Consumer Law

Creditor Harassment

By M. Stan Herring

The Houston Chronicle has posted an article that very clearly outlines what constitutes debt collector harassment.

Under the Fair Debt Collection Protection Act, debt collectors are not allowed to:

Tell a neighbor, co-worker or non-spouse that you owe money.

Call at work after you've told them you can't receive such calls.

Call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.

Call an excessive number of times.

Continue to call after receiving written request to stop.

Threaten violence, arrest or incarceration.

Use profanity or harassing and abusive language.

Threaten to take your house or garnish your wages in Texas.

The article says that economic hard times make debt collectors more aggressive and more prone to illegal tactics. However, you can sue them to stop the problem. You may be able to receive $1,000 or possibly more if you have been severely harassed.

Dana Karni, a Houston lawyer, is quoted.

"A lot of consumers don't understand that they can go after the debt collectors and they can get paid for their pain and suffering and their attorneys fees can be paid."

Karni sued for a Huntsville woman who was severely harassed. The debt collector threatened she would lose her house, go to jail and never see her children again. She received $17,500 because of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Karni received $50,000 reimbursement in legal fees.

If you are being harassed by debt collectors, feel free to contact us.

Full post as published by Alabama Consumer Blog on May 26, 2009 (boomark / email).