Nothing can ruin your day like a call from a debt collector, whether you were expecting to hear from them or not. Bill collectors are pros. It’s their job to collect money, and the less reputable ones don’t even care whether you owe it or not!
If you’re not careful, you may end up saying or doing something you’ll regret – like paying a debt collector a small amount to “get him off your back” and, by doing so, extending the amount of time he can collect from you. That’s why it is essential to know you rights when dealing with a debt collector. Use our guide to figure out what to next if a debt collector calls.
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Gerri Detweiler Gerri Detweiler is Credit.com's Director of Consumer Education. She focuses on helping people understand their credit and debt, and writes about those issues, as well as financial legislation, budgeting, debt recovery and savings strategies. She is also the co-author of Debt Collection Answers: How to Use Debt Collection Laws to Protect Your Rights, and Reduce Stress: Real-Life Solutions for Solving Your Credit Crisis as well as host of TalkCreditRadio.com.
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The last time one called me with insults and outrageous comments, I was ready and recoding every single words. Told him I was doing so at the end of it and I had no problem pursuing him and his company in court for the way they systematically tried to attack and humiliate me. That company stop cold their calls.
I did pay all I owed directly to my supplier eventually. So do record your calls and tell them after…. be responsible of course, same as they need to so as well.
The infographic is not loading – could you please send it to me by email? THANKS!
My worksite has been flooded with harassment telephone calls from an unknoown debt/credit collector with a heavy Middle Eastern accent.This has been happening the past 2 years and I have contacted various gvt agencies to put a stop to this person but so far zero has happened. I am seeking to hire an attorney to possibly locate or pinpoint where these calls are coming and the person(s) involved. These people use American-type names and telephone numbers but I know these people are the scammers because of their accents.They appear to be calling from overseas OR! if possible,right here in the USA. They have called my worksite,personal references, and other people who know me as well. Please tell me what steps of action to take?. Thanks.
You are right, these people are scammers calling from overseas, specifically India, with spoofed numbers to appear as tho’ they are calling from with the US – thanx to the wonders of the internet.
You, while in the USA, can pursue them legally while they are all the way in India, as much as they, being foreigners hell bent on perpetrating a scam crime on you can pursue you in an American court. Which basically equals zero. That goes for the feds to short of sending a drone and destroying the building they inhabit while abusing Americans.
However, there’s one thing you can do. It’s called a loud sports air horn. Next time they call blast it on the phone. It’s extremely effective, they never call back.
If you have obtained a payday loan at any time expect their call. Best thing is you know it’s a scam and you know what to do to diffuse future calls. If all of us answered these calls with a loud sports air horn blast do you think they will not want to find another profession while they still have one good ear working?
Apparently even the rest of the world knows most of us Americans are so ignorant of our rights (and perhaps gullible too) that when a scammer with an obvious heavy foreign accent calls us and pretends their name is Edward Jones, and they are sending the sheriff or police to pick us up for a crime of not paying an imaginary debt/loan we buy it and cough some money to them. If they don’t think we are so gullible otherwise why is it that we are the most targeted by Nigerian scammers and now we are proving to be quite a popular target of the Indian scammers?
Here’s a few hints, Edward Jones or similar is very much an Anglo/ American name not an Asian name. Generally there are no debtors jails in the US, what is this 1839 or 2012?
For the last few months we have been getting phone calls from a debt collector for our daughter who does not live here. The first call we didn’t know it was a collector and took a message. Then about a week later the calls started again. I asked them to please not call anymore. They ignored me. Then I told them sternly to stop calling that no one by that name lives here. We are getting at least three calls a day from this place everyday of the week. Also, part of the time my caller ID says unavailable with an 800 number, but the company name does not alway shows up on the caller ID. Should we file a complaint with the FTC and the FDCPA?
Cammy — You can certainly file a complaint with the FTC. You can also file a complaint with the CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) online here. As far as your rights go, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is the law that was designed to protect consumers from abusive and harassing collectors. The problem is that the law doesn’t mention family members of the debtor so it’s a bit of a grey area. Some attorneys hold that family members can sue a collector because the FDCPA technically says “any person.”
In your particular case, if the collector refuses to stop calling after you’ve told them repeatedly to stop (and the debt doesn’t even belong to you) one option would be to contact a consumer law attorney to find out if you might have a case. A good place to find an attorney would be the National Association of Consumer Advocates at http://www.NACA.net.