Debt collector to publish debtors on outdoor posters

Toomas Hõbemägi

Estonian debt collection agency CKE Inkasso has adopted a new approach in reclaiming debt by publishing names of debtors on large outdoor posters.

The company’s board member Raul Reinsalu told Postimees that the first 35-square-metre poster will be unveiled on a building wall at a large traffic junction in Tallinn on January 5.

The poster will have the names of ten companies and their executives.

Reinsalu added that the company was going to hang out only the names of these debtors that were arrogant or refused to cooperate.

According to the debt collection agency, Data Protection Inspectorate has informed them that they are not against publishing the names of debtors in public since the information is taken from a public source such as a commercial registry.

Priit Pööbo, another board member of CKE Inkasso, added that the names of debtors to be published will not be chosen by the debt amount, but by their behaviour. “A debtor could owe only a few thousand kroons, but if it is not keeping his promises, he could be included in the list,” he said.

Pööbo added that once the debt has been paid the name of the debtor would be deleted from the list.

Pööbo added that such a poster with the names of debtors could be useful. “For instance, if an employee of the company that is among the debtors sees the name of his employer on this poster, he may start worrying whether he will get his next salary.”

He added that during economic recession there were always many fraudsters who were trying to benefit from difficult times. “Our objective is to get rid of such fraudsters and improve debtors’ payment behaviour and discipline.”