Debt collection harassment can take various forms, including embarrassing visits by debt collection agents. Debt collection is a legitimate activity to recover overdue money and loans. However, when collection practices start to cause trauma and stress, they take the form of harassment. These also include the following practices by debt collectors:
- Repeated phone calls; disregard for timing.
- Not identifying themselves when making phone calls.
- Use of obscene or profane language.
- Issuing threats to the person answering the phone.
- Giving out information of the debt to the person answering the phone without checking whether it is the customer or a friend or a relative.
- Making your debt a publicly-known fact.
- Using pressure tactics, including urging customers to sell off assets, etc. to pay off loans.
- Intimidating customers or threatening legal action whether or not applicable.
What you can do about it
There are laws that protect consumers from debt-related harassment. These laws outline that the actions listed above constitute harassment and are therefore illegal.
As a consumer dealing with debt harassment, there are a number of things you can do to stop it:
- Write to the collector/collection agency to stop contacting you. This is done in writing, through a letter. Remember to retain a copy for yourself.
- Confirm whether you indeed owe the debt; if you don’t, you can let them know they are on the wrong track.
- Register yourself on the National Do-Not-Call registry. Entities are bound by law to honor this list.
- Understand your legal rights; sue the collection agency for monetary compensation if needed.
Why do I need a debt collection harassment attorney ?
If, despite your attempts at stopping the harassment, you realize it just refuses to reduce, you should understand that debt collectors, including agencies or the entities you owe the debt to directly, do not take your communication seriously. Even if you provide instructions in writing, there is no guarantee they will stop causing harassment.
You may find that after you register yourself on the Do-Not-Call registry, they do not honor your wish and actually continue to call you. Debt collectors also may not really bother to verify whether they are contacting the right person for a particular debt or not. All of this, and other similar factors can combine to derail your efforts when it comes to creating a case of debt collection harassment. This is where an attorney can actually help you put a stop to it.
An attorney can also help you decode laws better, thus ensuring a stop is put to the debt collection harassment while also helping you gain monetary compensation if warranted.
Here are some of the things an attorney can help you with, in case of debt collection harassment :
- Identifying harassment within the behavior you are facing.
- Helping you with solutions on dealing with it.
- Explaining the legal aspects and legal recourses available to you, given your case.
- Guiding you over how to respond appropriately to it.
- Helping you with the documentation to put together a strong case with proof of harassment, maintaining records of conversations, etc.
About Us
Legal Rights Advocates, PLLC is a law firm that focuses on helping clients who are facing harassment from debt collectors in any form, including telephone communication. Our team of debt collection harassment attorneys , over the years, has helped countless clients get protections from debt collection practices that are deemed as unlawful and illegal under the FDCPA and TCPA laws.
If you are interested in learning more about how to safeguard yourself better from debt harassment, call us at (855) 254-7841 for immediate assistance.