CAN COLLECTION AGENCIES DO WHATEVER THEY WANT?

There was a time not that long ago when creditors had nearly free reign to collect debts. Today, thanks to the The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act(FDCPA), that is thankfully no longer true. The FDCPA places a range of restrictions on debt collections agencies. Those agencies are banking on the fact that you don’t know the law or that you won’t speak with someone who does.

With that in mind, let’s arm you with some information they don’t want you to know. For instance, collectors must do the following:

• Every time they contact you, they must identify themselves and give you the original creditor's name and address.
• They must let you know that you have a right to contest the debt.
• They must be able to offer proof that the debt exists.

There are a lot of things the FDCPA forbids collectors from doing:

• They can't call you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
• They can't call you so incessantly so as to harass you.
• If you tell them to stop contacting you, they can't continue to do so, especially if you are represented by a lawyer.
• They cannot threaten legal action that they don't have the authority to act upon.
• They are forbidden from using profane or abusive language with you.

This is just a broad overview of the restrictions the FDCPA places on collection agencies. If you feel a creditor has violated one of these or you want to make the calls stop, you may want to consider speaking with an attorney.