FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT

While debt collectors have some latitude when contacting debtors, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) places restrictions on their conduct. Debt collectors cannot:

• Call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. unless you have given them permission to do so.
• Cause your phone to ring for extended periods of time or make repeated phone calls.
• Contact you at work if you have asked them not to do so or your employer prohibits such calls.
• Threaten to take legal action against you that is not permitted by law.
• Make false statements to collect the debt, misrepresent the amount you owe, falsely claim to be an attorney or use stationery that is designed to look like an official court or government communication.
• Use obscene or profane language.
• Threaten you with arrest if you do not pay the debt.

The FDCPA also provides consumers with other rights. A debt collector must tell you exactly how much you owe to the creditor and provide you with 30 days to contest the debt. You can also ask the debt collector to stop calling you and it must comply, with some exceptions.