The other day a caller said “I used a document preparer or bankruptcy petition preparer. Certainly they have obligations to keep my social security number confidential?” Unfortunately I had to say “Oh how wrong you are.”

A fellow bankruptcy attorney’s client received this email “arrest warrant” (see below). Creditors are getting desperate. Unfortunately, she did not realize this on-line check-cashing business was running a scam. She not only gave them several hundred dollars but also she allowed them to access her bank account for bi-weekly payments.

Normally, the only time you can be arrested for not paying a bill is if you ignore a court order or fail to pay child support.

Never give anyone access to your bank accounts, no matter how scary they are.

Normally, the only time you can be arrested for not paying a bill is if you ignore a court order or fail to pay child support. Please do not give out any information about any of your financial accounts. Do not give anyone access to your bank accounts unless you are absolutely certain they are reliable. (Personally, my husband and I do not allow anyone to take any money out of our bank accounts). Report any such contacts to your Attorney General’s Office and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

In Utah four innocent people were arrested, but none had committed a crime. They had each borrowed money at high interest rates from a local lender called Loans for Less and were sued for owing sums that ranged from $800 to $3,600. When they missed a court date, the company obtained a warrant for their arrest.

It’s against the law to jail someone because of an unpaid debt. Congress banned debtors prisons in 1833. Yet, across the country, debtors are routinely threatened with arrest and sometimes jailed, and the practices are particularly aggressive in Utah. (ProPublica recently chronicled how medical debt collectors are wielding similar powers in Kansas.)

The creativity of con artists never ceases to amaze and disgust me. Those who are vulnerable to these cons include the elderly, minorities, mentally impaired, low education and socially alienated. If you ever hear of one of these dirt bags preying on someone – turn them into every legal authority you can find. Make sure to include the Consumer Financial Protection Burea.