The rapacious debt buyers who file these lawsuits are notorious for using deceptive and fraudulent practices to obtain automatic, or “default,” judgments against thousands of New Yorkers, which they then use to freeze people’s bank accounts or garnish their wages. As we have seen through our hotline, big banks like Capital One have also been going after New Yorkers during the crisis, jeopardizing people’s health and safety as they seize desperately needed funds.