Such heartbreaking debt

Despite the existence of a federal law that regulates the field of debt collection, collectors often take the low road in an attempt to convince consumers to pay. The terrible stories are endless, but are very real to those who are victims of debt collector.

The collectors have, for example, are known to threaten consumers with the arrest, trial and imprisonment. Not long ago a credit collection agency Pennsylvania was arrestedillegal practices. It turns out that the company had built a mock runway and "serve" consumers looking documents and teaching law and appear in "court". This may seem a particularly egregious example of abuse, but such extremes are more common than you might think.

Take the prison, for example. According to an article published by a major business newspaper at least 16 states have laws on the books that say that those who have money can go to jail. Debt collection agencies to take advantage of these laws, sometimes sending people to jail for debts under $ 100.

Other horror stories have a debt that has threatened to take possession of the vehicle from one parent to the social networking site his daughter, and collectors who embarrass consumers, not so cryptic, leave voice messages that are easily accessible others.

These examples illustrate the down and dirty tactics used by some collectors when a> The debt is legitimate, there are many others that occur to consumers who do not even have the money. Too often, companies that buy debt do not really have much information about the person who owes money. They may have a name or phone number. Then, the company thrives on large databases owned by other companies to try to rebuild the consumer identification information. Often, partial information or data that is simply wrong. When this happens, acollection agency debt dog could someone with a similar name to the person who owes money, or someone who has a phone number, once in the hands of someone who owes them money. After the nightmare of repeated phone calls and harassment begins. Sometimes the collection agency credit report also breaks down the wrong person, making it more expensive for a person to borrow money (through higher interest rates), making it difficult to rent an apartment, or dothe impossibility of finding a job or a promotion (through the employer credit checks).

What can a consumer if he or she has been through the wringer with a collection agency? First, it is important to understand that the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act prohibits certain behaviors. Second, the FDCPA says that if a debt collector has crossed the line, the consumer can sue the collector, and receive up tothousand dollars plus legal fees. For this reason, it is important to consult an attorney for the right debt - and not cost a dime. Finally, it is important to file a complaint with the Attorney General and another with the Federal Trade Commission. Both agencies track complaints and used as a basis for making the bad players in court. While state and federal agencies can not represent individual consumers, a pattern of complaints led to a demand to keepagencies responsible for debt recovery.