RJM Acquisitions LLC Collecting debts that never existed Syosset New York

About a year ago, RJM contacted my wife attempting to collect an alleged debt. My wife had never owed this debt - it is more likely that someone with a similar name did and they just send the bill to every address they can find with a name that is close. Now if they attempt to collect the same debt from more than one person, they are knowingly attempting to extort payment from people that they know do not owe the debt, yet no law enforcement agency seems to regard this as a crime. My wife been a victim of six of these attempts over the last 3 years, so I am getting my validation letter almost to a form letter - but it bothers me that it only costs them 34 cents for presorted first class postage (they must send out a lot of them) and it costs me 5 dollars for certified mail return receipt requested.

Naturally, since the debt did not exist, RJM never sent the validation.

Now, 6/29/2008, I have received a collection attempt for this same debt from First National Collection Bureau, Inc of Sparks, NV -- whom I know to also be in the collection fraud business because they were in my file from another occasion two years ago. Do they think that hiring a different collection agency to carry on the effort qualifies as ceasing collection effort?

Since the $1000 damage maximum does not get lawyers jumping up and down with glee at the prospect of easy riches, does anyone know if small claims court will actually have enough clout to scare a scofflaw in a different state?

Peter
Framingham, Massachusetts
U.S.A.