A NJ man recently received phone calls from someone claiming to be a debt collector. As it turns out, he paid his loan back months ago but the phony collection calls still tried to scam him out of hundreds of dollars. He’s telling his story to warn others of the threatening calls and collection harassment he is experiencing over a debt he does not owe. Experts say be careful leaving your personal information on any website, and contact the proper authorities if you are the victim of such calls – including an attorney who will fight for your rights.
The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act, or FDCPA, was enacted to protect consumers from overzealous debt collectors whose methods include harassment, threats and coercion. To these businesses a consumer is nothing more than a number representing dollars and cents, part of the profit margin and nothing more.
These debt collectors view their violations of the FDCPA as a business decision instead of a lawful requirement that may must abide by. Their disregard of this law is clearly expressed in the following insider marketing documents that were sent out to various debt collectors offering litigation services.
UNCOVERED! One Illinois lawyer bragging to Debt collectors how they can skirt the FDCPA!
When consumers contact us through 1-800-NOT FAIR or creditlaw.com, the first thing we inquire about is their records. A file can help fight the debt collector to get the collection calls to stop. The file should include:
- All dates and times of all correspondence, including voice mails, pre-recorded messages, live phone calls, and delivery of written materials.
- Names of all collectors you have spoken to or received communication from, with phone numbers and addresses if possible.
- Copies of all correspondence you have received and correspondence you have sent, including envelopes (they include post marks, and return addresses). Collectors have five days to send written correspondence following a phone call. The envelopes and your phone records will reveal if they followed that protocol.
- Written instances of any times you found the collector to be deceptive or abusive, including calling you at work, threatening you, using obscene language, calling early in the morning or late at night, reaching out to employers, friends or relatives, etc.
Keep all of these files indefinitely and let your attorney know that you have this information. Feel free to contact us to find out other materials which would be helpful in your battle to stop the calls.
