This morning (September 15), while I was taking a both getting ready to go out for the day, a message was left on my voice mail from a Mr. Fontana at the above number. I couldn't understand the name of the law firm at first, but then I later found out that it was the Rephen Law Firm.

I had called him back and it was about overdraft fees for a check that I wrote back in December for $17.29. He was going to report this to call the state policd, and this made me very upset! I let him know that I lost my job back in July, but he really didn't care. I hung up on him, but then he called me back.

I was so upset at this call, that I have not spent the entire day researching this matter and calling a few places just to find out what I could do about this.

After doing some detective work of my own, I found out that I am not alone. There have been numerous complaints against this so-called "law firm", and I have now jumped on the bandwagon.

I called my bank about this. They are going to send emails to and alert the branch's general manager and assistant manager. So far, I don't owe this Rephen Law Firm anything.

Yes, I've made some mistakes, but it's not my fault that my checks bounce. If this ever happens, I just let my bank know that I will make a deposit as soon as possible, and try my best to avoid these overdrafts. But to for somebody from New York State, who probably doesn't even know the banking laws here in Pennsylvania, to send the state police after me is very upsetting. I am not Bernie Madoff. I am a decent law-abiding citizen, and I am not going to let this matter damage and destroy my reputation as a law-abiding citizen.

I am not only going to stop by the bank tomorrow (September 16), but I am going to report this "law firm" to the both the New York State and Pennsylvania State Attorney General's office, the New York State Bar Association, and the Federal Trade Commission in Washington.

This matter has just simply ruined my entire day! I never want to get another call like this again for as long as I live. And I hope that this so-called "Rephen Law Firm" is put of business once and for all so that they don't continue to prey on ordinary innocent people!

It is of your best interest to call prior to the end of the business day

My attorney showed the judge all the complaints that they had but I still had to pay. They are scum!

You are probably right! They totaaly screwed me though.

I have received so many phone calls from this poor excuse of a so called collection REPHEN LAW FIRM. It all started the day before christmas 2009. They said I owed $325.25 cents because I bounced a check back in 2007 in the amount of $89.00 for a pair of boots I bought on line which was automatically taken out of my checking account. Then they all of a sudden I was hit with fees that I could not even understand what the hell they were talking about. I contacted my attorney that stated it was a bogus agency. That you have to check out how many complaints they have on line. He said change your phone number. Over $325.25 it is not worth it to them to bring you to court. I took the advise from my attorney of which I have had for 10 years. He is considered one of the best in my state of Texas. In the end of February the sheriff showed up at my door step and told me that I was being served. I had NEVER been served with anything before. My 8 year old daughter was standing at the door with me when this happened. I opened the letter and it said I was to show up in court on March 10, 2011 to answer to the complaint. I immediately called my attorney and told him what had happened. He said he will go to court with me and NOT to worry about it. Well I did a couple of days
ago. My attorney told the judge about all the complaints about them and that Rephen Law Firm had shown NO SIGNIFICANT PROOF on the debt. We were both shocked when the judge ordered me to pay the $325.25 plus court fees in the amount of $496.00 which was a grand total of $821.25 plus I had to pay my attorney $295.00 an hour to represent me. We saw the judge for 20 minutes but my attorney sat with me outside the court room for an hour and a half. My total for the $89.00 bounced check over the internet wound up costing me $1,266.25. The sad part of it was that I always had outsanding credit. When I purchased the boots my wife did not tell me that she debited the amount to go shopping that I had in there. These people are no joke. I also do not use that attorney anymore.

i owes $24.65 to your store downtown dallas tx ,i move to miami fl. YOU KEPT SENDING CHECK /RECOVERY IT $35.00 EACH TIME /$25.00 FOR RECOVERY NOT BUT ME $35.00 AGAIN I HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY . ARCHIE JACKSON 786-422-2224 PLEASE CALL BANK OF AMERICA CHECK #127

They just called me with the same situatuin. Luckily I have friends in the Local DA's office so I called them and they are now handling it for me. Just call the authorities and they will disappear.

Me thinks you work for Check Redi also!!!!!!!  You Bozos of bill collectors are so stupid, you tell on yourself!!!!

How come your high pitched???? Something up your BUTT!!!!!

You're another shyster working for the crooks. How else would you get the ladys phone number!!!!

Hell, you probably work for the crooks!!!!!

They keep calling me saying they are going to take legal action against me. It is harrassing to me and they are threatening to take my paychecks even my home now for a debt of a bad check to CVS last year for $70.00 which now they claim is $378.00....Do Not Pay Them!!!!! Scammers!

These are debt collectors.  They purchased old debts and try to collect on them any way they can.  They play the numbers game hoping that 1 out of 5 people will give them a credit card number over the phone to charge these "debts".  They are not a law firm and are misrepresenting themselves as such.  Ask them what the bar number of the attorney handling the case is, more then likely they will go in circles and not have a number for you.  Also tell them to stop calling and send you written notice of this so called "debt", and then hang up on them.

You got punked!!!!!

This place has started calling my Number. And i tryed calling them back and yes i blocked my number. and yes they wounlt anwser. I have not written are even had checks on my bank acct in yrs.    WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?

I RECENTLY HAD A BOUNC CK THAT WAS FRM 2008..I AM RESPONSIBL & DONT LOOK FOR WAYS TO GET OUT OF PAYN MY DEBTS..I UNDERSTAND THE CK WAS WAY HIGHER THAN I WROTE IT FOR ..BUT AGAIN RESPONSIBLITY SAYS IF CVS HAD TO GET AN ATTY - THERES NO WAY I SHOULDNT BE HELD LIABLE FOR THAT...SO I SAY GROW UP.. I PD $185 FR A $25 CK
IT WAS A  BLESSN IT DIDNT GO ANY FURTHR THAN THAT!! I SPOKE TO A WENDY MORE ..SHE WAS PLEASANT..EXTREMLY CALM, AND VERY LAID BACK....ITS OVER ...I KEEP READING ABOUT THIS LAW FIRM IS A SCAM...WHATS SCAM ABOUT IT..SHE TOLD ME THE CHECK# & WHERE I WROTE IT TO & GAVE ME MY OWN BANK ACCOUNT #...& MORE THAN ANYTHING ..I KNEW ALREADY I OWED THE CHECK...SO MY BAD..THANKS FOR LETTING ME PAY IT!! SORRY I DONT HAVE A COMPLAINT ON THIS LAW FIRM...IN THE WORDS OF MS MORE -SHE SAID IT IS WHAT IT IS..THATS WHEN I SAID ..LET ME STOP PLAYN GAMES & PAY THIS!

Just wanted to add that if you do *67 to block your number when calling them back they won't answer and you get the answering service of Mr. Fontana.  I will be turning this over to the authorities and informing checkredi, which is the company they say referred them.

I've been receiving voice mail at my place of employment from the 845-678-1271.  I accidentally answered it today and got a gentleman who told me I owed $2646 in bounced checks from various places and that he was just giving me a courtesy call to let me know that the lawyer Mr. Bradley was handling my account.  I started asking for details as I havent had a checking account in more than 5 years.  He said it was for checks written by myself and my husband over 2 to 3 years ago.  I told him to email or mail a copy of the details.  He got irate and told me that since i wasn't going to cooperate, he was refering me to the attorney for legal action for fraudulant checks.  Funny that I know, for a fact, I have no checks out.  Funny he wouldn't give me any details.  When I call back, no one will speak with me without giving payment arrangements.  The only information they will give me is the lawfirm name of Rephen Lawfirm, case number, lawyer handling the case of Mr. Bradley and the telephone number.

I already took care of it Eric! Thank you!

So when are you going to take care of that check you bounced to Super Fresh Nanlisa?

HiPitch Eric: I do not appreciate being called a moron! I didn't know a thing about this law firm, as well as the area, and that is why I researched it.

And secondly, how do you know what my cellphone ringtone is? I do not give out my cellphone number to strangers. And besides, I happen to like that "golden oldie" ringtone. That music was part of my childhood, it's good music and I just happen to like it. I don't tell you what ringtone to put on your cellphone: so don't tell me which one to put on mine!

Thank you.

You are a moron Nanlisa. Do you reaslly think that everyone who has a New York City accent lives and works in Brooklyn? And by the way that "golden oldie" ringtone you have sucks.

Beware of receiving any calls from this Rephen Law firm in New City, Rockland County, NY. They might be violating the debt collection laws. The phone number is 845-678-1271

Yesterday (Tuesday, September 15), while I was busy taking a bath getting ready to go out for the day, a gentleman by the name of John Fontana, and the above phone number, left a message on my voice mail about an "urgent legal matter."

I called him back and it was about overdraft charges on a check that I wrote out back in December of last year (2008) for $17.29 for some purchases that I made at a local supermarket. He was going to turn this matter over to the State Police, but charge me $1800 in legal fees! This call made me very upset and angry. Yes, I do owe the money, but to threaten to call the State Police destroys, if not damages, my reputation as a law-abiding American citizen!

I spent the rest of the day trying to get some information on this firm. I couldn't understand the name of this particular "law firm". I called both the local Public Defender's and Legal Aid offices in my area to see how I could handle this.

Since the area code was 845, I had assumed that the office was in Brooklyn; because after all, this Mr. Fontana had a heavy New York City accent. But then I found out that I was not in Brooklyn; it was in Rockland County; located just to the north of New York City.

I now realized that I am not alone. Other people have received calls from this so-called "law firm", and there have been numerous complaints about this place.

I did speak with my bank about these charges, and it is out of their hands. If a check made out to a merchant bounces, then the merchant charges a returned check fee; in addition to any overdraft charges by the bank.

They said to contact the collection agency that it was sent to, a place down in Mississippi, and I'm going to do it. I'm going to find out how much I owe them, and then to set up a payment arrangement with them. However, I can't send them anything until early October, when I get my next Social Security Disability direct deposit. But this Rephen Law Firm won't get one thin dime from me!

By law, debt collectors cannot threaten to have you arrested. If any legal action is taken, they would have to file the necessary papers with the court, and then schedule a hearing where I would have to appear in court, and then the judge would have to decide the case. Also, in case of bad checks, the local police department would handle that.



I am also going to report them to the New York State Attorney General's office (Andrew Cuomo, Mario's son; is now the Attorney General for the State of New York), the New York State Bar Association, the Rockland County Office Consumer Protection,the Federal Trade Commission, Thomas Zugibe, the Attorney General for Rockland County; Tom Corbett, the Attorney General for Pennsylvania (where I live), the PA Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection; and perhaps, the three major television station in New York City; Channels 2, 4, and 7.

Don't give this Rephen Law Firm a dime! Report them as soon as you can! Thank you.

A debt collector claiming to be ?Erica Shaw or Erica Shah,? a ?legal processor? from a ?law firm? called ?Rephen Law Firm? (which she purposely pronounced ?Restin? to avoid identification online) has attempted to collect a debt she claims is $220 for a bounced check with the original amount of $70. Their phone number is 845-678-1296.

1)    She refused to give information about the alleged ?law firm.?
2)    She refused to give information about the original debt.
3)    She claimed the additional funds from the original debt amount were for their ?processing fees? and interest.
4)    She threatened to take me to court, sue me and take legal action against me if I did not pay the debt and their ?fees? in full with an unreasonable time limit.
5)    She refused to send the debt information in writing or on the law firm?s letterhead.
6)    She became irate, accused me of doing illegal activity, and became verbally abusive on the phone when I questioned the fees and requested the information in writing.
7)    She attempted to justify the fees under the ?Uniform Commercial Code? and refused to tell me what part of it she was citing or how my state, FL, had adopted it.
8)    She became irate and refused to tell me the address where I could send them a letter requesting no contact.
9)    She said their only method of payment was Western Union and at first refused a payment plan I proposed. She eventually said yes to a payment plan but refused to offer any means by which to document the original debt or document my payments with receipts.

It is obvious from the overwhelming number of online complaints made to debt/credit complaint forums (e.g., ripoffreport.com, pissedconsumer.com, etc.) that they are an illegitimate operation.

It also appears if they have set up a phony website to garner information from consumers threatened by them in order to appear legitimate: http://mharveyrephenlaw.com/.

I have reported them to the Federal Trade Commission and urge other consumers to do the same here: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en

DO NOT GIVE THEM A DIME.
TELL THEM TO STOP HARASSING YOU.
REPORT THEM TO THE FTC.

I recieved a voice mail from "mr. Fontana" and when i called back the number he gave me #845 678 1271 and he told me I had written a bad check at CVS Pharmacy and this was a serious legal matter and to look up this website "bad check by state" and luckily this popped up and I didnt get scammed.

what is not true?  i received a voicemail from a man named John Fontana stating to call him regarding a "Legal matter" and left his number.  i dont want to be scammed as any money they take from me is food off my table.

THAT IS NOT TRUE.

I got a phone call on monday 1/19/09 saying to call this number back #8456781271 by the name of Mr. Fontana. When I called him back, he answered "Law Office." He called himself Mr. Fontana, said I wrote 3 checks to CVS Pharmacy, and they all bounced. I worked in the pharmacy at the time, and I hardly wrote checks there. He gave me the check #'s and the dates I wrote them. And they totalled up to $488.57. I don't have any prescriptions and I know I don't spend that much money on toilet paper. he gaveme a case # and told me I could contact an attorney and it would cost me between $2000-4000 and I would be better just paying the amount. He said I can do my research by looking online at badchecklawbystate and look at my options. He told me I had 48 hours to figure out what I am going to do, and to call him back. If I didn't, I would be thrown in jail. Me being a young female, I'm not willing to be thrown in jail. So I told him I was going to pay it. My friend told me I needed to really research it. So I called him back, and asked him for his first name. He said his name was John Fontana and he worked for a place called Rephen Law Firm. I looked Rephen Law Firm up on the internet, and the first thing that pops up is how this girl was scammed by a Rephen Law Firm. This guy needs to be stopped!!!! And I'm not paying him any money. So I have until the end of the day to tell him what I'm going to do. The girl who posted about this Rephen Law Firm was told to send a money order to the Law Firm, and she did. and Now she's out that money. There are many of other posts about this company as well.

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