What are some examples of what debt collectors are not allowed to do under FDCPA?
Debt collectors may not: • Threaten you with violence or harm; • Use obscene or profane language; or repeatedly use the telephone to harass or annoy a debtor. • Threaten to have you arrested if you do not pay your debt. • Threaten to seize, garnish, attach or sell your property or you’re your wages unless the collection agency or creditor intends to do so (remember property is protected by personal exemptions – see page titled “How assets are handled in bankruptcy” on this site) • Threaten to sue you, when they do not intend to take such an action • Threaten to ruin your credit forever. • Debt collectors may not make false or misleading statements to you, for example: • Falsely imply that they are attorneys or represent the government; • Falsely imply you have committed a crime; • Falsely represent that they work for a credit bureau; • Misrepresent the amount of your debt; • Tell you papers they send to you are legal when they are not; or • Tell you papers are not legal when they are.
