More often than not, harassment pertaining to debt collection comes from third-party collectors. They are not the original providers of credit – instead, they purchase outstanding debts from original creditors with the aim of collecting what’s overdue.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) places limitations on the actions that third-party collectors can take when collecting unpaid debts. The FDCPA safeguards the interest of borrowers in different ways, and here are guidelines that debt collectors need to follow.

• A debt collector can contact you only from 8 am to 9 pm (local time).
• A debt collector cannot try to collect on an expired debt (in California, this is four years from the date of default).
• A debt collector cannot contact you at work when asked not to.
• A debt collector cannot reveal any of your debt-related information to your friends, family members, acquaintances, or anyone else you might know.
• A debt collector cannot threaten you, harm you, use abusive language, or harass you in any way.
• A debt collector cannot lie about your debt.

• They need to identify themselves clearly, even when leaving messages.
• They need to provide information about the original creditor.
• They need to inform debtors that they have the right to dispute the debts in question.
• Upon request, debt collectors need to validate your debts.

If you feel that a debt collector or a debt collection agency is violating any rule of the FDCPA, you have the right to seek legal recourse, and even to sue the collector/collection agency. In any such scenario, you can trust our highly experienced attorneys to guide you in the right direction.