I fell behind in my payments and my creditor turned my debt over to a collection agency. The collection agency is bordering on harassment, what are my rights?
When the person trying to collect the debt is not the person to whom you owe the money (or his lawyer), but is someone hired to collect the debt, you have certain protections on how you can be treated. For example, debt collectors may not call someone else about your bill except to find out where you work or live. They can’t tell other people that you are behind on your bill. The debt collector is allowed to contact you by mail, phone or in person but may not call very early in the morning or late at night. It is easy for you to stop some of the debt collector’s calls. You may tell him not to call you at work. You may write a letter and tell him to quit contacting you. Be sure to keep a copy of your letter. After that, he can only contact you to advise you of the status of the account (they are turning it over to their lawyer or filing suit). Keep in mind that he is only trying to collect what you’ve already promised to pay. Cutting off communication with the debt collector may speed u
