And you thought your bill collector was bad. In recent news it has been revealed that a gangland boss in Ireland has taken on a new career - debt collection. This criminal mastermind has been associated with twelve deaths; a threat even more serious than a collections letter.

Commonly, legit creditors who aren't thugs will employ third party collection companies to retrieve debts. Bill collectors work on commission, where they receive a share of the profit from the amount of money that they collect. Generally collection agencies will buy debt from the creditors in order to collect the entire sum of money owed.

It appears that the Irish hoodlums have borrowed inspiration from this practice, but the likenesses end there. The head of the notorious gang has made his own collection agency, buying debt and using his reputation to bully his way into gathering the money owed. The unfortunate debtors are drug users who are unable to repay dealers.

Lawful collection agencies will generally start with a gentle "reminder letter." If the debtor is hostile or evasive, the letters will become sterner. Phone calls are used as well to remind those who owe money to pay up. If these tactics fail, the agency has the right to report a debt to credit bureaus, or file a lawsuit.

Conversely, the Irish gangland "collection company" will use its authority as a group of cold-blooded murderers and criminals to bully debtors into paying back drug money. Fortunately, the head of this operation has been arrested, and the Justice Minister of Ireland has sworn to do everything in his power to ensure that the accused will be brought to justice.

So next time you get a letter from a collections agency, try to keep things in perspective. And if you are ever in Ireland, it is probably not smart to take out a loan with a notorious gang.