Debt collectors: What to do ?

by Paul Staley
Wednesday, 27 August 2008 23:47

Sometimes, debt collectors really do cross the line of what is permissible conduct with a good deal of regularity. This occurs because a good share of consumers who have found themselves having financial problems and difficulties simply do not know their rights.

One of the best methods that you can utilize to guard against undue harassment by debt collectors is to understand and implement your rights under the law. These include:

Creditors cannot make ongoing debt collection calls at your place of work...provided you tell them not to call you at work.

Debt collectors can only call during certain hours of the day. They cannot call you early in the morning on past nine o'clock at night (in most states).

Debt collectors must identify themselves as debt collectors when they make contact with you. They must inform you that they are making contact with you in order to collect a debt that they maintain is due and owing.

You are entitled to have a written confirmation of any debt provided to you. In other words, at your request, any debt collector or creditor must provide you with a written confirmation -- a statement regarding your debt in writing -- within thirty days of your request.

Don't Provide a Great Deal of Information -- if you want to protect yourself from overreaching by creditors and debt collectors, be very conservative about the information that you actually provide to them.

Be conservative about how and when you provide debt collectors or creditors with information about your current employment. By not releasing this information to a debt collector, you will make it more difficult for a creditor to obtain a garnishment of your wages should a creditor have managed to obtain a judgment from a court against you in regard to a debt.