If you find yourself in financial ruin and are facing numerous attempts of collection by debt agents, remember that federal and state laws regulate debt collection. These laws give you certain rights in dealing with bill collectors.
The most important thing to do to protect your rights is to do all your business with bill collectors and creditors in writing. Keep copies of notes and letters and keep track of all phone calls. Keep everything the collector sends you. Keep them in a safe place with your loan papers.
There are many things that collectors cannot do when collecting a bill. Being aware of what tactics a collector can and cannot use to collect debt will protect you as a consumer. For example, a collector cannot: threaten you or use physical force to collect a bill; use forms that look like court papers or legal papers; threaten to have you arrested if you don’t pay; swear at you or use abusive language; call you collect, or charge telegrams to your phone bill; bother you at work, unless you have given written permission; tell anyone else about your bill, including members of your own family, neighbors or people at work; operate with a false or assumed name; send postcards about your debt, or letters in envelopes that say anything about your debt; bother you at unreasonable times, too early in the morning or too late at night; mislead you about the real situation with your loan, or give you false information about your legal rights.
If a bill collector does any of these things, you should see a lawyer. You may be able to sue the collector for damages. If you sue, and the court finds that the collector knew he was breaking the law, you may be able to get three times the damages the collector caused.
Tags: collectors, consumer protection, creditors, debt, laws
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