Has the recent Covid pandemic negatively affected your financial situation? If so, debt collectors should understand that you may not be able to pay the debt that you owe them. However, most debt collectors could care less that you can’t pay your bill because you may be out of work. The vast majority of debt collectors simply don’t care if your hours at work have been cut down to the point that you’re now worrying about paying for basic necessities. Some debt collectors don’t care of you’re sick with Covid and can’t make any money right now.
All they care about is collecting on the debt that you owe. This is due to the fact that debt collectors only get paid if they collect debt. That means some debt collectors will resort to treating people like absolute garbage in order to attempt to collect a debt from them. However, there are federal laws in place that protect consumers from being mentally abused by debt collectors. If a debt collector breaks these rules they are taking part in something called debt harassment, and they can get in big trouble for committing debt harassment.
If you are a victim of debt harassment you have the right to make it stop immediately. You may even be compensated in the form of damages if you sue the debt collector in a court of law. That being stated, it is highly advised that you consult with an attorney who specializes in debt harassment before filing a case against a debt collector. So how do you know if you are suffering from debt harassment? First and foremost, if a debt collector contacts you and makes threats of any kind, then you are a victim of debt harassment.
Although debt collectors are supposed to treat you with the respect that you deserve, some will go against this principal and verbally attack you. It may be hard to believe that a debt collector will threaten to have you arrested if you don’t pay off the balance that you owe them, but those type of threats happen on a daily basis. The good news is that debt collectors simply do not have the authority to have you arrested. If they make that threat, they’re actually breaking the law. So why do some debt collectors do this? The answer is simple.
They are trying to scare you into paying. Think about it. If you receive a call from a debt collector and he or she informs you that you will be arrested if you fail to pay the debt it can be intimidating to say the least. They will probably use words that sound official and make the debt collector sound like an authority. Do not fall for it! Once again, a debt collector, even debt collectors that are also lawyers, cannot have you arrested for owing a debt. So what can do you if you are the victim of this threat? The good news is that there are debt harassment laws in place that are set up to protect consumers from debt collectors that resort to underhanded tactics.
So if you receive a phone call, piece of mail, email, or any form of communication from a debt collector that threatens to have you arrested the first thing you should do is contact a consumer rights attorney who works with victims of debt harassment. They will be able to guide you through the process to make it stop. In addition to threatening to have you arrested, there are other threats that some debt collectors use to scare you into paying the debt. Although it doesn’t happen often some debt collectors will threaten to cause you physical harm.
Debt collectors are not allowed by federal law to threaten to cause you physical harm. In fact, they can be arrested for doing so, just like any other party that threatens to cause you physical harm. It is truly unbelievable what some debt collectors will resort to in order to attempt to collect a debt from you. It is also widely known that some debt collectors will threaten to contact your inner circle of family, friends, and co-workers in order to inform them that you owe a debt. They do this because they know that most people fear being embarrassed, especially about their money related issues.
Once again, do not fall for this. Under federal law, debt collectors are not allowed to contact anyone other then you about your debt. They can contact your attorney about your debt, but only if you instruct them to do so. If you need help with debt harassment, please contact your Legal Rights Advocates today.