As much of the collected data recently shows, this tough economy
has brought upon a dramatic increase in collection calls and
complaints of harassment. Be prepared for them so you can act
if they violate your rights. 4 words of advice: listen,
look, log and save.
LISTEN: Listen to the calls or messages. Find
out who is calling you and for what debt. Don’t run from the
calls – answer them. Did the caller identify him or herself, the
company they are calling from and the original creditor?
Under the
Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the debt collector is
required to identify themselves and the purposes of the call.
LOOK: Did you receive any bill or letter in the
mail? 5 days after the initial call, the collector is
required to send the consumer written notice with the amount
of debt, name of the original creditor, and that the consumer has
30 days to dispute the validity of the debt. Check your
mail and see if you received this document. If you did, be
sure to save it. If you dispute the debt, send written notice by
certified mail within 30 days. Check our website for a
LOG: Keep a call log of the collection calls. Have a
paper and pencil by the phone. Each time you get a call, take
notes of the content of the call, the time of the call, who you
spoke with and the phone number. Check the caller ID and also
get a call back number from the caller. Note if they are
different numbers. The more info you can provide, the
better. One way to capture proof of the call is to take
pictures of the caller identification.
SAVE: Save your call notes. Save all communication
from the collection agency, including voicemail messages and
letters. If you are unsure, save it.
By listening, looking, keeping a call log and save your
documents, you will be able to have all the information necessary
for a free case review. If your rights were violated, you are
ready to go!
Are they collectors calling often, threatening you or discussing
your debt with family or neighbors?
Find out what is legal. Check out our website, call one
of our attorneys or complete a form for a free case review.