Harassment and abuse in the attempt to collect a debt is against the law. The Fair Debt Collection Act is clear that no abusive behavior is allowed, nor should you tolerate it if it happens to you. According to the Act:
“A debt collector may not engage in any conduct the natural consequence of which is to harass, oppress, or abuse any person in connection with the collection of a debt. Without limiting the general application of the foregoing, the following conduct is a violation of this section:
- The use or threat of use of violence or other criminal means to harm the physical person, reputation, or property of any person.
- The use of obscene or profane language or language the natural consequence of which is to abuse the hearer or reader.
- Causing a telephone to ring or engaging any person in telephone conversation repeatedly or continuously with intent to annoy, abuse, or harass any person at the called number.”
If a debt collector has abused you verbally, threatened you with violence, or engaged in any of the behavior above, you don’t have to stand for it. The Fair Debt Collection Act allows you to sue for damages, and you can most likely receive an award of $1,000. The attorneys at Lemberg & Associates are passionate that their clients not be harassed, and that debt collectors who do it should be held accountable and punished to the full extent of the law.
