It’s going to be an interesting holiday season at the MacKinnon household.
Douglas MacKinnon was part of a group sued today by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Attorney General of New York, for his alleged involvement in a debt collection scam that reaped tens of million of dollars by artificially inflating overdue balances, impersonating law enforcement officials, and threatening jail and legal action against individuals with unpaid debts.
According to an order signed earlier this year, there is a Douglas MacKinnon who is the twin brother of Gregory MacKinnon. Last year, Gregory MacKinnon was sued by the Federal Trade Commission and the Attorney General of New York as part of a huge effort to shut down two debt collection operations that collected $45 million in “supposed” debts. That case also involved Travell Thomas, a professional poker player who pleaded guilty yesterday to wire fraud and mail fraud and is facing at least 15 years in prison.
Gregory MacKinnon was a principal of Vantage Point Services, which was accused of using “deceptive, unfair, and abusive tactics” to “pressure consumers in making payments on purported debts.” Collectors would use false titles and false company names and threaten that individuals who did not pay would be arrested.
