FYI - I got a judgment against me mailed to me regular mail. I have seen it before (used it myself when I worked for a paralegal) where all they have to do is put some form in with the stuff they're mailing to you that says, "I so n so certify that I put this in this evelope....." I thought it was a strange thing for my former boss to do but that's how the paperwork came from the COURT.
Maybe it would help if your sister contacted the judgment creditor (the people who got the judgment against her and/or their agents who are calling her POE), stated the judgment has just appeared on her credit, and asking how to obtain documentation on what this is all about. She could follow up with a letter that confirms that she has no idea what the judgment is about and was never even served. It sounds like she has a great relationship with her employer -- maybe she could ask the employer to politely transfer any calls from this company right to her (and she can begin to keep a log of calls coming in, what happens, etc.). Most states allow for interest to accrue at a statutory rate once a judgment is entered -- so the longer she waits, potentially the higher the amount she will have to pay to resolve. What they seem to be doing is performing what the FDCPA calls "locational activities." If they have found your sister's POE and if they are not able to get the judgment paid off by garnishing (attaching a portion of) her wages, they in all likelihood will continue to look for ways to get the judgment paid. Maybe it would be less anxiety-provoking for her to call and try to learn if she did have an unpaid bill that resulted in a judgment and if so to work out a payment arrangement she is comfortable with -- or see if she can get the judgment creditor to take a settlement for less than the judgment amount to settle it? Note that in most instances the credit reporting agencies pick up judgments and place them on an individual's credit report by reviewing court records -- in other words, they are not usually "credit reported" by a creditor or collection agency. Who knows but maybe the collection agency who is conducting locational services is friendly and reasonable -- many are -- and will work with your sister. The FDCPA requires that they act in a respectful way toward individuals. If they do not - then there would be other issues to consider.
