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Just because you may owe money on a debt, does not give debt collectors the right to harass you for payment. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is a federal law enacted to protect consumers from debt collector harassment. If debt collectors violate this law, they can be liable for money damages to you. Here are some examples of what would be considered harassment in violation of the FDCPA:

• Communicating about your debt without your permission to you extended family, friends, neighbors or others. While they can contact others to locate you, they cannot reveal a debt is involved;
• Using any communication, language, or symbols on envelopes or postcards indicating that the sender is in the debt collection business;
• Posting on social media about your debt in a way that can be viewed by the public or your social media contacts;
• Communicating with you at unusual or inconvenient times or places;
• Contacting you at work once the collector knows your employer prohibits personal calls;
• Contacting you if you are represented by a lawyer;
• Using obscene words, racial slurs, insulting remarks, or threats of violence;
• Calling more than seven times a day in a seven day period about the account;
• Falsely representing the character, amount, or legal status of the debt;
• Falsely implying a lawyer’s involvement;
• Stating that nonpayment will result in arrest, garnishment or seizure of property, unless lawful and the collector intends to take such action;
• Collecting fees or charges the collector is not entitled to collect;
• Depositing post-dated checks before their date;
• False impression that collector is a government affiliate or agent.

If any of the above happen to you, Pine Street Legal will provide a free consultation to assess your case for violations of the FDCPA. Contact Nancy Kanter Esquire at (215) 345-9214 or nkanter@pinestreetlegal.com