Hundreds of thousands of consumers are being bombarded with robo calls from scammers posing as collection companies or debt collectors from attorney offices. Sometimes these calls go straight to voicemails where these scammers are leaving very scary and intimidating messages that a debt is owed. The caller or message asks for the consumers to set up payments with a debit or credit card number immediately to avoid additional fees, interest, or legal action resulting in a lawsuit against the consumer.
These calls are a SCAM and violate the Federal Law!
These scammers are committing fraud in hopes that naïve consumers won’t question the debt or consumers will be fearful of legal action and will go ahead and give them money by setting up payments with their banking information. DO NOT respond to these calls, messages, or visit any website to set up a pay plan with your personal or financial information. If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of people currently getting these scam calls, there are things you can do to stop them.
Your rights are protected by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act a Federal Law that regulates how debt collectors can communicate, report, or collect debts in the United States. This Federal Law prohibits debt collectors from using false, deceptive, or misleading practices. This includes:
- Misrepresentations about the debt, including the amount owed
- Falsely claiming that the person contacting you is an attorney
- Threats to have you arrested
- Threats to do things that cannot legally be done, or threats to do things that the debt collector has no intention of doing.
If you receive one of these scam calls, contact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, The Federal Trade Commission or your State Attorney General and file a complaint. You can also sue the debt collector for this or other violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. If you sue under this federal law and win, the scam debt collector must generally pay your attorney’s fees, and may also have to pay you damages.
If you’re getting calls from collection companies or debt collection attorneys attempting to report or collect a debt, the Federal Law STILL protects you!
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act states: In order for a collection company or attorney to legally report or collect a debt they have to validate that debt with the originally signed contract, statements while the account was active or, a detailed billing history showing all transactions, interest and fees from the original creditor or medial care provider.
If a collection company does not send this documentation within 30 Days upon request, they cannot legally collect or report the debt on your credit report. Having been a Consumer Advocate for nearly 20 years now, I can tell you from experience that collection companies rarely comply with the Federal Law and do not have nor send the documentation required to legally report or collect debts. Often these collection companies do not operate legally or comply with State Regulations to collect debts as well.
If you have any collections on your credit report and you want to STOP them from reporting or collecting a debt, please contact www.EditMyCredit.net for a Free Credit Analysis ASAP! We can explain the Federal Laws that protects your rights and how to stop debt collectors from calling, reporting or collecting debts. Doing this will increase your credit scores, save you money, and give you the peace of mind that you deserve. We look forward to assisting you and serving our community.
I have personally been involved in Real Estate, Mortgage and the Credit Industry for nearly 20 years. For a decade I worked with a Legal and Compliance Executive from Experian who testified as an expert witness in Federal Court, Attorney General Reviews and with the Better Business Bureau. I am well versed in Consumer Law protecting the rights of consumers with advanced knowledge on how the Credit Reporting Agencies operate. I am happy to share my expertise and knowledge with anyone wanting to improve their credit or financial situation.