Deal With Rogue Debt Collectors In Four Steps

The recession has made sure that as the number of people who are financially underwater increases

, the number of abusive collecting tactics also increases. Although collection agencies are currently taking measures to ensure that their employees abide by the law, the desperate financial situation appears to drive collectors to be overly aggressive with debtors.

These four easy steps can help you deal with harassment from debt collectors, however, regardless of whether the debt in question is yours or not:

1.Familiarize yourself with the rules.

As clich as it sounds, you can best arm yourself with information. Regardless of whether the debt in question is yours or not, debt collectors are expected to comply with debt collection laws and be civil to debtors. Get to know the statute of limitations in your state if you owe a debt, this can highly decrease the risk of your creditors suing and winning a judgment against you. Also make time to get to know the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act from available resources online, credit counselors, or a debt reduction law center.

2.Get everything on paper.

As soon as you get a call from a collector, ask for the companys name, address, and contact number to protect your legal rights. Take note of the number of times the collector calls you and if possible or necessary, record the conversation for proof of threats or the use of abusive language as these are a direct violation of the law.

3.Protect yourself from being a victim of identity theft or fraud.

Take advantage of free credit reports from legitimate organizations to monitor your transactions and provide you with an opportunity to dispute errors or fraud collection accounts. Ask collectors who get in touch with you by phone to ask the creditor organization to send you proof of your outstanding debt. If it turns out that you are not the debtor, you can send a certified letter informing the collector of the error so they can stop contacting you. However, sending out this kind of letter when it has been proven that the debt is indeed yours can lead your creditor to sue you.

4.If all else fails, seek the help of a professional.

If the collector persists, you may want to employ the services of a lawyer experienced in debt collection cases or specialists working for a debt reduction law center. These organizations often have adequate experience and training, as well as resources including C&D letter templates, in dealing with rogue collectors. A lot of these organizations also often ask you to direct all creditor calls to them as soon as youve availed of their services, just make sure to check for legitimacy and be on the lookout for fraud companies.

by: Mary Hall

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