court especially if bills sent by mail. Federal court prefers not to handle small (to them) cases and usually say will review state case after state court decision if needed, state gets courtesy priority. RN.

In our case the "debt" collectors, process "servers" were doing all this 400 mile from us unbeknownst to us until a notice of summary judgement arrived in the mail. There was never any debt regardless of date. It was all a scam to empty bank accounts. Beware!

Welcome to obammy world. ACORN thanks you.

Just got back from the store. Ran into the local judge. Helps to live in a small town.I am going to take all paperwork to his office in the morning. He told me he hears about this stuff all the time. Most of the time it is a scam. So if it does come up I am covered. Thanks Nancy for the email.

Geez...I thought I was a conspiracy theorist, but I see I"m just a beginner...

I got a call from a local sheriffs deputy informing me that a warrant had been issued for my arrest. My horrendous crime was going 44 in a 25 zone in a podunk town of 150 or so.

I had planned on appearing on the court date, but work plans put a stop to that so I called their city hall, they never answer the phone, I call their city atty, he didn't answer his phone.

So the day before the court date I drove to the town and put the fine in the mail, registered, return reciept requested. The post master said it would get there by the next day, the date of court. The US post office is two doors down from their city hall. But he said they sometimes dont pick up their mail.

I called 6 different places, the sheriffs office, two or three clerks, finally the judges office. The judge is going to try to track down the clerk, when they get off their day job, and verify I paid, then remove the warrant.

Communist Russia had nothing on this place.

Zeig Heil!

Gene

This is a great topic not so for me now but many years ago maybe in the early 80s a lot of us baby boomers were being threatend by collection agencies of being taken to court by them so much in fact that many of the local newspapers did an article about rights and said collection agencies cannot take you to court because even though they bought the bad debt they do not have the original finance agreement signed by both parties which has to be initiated by the originator. Not to steal the thread but has anybody ever been sued by a collection agency or has the law been changed? Maybe it's state by state I live in Ohio. I'm certainly not an attorney but looking back at a recent deal where a woman won her house from foreclosure because the bank couldn't produce the original contract someone must produce the original finance agreement when you show up in court. Just curious CT

This is a great topic not so for me now but many years ago maybe in the early 80s a lot of us baby boomers were being threatend by collection agencies of being taken to court by them so much in fact that many of the local newspapers did an article about rights and said collection agencies cannot take you to court because even though they bought the bad debt they do not have the original finance agreement signed by both parties which has to be initiated by the originator. Not to steal the thread but has anybody ever been sued by a collection agency or has the law been changed? Maybe it's state by state I live in Ohio. I'm certainly not an attorney but looking back at a recent deal where a woman won her house from foreclosure because the bank couldn't produce the original contract someone must produce the original finance agreement when you show up in court. Just curious CT