Stress by a Debt Collector
Anyone who is in debt knows that a debt collector is capable of bringing more stress than the debt itself brings. Habitually, these people are not used to such practices. These people have purchased your debt from the original lender at a lower price and are trying to recover the same for a profit.
They may not be getting paid a good salary for doing so, however. Debt collectors are usually paid commissions on the money they manage to recover. As such, they will spare no effort in trying to recover the money from you. In this process, they will make mistakes or go against the law. You should know your rights when dealing with a debt collector. Harassment of people not owning any debts are common. As they were aware about their rights, they have gone against these debt collectors and won judgments against them. This is what you need to know.
Your Basic Rights
First of all, you must understand that a debt collector may only contact you between the hours of 8 AM and 9 PM; not before or after. They have a right to contact your employer once with the intention of having your residential address verified. But if they insist on doing so consistently, you have a right to act against them. They may not contact your neighbors in relation to your debt.
Maintain records of all contacts made, along with the time, for your reference. You may request the debt collector to stop sending you written correspondence. You will be able to do this by sending them a letter yourself. Retain a copy of the letter for your records. If action in the form of a lawsuit is sought after by them against you, they may contact you in writing.
Is this Debt Yours
If you have felt that you have been wrongly targeted for debt, you do have the right to ask for proof or validation that the existing debt is yours. You will have 30 days to make this request after receipt of the first notice. Upon request the debt collector is obliged to provide you with the name of the original lender, the amount owed and your name on the lender’s documents. However, there is no time limit that is set for which a reply has to be sent. All information about their companies must be provided by debt collectors.
They must give you the information about who they are collecting the money for and the outstanding amount they are trying to collect. Under no circumstances can debt collectors resort to threats or represent themselves in a misleading manner. They have no right to take the law into their own hands.
On the other side you may ask them to stop all contact if you have a lawyer representing your case. Debt collectors cannot discuss your case with people not associated with the debt or pass on information about themselves that is not true. You have a right to make a complaint with the attorney general of your state and take legal action against the debt collector for undue harassment, if you feel that you have been unfairly treated.
