You know that feeling you get when a letter from a bill collector comes in the mail? The cold feeling you get when you realize that you owe money that you can't repay? And after that, the endless telephone calls and letters demanding that you pay money that you don't have?
Now is the time to turn the tables on those debt-collecting predators. It's time to know your rights and to use them.
There's a Federal law called the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act that outlines exactly what a collector can and cannot do to collect on a debt. The FDCPA, as it is called, sets limits on when and how a debt collector can contact you.
An example of what a debt collector can't do is to call you at work, unless they're doing it to find out a telephone number to call you at your house. They're also not allowed to inform other people, such as your employer, about any debts that you owe.
Additionally, collection agents cannot call you or contact you in any other way if you inform them that they may no longer do so. That's all we're going to learn how to do.
The magic letter that sends bill collectors running consists of two things:
The first is any identifying information for you. This would include your name, home address, and account number for the account in question, as well as any other information they will need to identify you as the account holder for the debt in question.
The second thing is to tell them that you want them to cease communicating with you in any way.
These two things are all that the FDCPA requires that you do to keep the debt collector from harassing you or contacting you in the future. The only correspondence that the debt collector can send you in the future is a letter that says they will cease contacting you, and whether they're going to pursue any legal action to collect on the debt.
When you send this letter, it's always good to send it by certified mail with a delivery receipt requested. The delivery receipt lets you know that the debt collector actually received the letter. Make sure that you keep this receipt in case you ever have to prove that they received the letter.
According to the rules of the FDCPA, if the debt collector continues to contact you in the future, they're in violation of the law. You then have the right to report them to the FTC, which is the agency that actually enforces the FDCPA. After you've notified the FTC about the legal violation by the debt collector, the FTC can take legal action against the debt collector on your behalf.
Keep in mind that even after you let the debt collector know about your desire not to be contacted, they still can pursue legal action against you to collect on the debt. This handy letter can only protect you from being harassed by debt collectors. It can't keep you from being sued by the debt collectors if they still want to collect on the debt.
Now is the time to turn the tables on those debt-collecting predators. It's time to know your rights and to use them.
There's a Federal law called the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act that outlines exactly what a collector can and cannot do to collect on a debt. The FDCPA, as it is called, sets limits on when and how a debt collector can contact you.
An example of what a debt collector can't do is to call you at work, unless they're doing it to find out a telephone number to call you at your house. They're also not allowed to inform other people, such as your employer, about any debts that you owe.
Additionally, collection agents cannot call you or contact you in any other way if you inform them that they may no longer do so. That's all we're going to learn how to do.
The magic letter that sends bill collectors running consists of two things:
The first is any identifying information for you. This would include your name, home address, and account number for the account in question, as well as any other information they will need to identify you as the account holder for the debt in question.
The second thing is to tell them that you want them to cease communicating with you in any way.
These two things are all that the FDCPA requires that you do to keep the debt collector from harassing you or contacting you in the future. The only correspondence that the debt collector can send you in the future is a letter that says they will cease contacting you, and whether they're going to pursue any legal action to collect on the debt.
When you send this letter, it's always good to send it by certified mail with a delivery receipt requested. The delivery receipt lets you know that the debt collector actually received the letter. Make sure that you keep this receipt in case you ever have to prove that they received the letter.
According to the rules of the FDCPA, if the debt collector continues to contact you in the future, they're in violation of the law. You then have the right to report them to the FTC, which is the agency that actually enforces the FDCPA. After you've notified the FTC about the legal violation by the debt collector, the FTC can take legal action against the debt collector on your behalf.
Keep in mind that even after you let the debt collector know about your desire not to be contacted, they still can pursue legal action against you to collect on the debt. This handy letter can only protect you from being harassed by debt collectors. It can't keep you from being sued by the debt collectors if they still want to collect on the debt.
About the Author:
Sean Payne can teach you plenty about how to get out of debt. After over 10 years of dealing with his own debt problems, he has developed a powerful strategy to keep bill collectors from calling. You can discover his secrets for getting out of debt at his debt payoff tips website.
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