Debt Collection Harassment

When you owe money to creditors, your creditors may employ debt collection agencies to recover the money from you. Debt collectors are required to act within a certain set of standards governed by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). When collectors disregard these standards, their behavior may be considered to be harassment.

Examples of Debt Collection Harassment
Debt collection harassment takes many forms. You could face one or more of these behaviors from your collector:

• Falsified statements meant to mislead you about the amount of money you owe or the legal consequences you are facing because of the debt;
• Profane or abusive language;
• Threats of legal action, physical injury, or another type of harm;
• Calling you repeatedly to harass or annoy you; and
• Misrepresenting him- or herself as an attorney, law enforcement, or a government authority.

What you Can Do if you are Harassed
Do not engage with the harasser. If you face threats, do not make any threats back at him or her. If you are spoken to with abusive language, do not use the same type of language with the collector. Instead, take note of all the relevant details of the harassment you face, such as:

• The dates and times you receive the phone calls;
• Who made the calls. If they did not identify themselves, include this in your notes;
• The phone number used to contact you;
• What the collector said to you during the phone calls; and
• Any actions you took afterward. If you attempted to add your name to the Do Not Call Registry, note this. If you reported the harassment to a state or federal consumer protection agency, note this and if you sent any money, you need to document this. Many people are embarrassed to report that they sent money out of fear of further harassment, harm, or legal action, but in order to recover compensation for your damages, your lawyer has to know how much money you lost.

Bring these notes to a credit protection lawyer and discuss your experience. If you file a claim to recover compensation for your damages, this information will support your claim. You may also report the harasser to a state or federal consumer protection agency and if you do so, these notes will help you to substantiate your report. When you report the harasser, also report your experience to your creditor. Your creditor might offer to settle the debt with you or cancel it in order to avoid being held liable for the collector’s actions.
Contact an Experienced Illinois Consumer Credit Protection Lawyer
When you are facing harassment from a debt collector, you have the right to take legal action to make it stop and to seek monetary compensation for the damages you suffered because of the rights violations you faced. To learn more and get started on your case, contact us today at (312) 909-6089 to schedule an initial consultation with an attorney. We are here to be your advocates. Let us work with you to defend your rights.

• Fair Credit Reporting Act
  • Your Rights Under the FCRA
• Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)
  • Unfair Collection Practices
  • Debt Collection Rights
• Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
• Debt Collection Harassment
• Consumer Harassment