Hilarity from FTAlphaville. I, for one, welcome JPM’s return to the stop-at-nothing tactics of the robber-baron days, for they are supremely entertaining:
James Ricobene has filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase for resorting to “dirty tactics to collect the collateral on a car loan” – a 2007 Mercedes GL450 SUV. JPM, alleges Ricobene, hired a “tracing firm” to come after him.
Okay, you’re thinking BFD, right? Guy doesn’t want his car repo’d, why does he think he has grounds to sue when JPM hires a repo man? Well, because the “tracing firm” in question found his daughter, added her as a friend on MySpace and left this message on her MySpace profile:
We have been retained by, JPMorgan Chase Bank, to locate and repossess their missing collateral a 2007 Mercedes GL 450. Please contact our office immediately so we can discuss the peaceful recovery of the collateral. Failure to contact me will result in further action against your father James Ricobene. Legal options range from having a replevin order served on you or even worse reporting the collateral as stolen to local authorities in Illinois under the A.R.S. act 18-5-504. Failure to comply with this notice of surrender is a class 5 felony and carries a maximum penalty of imprisonment for two years plus all applicable surcharges. You must contact the writer within 5 days to prevent this action from taking place.
James Ricobene, who apparently didn’t feel that failing to return a car he can’t pay for is unethical, decided that bringing his daughter into it crosses the line, though, and filed suit. Apparently a bunch of Gina Ricobene’s friends and family members saw the message, causing her embarrassment and “substantial emotional distress.” Ricobene is looking for at least $100,000 for invasion of privacy and consumer fraud.
The daughter apparently has created a new MySpace every couple years (probably losing the passwords to hackers or debt collectors or what have you), but here is a link to what appears to be the most recent. A class act, she is. Looks and sounds very much like the kind of girl whose daddy would have a repossessed Mercedes (and also, like she would probably mistakenly interperet the words “replevin order” as referring to a “kited scrip for some really bada** s***”):
About me:
MY name Is Gina i am 20 years old and im from the good old O.P WatWAt haha!! im a pretty laid back person.. i like getting f***ed up on a daily basis… and hanging out with all my gurls u guys know who u are! I just like to have fun and live my life to the fullest and i hate bitches that run there mouth! Im Goin To EaStERN Next year i cant wait! well thats about it peace out! I LIKE TO GET F***D UP AND DO SOME F***ED UP S***!
Censorship mine, because this is a family blog, Gina, and you should have your mouth washed out with soap. Wonder if her college application essay for Eastern was this articulate.
Here’s a great poseur-gangsta photo I think should be captioned “F U IF U THINK UR REPOSSESSIN DADDY’S MERCEDES”:
And here’s her Facebook, too. Beer bong Trixie! But, I am off topic. The case file is here if you’d like a little less flash and a little more substance:
Chase Collect
Bill // Apr 18, 2009 at 6:12 pm
LOLz… this is a total OddCulture-worthy post, but I shall let you have it! You win this round!
Stupid // Apr 18, 2009 at 8:31 pm
HAHAH this chick is an idiot.. GIVE YOUR CAR BACK IF YOU CANT PAY FOR IT.. simple. But from what i found out also.. She was in possession of the vehicle, which is why they posted it to her. Eitherway.. this chick is no doubt looking for publicity and money but from the sites i found, she seems to be getting quite a bad rep from her myspace. WAY TO GO CHASE> keepup the good work.
alyx // Apr 18, 2009 at 8:41 pm
If she was in possession of it, I can only imagine how the call to her father went after she saw that on her myspace: “OHMUHGHAAAAAW DADDY, WHAT DO THEY MEAN THEY ARE GOING TO TAKE MY MERCAAAAAAAAAAADES?????”
Sob sob sob.
Fartles // Apr 18, 2009 at 11:54 pm
lol @ alyx
priceless
JSA // Apr 19, 2009 at 3:21 pm
The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (“FDCPA”) expressly prohibits contact with a 3rd party (such as spouse, child, or anyone else). The FDCPA expressly prohibits contacting debtors through postcards or other potentially embarassing media where the communication is exposed to prying eyes-Myspace qualifies.
I don’t know if the damages are going to amount to $100,000 here, but there is already a minimum of $1,000 plus attorneys for violating the statute, regardless of damages. Given that the daughter’s friends and family saw the post, there is ample grounds for finding some amount of damages here.
This was no mere hypertechnical violation of the FDCPA-this was a blatant breach of federal law.
alyx // Apr 19, 2009 at 3:34 pm
@JSA – true, but their suit doesn’t even bother with FDCPA and just cites violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act, with most of the charges hinging on the representation of Dad as a felon. Unless, they’ve got a different suit in a different court under FDCPA, which I’ll try to look up…
Jacquolene // Apr 19, 2009 at 6:02 pm
WA Has strict, VERY STRICT collection practices, and collectors out of WA need to be licensed.
I would suggest contacting an attorney in Washington State and also see if they are properly licensed in WA State. They may be in violation of RCW 19.16 You may be entitled to treble damages if you file in WA State too.
http://www.dol.wa.gov/business/collectionagency/collaws.html
charlie // Apr 19, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Fark her. And Fark him. Pay up or give back.
JB // Apr 19, 2009 at 9:11 pm
So let me get this straight: a guy doesn’t pay his loan, gets in trouble with the bank, whose people break federal law by harassing his DAUGHTER (ie, not the person who has neglected to pay back the loan)…
…and your response, as concerned citizens, is to hold the DAUGHTER (ie, actually innocent of any and all crime, not even involved here) up for public contempt? Going so far as to post a picture and a series of insults about her intelligence because her FATHER is in trouble with the law?
Nice work, guys. You people are trash.
Joe // Apr 19, 2009 at 9:15 pm
@Jacquolene
Good call… and along those lines, did you notice that the contact number posted (see the case file) is a British Columbia (604) number?
This guy with the Mercedes is probably a tool (hey, he drives a GL450 in Chicago), but Chase is just plain criminal here and deserves to get pwn3d. Typical collection agency though, “…a class 5 felony…” even though there is no such thing in IL.
…and people wonder why I stayed with WaMu when they were about to go under but pulled out my entire savings within a week when Chase took over.
Repo Man // Apr 19, 2009 at 9:47 pm
that’s some farked up poopy way of doing business, even in my book.
Chase Bank Mngr // Apr 19, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Well she is hot, maybe we can work out a deal here. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm
MIke // Apr 19, 2009 at 10:19 pm
I’ve worked collections both first and 3rd party and as a repo man. Given what I know about the FDCPA, JPMChase broke the governing laws by leaving an open message on an open website concerning a Private Debt. Didn’t matter if they did it to the debtor’s daughter or a total stranger. They screwed up, and at the very least, James the Debtor will get a free Mercedes out of it.
And I sincerely hope the Collector that left the message got fired. People who do the job the wrong way, make it harder for me to do it the right way.
Kevin Rickroll // Apr 19, 2009 at 10:53 pm
judging a girl based on pictures on her myspace, nice ethics loser. get a life hah hah hah i can’t believe you take yourself seriously and THIS is what you do X-D. You are a travesty of a journalist, go work at McDonalds. In the back, so you don’t have to talk to anybody.
>> You linked to her myspace??? creep
>>> How old are you, 15?
>>>> Assisted suicide is legal in Washington
Pinky Floyd // Apr 19, 2009 at 11:12 pm
When I first read this I immediately thought ‘New Jersey’..I was wrong, but not by much.
Dennis // Apr 19, 2009 at 11:36 pm
I was once trying to work a deal out with a collector that chase sent on me. I told them what I could pay per month and they wanted double that.
They offered me a solution. Apparently “I” had another account open with them that I could put it on. Before I would do that I checked into it, and it wasn’t my account.
I don’t know if I could sue because they didn’t do the wrong to me exactly, but the account holder. Actually, I think I’m the one who would have been charged with fraud. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the same company.
Oh, and Chase never got paid. SOL expired. I refused to once they tried that and I think they knew they better not aggravate me should I sue.
skip traser // Apr 20, 2009 at 1:51 am
That was retard.. He should have created an account pretending to be a hot guy, got her to meet him somewhere for coffee and then swoop in and repo the car.. Tard wasnt thinking!
vbrief.com // Apr 20, 2009 at 6:39 am
Internet 101: Don’t Accept Friend Requests From Debt Collectors…
Debt collectors from JPMorgan have resorted to leaving messages on the MySpace page of the daughters of their debtors. Maybe that’s what it tkes to make record profits……
Evil Weezel // Apr 20, 2009 at 7:52 am
Anyone driving is MB GL450 is a swine who should be publically flogged for being a total asshole. Bring back debtors prisons!
alyx // Apr 20, 2009 at 8:34 am
This post is on FARK and the discussion thread is about evenly split on “debtors should be flogged” and “collection agencies should be flogged.” If there’s an official list of issues with the ability to polarize, it looks as if debt must be up there with politics and religion.
http://www.fark.com/cgi/comments.pl?IDLink=4337654
John // Apr 20, 2009 at 11:48 am
douchebag who feels he’s entitled to a free mercedes raises slut of a daughter who proudly announces that she loves to “get F*cked up everyday”….
What a way to repay those before us who made this country great… I bet your parents are so proud.
wild // Apr 20, 2009 at 11:48 am
I surmize that debt is up there with politic & religion..cuZ Sarah Palin said so! yep
wild;)
TMM // Apr 20, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Whatever anyone thinks of this girl and her dad – spoiled kid, irresponsible parent – this is a great lawsuit – I almost wet myself out of sheer excitement when I saw what they emailed her. I freaking hate collection agencies and because of stupid violations of FDCPA (and other equivalent state law) readily apparent in what they did to that girl, they will make me a rich man one day.
Scroom // Apr 20, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Give the girl and the daddy everything the bustards at the agency have.
There will be a line of lawyers waiting to take their case — and the agency to the cleaners.
Bill collectors are lower than pond scum excreta, and this proves it.
Jeff // Apr 20, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Yeah man, real funny until they do it to you.
The laws exist for a reason. This is so far out of the norm, and so BLATENTLY illegal, and has a larger impact that most violations.
Sickening. This gives collectors a bad name… and thats pretty hard.
whoops // Apr 20, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Ok, so we are dealing with a classy family (eyeroll) here however, the collectors are wrong, wrong, wrong. They need to legally be as embarrassed as she emotionally was, at least. That takes gouging them in the pocket. They could care less about feelings.
Tony // Apr 20, 2009 at 5:46 pm
I think we have a new record for comment-count here! Even more than the pr0n links… interesting that debt trumped pr0n…
Repo Mikey // Apr 21, 2009 at 5:31 am
Mikey can do it!
Anonymous Coward // Apr 21, 2009 at 5:40 am
@Joe (#10)
Yeah, your right. Sorry I lived in 425/206 for a long time and my wife is from 602.
Christ, Why didn’t I realize that? I should call Terry McBride.
Anonymous Coward // Apr 21, 2009 at 6:05 am
Dennis (#16) is a tool!
Beware, this may come back to haunt you.
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JAMES RICOBENE // Jun 15, 2010 at 5:33 pm
ALL IDIOTS!—WHAT YOU DONT KNOW IS THE CAR NEVER HAD A LATE PAYMENT
.