Public shame has long been a means of corcercion to control behavior. While often used by European royalty, its process and affect were brought to America by our forefathers. People were locked up  in public commons for all passersby to see, scorn or laugh at. No one wanted to be there and the embarrassment undoubtedly had long-lasting impact on the perpetrators behavior as well as the population at large that did not want the same treatment.

Global recession has increased debtor delinquencies requiring inovative ways of collecting past due accounts. Spain has brought debt collection a new level class as reported in the Christian Science Monitor.

Manfred Gunther of the Spanish collection firm El Cobrador del Frac

(roughly, ‘the debt collector in top hat and tails’) pays a visit to a debtor.

"Last year, for example, the agency had a case of a couple who did not pay the €60,000 ($83,000) bill for their fancy wedding. "The wedding company contacted us, we got a guest list and started phoning up the guests one by one...," recalls Pablo, "asking them if they had had the lobster or the chicken – and then asking them where to send the bill." Eventually, the embarrassed bride and groom decided to pay up."

Anti-harrassment laws in the United States discourage this business model but it is certainly a creative way to collect on past due  billings.