Harassment by debt collectors has been a burning issue since a long time. People were literally hounded by debt collectors to collect their dues. They did not even hesitate in opting unfair and illegal means to get the money back. However, with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, things have been brought under control and debt harassment cases have reduced from what it used to be before. In case there are still harassments, you are free to contact a fair debt collection attorney, who should be able to help you deal these debt collectors tactfully.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act specifies very clearly the limits to which a debt collector can go to collect his dues. Crossing those limits might bring troubles for the debt collector. If you contact a fair debt collection attorney and if he is able to prove in court that the debt collector is using unfair and illegal means to collect money, he might be charged. The defaulter might get a good compensation for the harassment if the charges against the debt collector are proved in an efficient way by the fair debt collection attorney. Fair debt collection laws are controlled and regulated by the State and Federal Laws in the country.
Here is a comprehensive list of the Fair Debt Collection Practices, which if not followed might lead to problems for the debt collector.
A debt collector cannot contact you at odd places and odd hours.
He cannot contact you at your work place if you have informed him with prior notice that your employer does not support such contacts in the office premises in the office hours.
He cannot contact you before 8 am and after 9 pm.
If the debt collector knows that you have appointed an attorney, he cannot contact you directly. He has to contact the attorney in such cases.
The debt collector cannot take to offensive and illegal means to collect money from the defaulter.
He cannot threat you with violence or harm you physically.
He cannot irritate or annoy you over the phone or harass you with unwanted calls.
If the debt collector does any of the things mentioned above, you can immediately contact a fair debt collection attorney, who can help you get rid of debt collectors. If
fair debt collection practices are followed by each debt collector, then these problems would not be there at all. However, if the levels of harassments cross their limits, the debt collector can be punished by law. He might be fined and in severe cases be put behind bars.
Be careful when you are hiring a
fair debt collection attorney. Check his credibility and see his records in such debt harassment cases. Also see if he knows the relevant details of the fair debt collection practices. His power of communication and his ability to prove his point are also important things to keep in mind. A good fair debt collection attorney might solve the difficult case for you easily.
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