Merchants Credit Guide Unethical and illegal collections and accusations of criminal activity Chicago, Illinois

We were contacted by Merchants credit guide a year ago in an attempt to collect on a $300 bounced check. Since we do not use paper checks we requested they send us a copy of the check, front and back. Mr Hilman stated that he was getting that together but we never received it. After several months of inconvenient telphone calls at work and at innappropriate hours of the day and night, I contacted the busness to whom the check was written and received a copy of the check. This was not our address, (we have lived in the same house for 12 years), not our bank, we got a statement from the bank to endorse this and not our drivers licence number which we confirmed thru DPS. The original business agreed that Merchants credit was contacting the wrong person and stated they would get it straightened out, but the harassing calls continued. Merchants credit demanded we send copies of our social security cards over unsecured email, demanded copies of our drivers licenses and asked what phase of closing we were in on our current real estate transaction. We were asked how fast we wanted this debt collection taken off our record and were told that if we just pay, it will go away in about 3 days. We refused and then they started demanding that we file a police report for check fraud. When I contacted the police they would not take a report and said that there was no check fraud as there was absolutely no evidence that any of this had to do with us since nothing on the account matches with the exception of 2 people having the same name. Merchants credit reply to this was that they had reported us for a criminal act and that we would be investigated.

I hired an attorney and suddenly I get an e-mail from Mr Daniel Burtis himself who acts like he is being benevolent and states that even though they have proof that we wrote this check on an account under our address, which is a lie, that in the interest of consumer fairness, he would remove the bad credit report but later I was told that they would not remove the criminal charges.

We intend to follow this thru if it means a big messy lawsuit. Bring it on, I absolutely will not tolerate  the abuse of military veterans who happen to have a common name.
You have any evidence Mr. Burtis??? Bring it on.