What You Can Do About Debt Collection Harassment


When debt is long past due, a lender may pass on the collection of debts to a debt collection agency. In many cases, consumers find themselves dealing with harassment and unfair practices from abusive debt collection agencies. But even if you are in debt, you still deserve fair treatment and respect. As a borrower, you should not put up with debt collectors who deliberately violate the terms stated in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
If your debt collector is guilty of any of the following acts of FDCPA violation, don’t hesitate to report or file a complaint to you Local State Attorney’s Office and the FTC (Federal Trade Commission).

You should not be contacted before 8am or after 9pm. There is a rule as to the appropriate time to call a borrower to collect debts. Under the FDCPA, a debt collector must not call a borrower during inconvenient hours unless the borrower requested for a call back.
You should not be contacted in your work place. A debt collector must not attempt to collect debts from the borrower’s place of work especially after being advised not to.
Debt collectors should not use abusive languages or threats. It is important to remember that debt collectors should never resort to abusive treatment regardless of how big or small the amount of debt is.
Contacting you through postcard is not allowed. Collecting debts using means that are designed to humiliate the borrower is a major violation. The details of a person’s debts are supposed to be a private matter and one that must not be exposed in public.
Debtors should not try to contact any third party about your debts. Debt collectors must contact the borrower or the person in-debt to discuss the collection. If the person is not available to talk to, the collector must not disclose any detail about the debt to a friend, relative or a third party.
Debt collectors must not use false statements. Do not fall for debt collectors who may try to blackmail you using threatening statements. If a collector informs you that a case has been filed, verify if this information is true. In case you find that a collector is using lies to force you to pay, you should report it as a violation of your consumer rights.
Debt collectors should not disguise themselves as someone else. A debt collection agency must disclose their identity before making any debt collection attempts. The agency must never use government agencies or credit bureaus to inflict fear to a consumer.

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