Jacksonville Bankruptcy Lawyer Blog
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), as amended in 2006, is a federal law that outlines some practices that are illegal for debt collectors to employ. The purpose of the Act is to eliminate abusive debt collection practice by debt collectors. Here are some highlights of the Act, though this list is not exhaustive:
A debt collectors may not:
1. Use or threat to use violence to harm your physical person, reputation, or property
2. Use obscene or profane language 3. Publish a list of consumers who allegedly refuse to pay debts 4. Call you continuously with the intent to annoy, abuse or harass
5. Falsely represent the character or amount of any debt 6. Falsely represent that the debt collector is an attorney 7. Threaten to take any action that cannot legally be taken or is not intended to be taken 8. Falsely represent that you committed a crime in order to disgrace you
These are just some of the provisions of the FDCPA. There are also other statutes to protect consumers against debt collectors. If you are having a problem with a debt collector contact a Jacksonville Consumer Law Attorney today. We may be able to file suit against the collector, recover damages, and get the harassment to stop.