Collection Harassment from Debt Collector or Creditor

Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, debt collection harassment is when a professional debt collector acts in a manner that is harassing, oppressive or abusive in connection with the collection of a debt. Here are some examples of debt collection harassment:

Debt collector threatens to hurt you if you don’t pay your bills.
Debt collector comes to your house and damages your personal property.
Debt collector starts swearing/using obscene language over the phone.
Debt collector threatens to send you to jail if you don’t pay your bills.
Debt collector keeps calling you on the phone, harassing you to pay the bill.
Note: if the debt collector calls and doesn’t get you and calls back in an attempt to reach you, this scenario does not constitute debt collection harassment.

If a debt collector violates your consumer rights in the above manner, you have the right to make a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and they will investigate the collection company and their debt collection practices.

Creditor harassment is when a bank or other business acts in a manner that is harassing, oppressive or abusive in connection with the collection of a debt. Because they are directly trying to collect the debt, creditor harassment does not fall under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. However, there are other consumer credit laws that protect you.

If a creditor violates your consumer rights, you have the right to make a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and they will investigate the incident and refer it to the appropriate regulatory agency.

Debt collection and creditor harassment is only a symptom of a larger problem – stopping it helps, but does not get to the root of the problem. You should get help for your debt problems. Creditors will stop collection calls if you pay your bills on time. You don’t have to deal with your creditors alone. CreditGUARD of America is a non-profit credit counseling agency able to suggest a variety of credit solutions for people with bad credit problems.

Contact us online or call CreditGUARD of America at 1-800-500-6489 to find out how credit counseling can help you stop collection calls and help you fix your credit problems. Certified credit counselors are available Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight; Friday 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. For online service, 24/7, use the Credit Card Debt Analyzer to calculate your estimated interest and payment savings available, through our debt management program.

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Collection Harassment

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