0 
0 People often get into debt as a result of unforeseen circumstances that occur in their lives, as a result, they may not be able to keep up with the payments on their debt and are left with mounting interest and late fees.
If this has happened to you, it is important to know how to protect yourself from these debt collectors who are looking for ways to make you pay for what you owe.
There are many ways that a debt collector can contact you, such as by phone or mail, and some methods can be more aggressive or deceptive than others.
They are allowed to contact you in different ways
Whether it’s by phone, in person, or by mail, there are certain things an inkassobureau (debt collection agency)is not allowed to say, they cannot make false threats or promises about what will happen if you don’t pay your debt.
They also cannot threaten to take your property unless they have the legal right to do so, when talking with a debt collector, they are not allowed to swear at you or use abusive language and if they break any of these laws, you can report them and they may be fined up to $1,000 for every violation.
What debt collectors are not allowed to say
- They are not allowed to tell the debtor that they will be imprisoned if they don’t pay, they are also not allowed to say that they will take your belongings as collateral, or sell their properties on any personal, real property, or salaries.
- They’re also not allowed to say that the debtor would be prosecuted for committing a crime, these and other tactics can be used by a debt collector in order to frighten the debtor into paying what they owe.
- They may contact you at your home and may even come after 8 pm at night when it’s dark outside as long as they don’t harass you, however, debt collectors are not allowed to contact you before 8 am in the morning or after 9 pm at night.
- Additionally, debt collectors cannot contact you by postcard or publish your name in any newspaper, magazine, television broadcast, internet site, or other publication without your permission.
What you should do if you encounter a debt collector
First and foremost, it is important to know that you have the right to talk to a debt collector, it is not required for them to stop contacting you until they receive your request.
They are allowed to call you as long as they identify themselves, tell you how much of the money you owe is past due, and tell you what their name and the name of the creditor collecting on behalf of the creditor.
If a debt collector contacts you by mail, they are required to send a notice with information about their company’s name and address, the amount owed, what type of account this collection is for the credit card, doctor bills, and how much time remains before this account will be reported to credit bureaus.
They also need to include contact information for your creditor so that you can question them about why the money isn’t being paid off quicker.
In addition, debt collectors are permitted to contact people who live at your home in order for them to collect from them they’re not allowed to contact people who live at your home without your consent or knowledge.
