6 Things You Need to Know To Stop Collection Calls
Being plagued with debt collection calls is a miserable experience. It’s bad enough when they call you at home in the evenings, or on your mobile phone. Calls at work, calls to family and friends…it can feel like you’ve lost control.
Want to stop these harassing collection calls? Arm yourself with some key facts about debt collectors and your rights as a consumer. Be an educated consumer, and take back control of your phone! These facts about debt collection calls just may surprise you.
* When can collectors call?
Unless you have given them permission to call you at specific times, collection agencies are only legally allowed to call you between 8 am and 9 pm. These are the hours that are “presumed to be convenient” for most people,” according to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
Debt collectors are not allowed to call your during work hours if they know that your employer does not allow that type of contact. Be sure to tell them this the first time they call, and make a note that you did so.
* How many times a day can bill collectors call?
There is no hard and fast rule on this. However, the Federal Trade Commission has ruled that debt collectors may not call you “repeatedly or continuously with intent to annoy, abuse, or harass.” If a debt collector is calling you repeatedly, one call right after another, you are within your legal rights to insist that they stop.
* Can bill collectors call my cell phone?
Yes they can, if you provided a mobile number when you applied for the credit account. To make them stop using this number, you’ll need to send them a “cease and desist” number.
* Are bill collectors allowed to call other people about my debt?
According to the FDCPA, bill collectors may only call a third party to verify information about your whereabouts. It’s important to note that they are not allowed to call third parties “under pretense of gaining information already in [their] possession.”
This means if the bill collector already knows where you are and they have been in touch with you by phone, they are absolutely not allowed to call your friends, neighbors or family. If they do, they are committing a serious legal violation. Report them to your state’s attorney general’s office.
* Bill collectors are calling me at work. Is this legal?
The only time they may call your place of employment to speak to anyone other than you is to verify that you work there. They are absolutely not allowed to discuss your debt, or any other private information!
Be aware they are allowed to contact you directly at work, unless you or your employer has specifically told them that collection calls are not allowed. Make sure you tell them this the very first time they call. If the collection agent continues to call you at work after they’ve been notified, they are breaking the law.
* I have a lawyer who is handling this for me. Why are they still calling me?
If you’ve notified the collection agent that you are being represented by an attorney, he or she is no longer allowed to call you directly.
There’s another important distinction here. The collection agency may be aware you are being represented by an attorney. The agency does not have to provide this information to each debt collection agent. So three different agents might call about three different debts. You’ll need to tell each one to contact your attorney.
Being hounded by debt collectors can be an excruciating experience. Knowing your rights as a consumer will go along way to alleviating the anxiety and the strain. Learn the facts about fair credit collection…the ones the credit agencies hope you never learn!
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