Unlawful Credit Reporting & Debt Collection Practices
Deception and illegal practices aren't uncommon in debt collection and credit reporting, which is why such practices are addressed in the Federal Trade Commission Act. The act, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, prohibits unfair and deceptive ways of doing business. You should know your rights as a consumer.
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Time and Place Limits
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Debt collectors may not contact you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. unless you give them permission to do so. If you tell them not to contact you at work, they may not contact you there.
Must Stop Contact
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If after talking once to the debt collector about a particular debt you do not want to talk about the same debt again, tell the collector in writing by certified mail to stop contacting you and is not permitted to contact you again about the same debt.
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Private
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A debt collector can only contact a third party to find out your contact information. Once they have that, they cannot discuss your debt with anyone except you, your spouse or your attorney.
Off Limits
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Debt collectors may not threaten you, lie to you or try to collect fees from you.
Your Credit Report
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Credit reporting agencies may not keep you from seeing your credit report. They cannot charge you to see your report if you only request it once every 12 months. They are required, if asked, to disclose who has asked to see your credit report. You cannot be denied credit based on your religion, race, sex, age or any other characteristic not related to your creditworthiness.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Andres Rueda
