Did you know that your next email or text message might be from a debt collector? Although debt collectors were not allowed to contact you through electronic based methods in the past, the rules have recently changed. That also means that they can contact you through social media messaging. Debt collectors and collections agencies are infamous for bombarding consumers with endless phone calls and enough pieces of mail to cause an avalanche. As if that isn’t bad enough, debt collectors will not be contacting you day and night on your computer, tablet, and smartphone.
Consumer groups are not happy with this new rule, and neither should you be if you have debt with past due balances. It’s going to feel as if debt collectors are invading your life even more than they were able to in the past. Life is stressful enough, especially during these difficult times that we are all living through. Allowing debt collectors to contact you through social media, email, and text messages is like pouring salt on the wound. It’s just like adding insult to injury. We feel your pain, and sympathize with your current situation.
Debt collectors don’t typically care about the circumstances that caused you to owe them the debt in the first place. Debt collectors are not usually sympathetic to the fact that the reason you owe them money is because you lost your job during the Covid pandemic. In essence, most of them could care less that you need to keep food on table and a roof over your head in these trying times instead of paying for past due credit card debt. A great deal of average, hard working Americans are out of work and looking for jobs, which are incredibly hard to come by these days.
We understand your plight. However, a large amount of debt collectors could care less. They have a job to do themselves, which is to collect as much money from you as possible until you pay off the debt entirely. Even if you owed the debt prior to the Covid crisis it is completely understandable that you got yourself into a difficult financial situation. Times can be difficult for some people even when the economy is in decent shape. This is due to a wide range of reasons. For example, what if you are sick and simply cannot work, or are taking care of a sick loved one and cannot work?
It’s certainly understandable that you may miss a few payments from time to time. It’s also understandable that those few times you missed payments can start to pile up until the point that you are receiving what feels like endless calls and letters from debt collectors. Now you will be receiving what feels like endless social media messages, emails, and text messages from debt collectors. Where does it end? That is an incredibly important question. You can make it end if you’re aware of your consumer rights. You see, debt collectors are supposed to follow a strict set of rules when contacting people to attempt to collect a debt.
They do have a right to contact you, but if they break those rules they are taking part in debt harassment. You need to know that debt harassment is illegal and you shouldn’t let them get away with it. So what exactly is debt harassment? If a debt collector contacts you and insults you for having a past due debt, that is considered to be debt harassment. In essence, debt collectors must treat you properly when communicating with you. They are not allowed to lie to you in order to scare you into paying the debt. Here are a few examples of lies that debt collectors tell people.
- We will have you fired from your job
- We will keep your paychecks
- We will let everyone know you are a deadbeat
- We will have you arrested
Even if a debt collector sounds convincing with any of these lies, they are still nothing but lies. Debt collectors do not have the ability or means to have you fired from your job or keep your paychecks until you pay off your debt. Debt collectors are not allowed to provide any information about your debt to anyone beside yourself. Last but certainly not least, debt collectors do not have the authority to either arrest you themselves, or have you arrested.
Please contact your Legal Rights Advocates without delay if a debt collector or multiple debt collectors have been telling you these lies.
(855) 254-7841
