Debt Collector Harassment – How to Protect Yourself

Posted by | Posted in Credit Repair | Posted on 07-10-2010

For millions of people, the recent economic slowdown has caused many to fall behind on their bills as they struggle in trying to maintain their current balances, while avoiding any kind of penalties. The results are that most people will inadvertently fall behind on some of their different bills. Then, when you add in the large amounts of outstanding debts that many people have, their situation can go from bad to worse. To collect what they are owed, many financial institutions will often utilize debt collectors. When speaking with them, it is important to remember, that harassment can be a common occurrence as they assume that most people do not know their rights. To prevent any kind of harassment, it is imperative to understand what tools and tactics you can utilize, to eliminate debt collector problems.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, protects consumers against unfair practices that have been utilized by debt collectors in the past. This would include banning tactics such as: calling before 8 am / after 9 pm (without your permission), telling your friends / relatives that you owe a particular company money, pretending to be from a government agency, making threats to take to legal actions / physical violence against you and contacting you at work about unpaid debts. When a debt collector begins to engage in these kinds of tactics, it is important to maintain your composure and state to the individual that they are violating the law at which point, you can ask to speak with their supervisor and inform them that they will be receiving a letter in writing, asking them to cease such activities.

If the debt collector problems continue, then you can contact a lawyer and go after the company for civil damages. At the same time, you can report their activities to the Attorney General’s Office and the FTC. These tactics will hold those debt collectors who violate the law accountable. At which point, you can begin to eliminate some of the worry about the current financial difficulties (as you do not have the added levels of harassment).

Clearly, debt collector problems can add to your overall amounts of stress. However, by utilizing the above tactics, you can be able to address any kind of possible violations of the law, so that you can eliminate the added levels of worry.

If you feel that you are a victim of debt collector harassment, fill out the free debt help lawyers case review form to see if you have a case.

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