| When the collector calls you an excessive amount of | | | | court order to bring you in from your home, which is |
| time per day that is one form of harassment. This | | | | usually not an option for them to exercise. |
| harassment can be stopped. You have protection | | | | The most basic way to stop harassment is to place |
| under the law against certain abusive tactics that | | | | a privacy manager on your phone. If anyone with an |
| some collection agencies employ. | | | | 800 number or other specific identity you don't want |
| In the state of Texas, business solicitation calls can | | | | calling you calls, then you can set it to make them go |
| not be placed before 8 am or after 8 pm your time. | | | | through a recorded announcement before they reach |
| That means that if a collection agency calls you | | | | you. You can also use caller ID to help screen your |
| before or after those hours, its harassment. You | | | | calls. |
| have the legal right to hang up under this condition. | | | | If you want to find more legal options for yourself, |
| Another common ploy they use in harassment is to | | | | you can contact a lawyer in your area or look up the |
| threaten you. This is very serious harassment. These | | | | information on the internet. The first law to look for |
| are some of the types of verbal threats they may | | | | is The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. You may |
| use against you: saying that they will send out a | | | | have the grounds for a lawsuit. |
| police officer, or telling you they will freeze your | | | | Before the collector can try to collect the debt, he |
| accounts. Any statement that they make like this has | | | | must state that it's an attempt to collect a debt and |
| to be lawful and they have to really intend to take | | | | any information attained will be used for that |
| action. If you receive this treatment you should | | | | purpose. He also has to tell you that the call may be |
| check the federal and state laws to see if they can | | | | recorded. |
| make the threat good. | | | | You can record the collection calls too. Recording the |
| The government is the only "person" able to freeze | | | | calls is a good measure to take to protect yourself in |
| your accounts. Don't believe a collector when he tells | | | | case the collector is verbally abusive, such as |
| you he can do this. They may claim to be a lawyer | | | | screaming at you, or cursing you. If you do want to |
| and they better be one if they say they are. | | | | record them then you have to tell them you're |
| Otherwise, the collector has violated a federal law. | | | | recording the conversation so it will be admissible |
| They use this tactic because it sounds very serious | | | | evidence of harassment in court. |
| and will intimidate a lot of debtors. Don't let them | | | | Learn the federal and state laws concerning the |
| intimidate you into forfeiting your right to being | | | | collection of debts laws. That way you know what |
| treated correctly under the law. Do learn about your | | | | the collectors can legally do when attempting to |
| rights. | | | | collect a debt. |
| They would have to have filed a warrant and have a | | | | |