Threats About False Debts

It is becoming more public that people all around the country have and still are experiencing harassing phone calls from debt collectors over debts they do not owe. Threats of lawsuits and even jail time have topped the list of abusive tactics some collectors are using to convince consumers to pay up on these alleged debts. What happens next?

Sign Of A Scam

While some of these falsely accused consumers are experiencing these collection calls due to inaccurate information on the part of the collector, many are the result of an increasing scam. Some companies are enlisting the help of pushy salesman that bring out the big threats when trying to convince an unsuspecting consumer to pay an alleged debt. Here is the red flag: these collectors refuse or cannot provide written verification of the debt in question. Therefore, any consumer that questions the legitimacy of a debt or even wants to resolve a legitimate debt the safe way should always request the debt be verified in writing and confirmed with the original lender if applicable. Never pay a third party collector if you feel the debt is inaccurate, you cannot get written verification of the debt, or can contact the original lender directly.

Know Your Rights

Whether you are victim of a falsely accused debt obligation or have legitimate debts of your own it is important to always keep in mind your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.  Here is a list of what collectors are not allowed to do:

• call you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
• contact you at work if you’ve told them verbally or in writing that your employer doesn’t allow you to get such calls in the workplace
• harass or abuse you or anyone else they contact about you
• lie about the amount you owe
• use deceptive methods to collect a debt from you. For example, they may not:
  • falsely claim to be law enforcement officers
  • claim that you’ll be arrested if you don’t pay your debt
  • threaten to seize, garnish, attach, or sell your property or your wages — unless they are permitted by law to do it and intend to do so
  • give false credit information about you to anyone, including a credit reporting company
  • use a fake company name

If you have experienced any of these actions do not give them any personal or financial information, and report the debt collection agency to the Federal Trade Commission.

Read a personal account of false debt collections at: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/debt-collectors-harass-debt-free-120000528.html