Articles
Newsletters
Home 
Business Business A Phone Call from a Credit Card Debt Collector? . . . You Do Not Need to Take It.
Business Business A Phone Call from a Credit Card Debt Collector? . . . You Do Not Need to Take It.
| A Phone Call from a Credit Card Debt Collector? . . . You Do Not Need to Take It. |
 |
 |
 |
| Written by Matthew Highlander |
| Friday, 16 October 2009 08:25 |
|
There is little legal weight to what someone says over the telephone. The caller can say what they like with impunity. And that is why debt collectors use the telephone as their main weapon. When exchanges with consumers are done in writing, debt collectors lose their effectiveness. Written communications from and to a credit card debt collector are what matter in court. If a consumer is writing to a debt collector it should always be certified return receipt requested. Over the telephone credit card debt collectors lie a great deal. These are some of those lies: 1. They scare you by claiming that a lawsuit has been filed against you in your local court and that a complaint is on its way. 2. Or they may ask you for a small payment, which is well within your means - surely that is acceptable? Not so, if you make this payment then you have legally documented admission to the debt, and made things worse. 3. They threaten to put a negative listing on your credit report. 4. They threaten to have your wages garnished. 5. They threaten to have your bank account seized. Each of these lies is a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Credit card debt collectors use the phone attempting to get personal details such as your bank account number, Social Security number, and work number, as well as getting you to confirm your credit card number and admit to the debt in question. The Credit Card Debt Survival Guide advises that you should never share any personal information with people on the telephone, as they could be anyone, and that you should always dispute and deny the debt to which they are referring and hang up the phone. Curiosity should be the only reason for taking one of these calls. If a credit card debt collector calls out of the cold, let them tell you what debt they are calling about, then tell them you have received no written notice from them about the debt and hang up. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act allows the consumer to instruct the debt collector in writing to stop all collection calls. After that each call is a violation of the law, and subject to a $1000 penalty. Consumers should keep logs of the phone calls and contact a consumer rights attorney, who may agree to sue the credit card debt collector over these violations on a contingency fee basis. About the Author: Matt Highlander learned how to frustrate credit card debt collectors and collection attorneys. If you cannot afford to pay, read his Credit Card Debt Survival Guide Kindly provided by MoneyHunter.org You are welcome to use this article on your own website, if you include the link just before this text. |
Members : 2595
Content : 2683
Web Links : 1
Content View Hits : 252699
Content : 2683
Web Links : 1
Content View Hits : 252699