Filing a complaint locks the collection agency’s actions into a federal database, giving you powerful leverage if you ever need to take them to court. The CFPB requires collection agencies to respond to your complaint within 15 days, forcing a compliance manager to actually look at your file. Complaints to the CFPB, FTC, and state … Read more
You can sue a debt collector for violating federal law (the FDCPA), and it often costs you nothing out of pocket because the law forces the collector to pay your attorney fees if you win. You can recover up to $1,000 in statutory damages per lawsuit, plus actual damages (like lost wages or therapy costs) … Read more
Not all debt collector mistakes are accidental. Threats of arrest, disclosing your debt to an employer, and ignoring a cease and desist letter are deliberate tactics designed to leverage fear and social pressure. Failing to provide a written validation notice or demanding an inflated balance often stems from how debt is bought and sold in … Read more
Federal law prohibits debt collectors from calling you before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. in your local time zone. A call placed outside of these hours is not a minor oversight. It is a documentable violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Missed calls and voicemails left during restricted hours still count as … Read more
Debt collectors are legally allowed to call you on Sundays, Saturdays, and public holidays. While a single weekend call is legal, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau notes that a pattern of concentrating calls on Sundays can be used as evidence of illegal harassment. Collection agencies staff weekend shifts specifically because they know consumers are more … Read more
Debt collectors are legally allowed to contact your family members exactly one time, and strictly for the purpose of acquiring your location or contact information. They are strictly prohibited from identifying themselves as debt collectors or mentioning that you owe a debt to anyone other than you or your spouse. While the legal justification is … Read more