Prohibited Conduct

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act prohibits a wide range of abusive conduct. Many collectors are competent professionals and will work within the rules, but others may stray. If your credit repair journey brings you in contact with a collector it is best to know the provisions of the law.

Practical Highlights

Collectors are not allowed to:

• Contact you at inconvenient times, defined by the FDCPA as before 8 am or after 9 pm
• Call you at work if you tell them that your employer does not approve
• Use threats or obscene language
• Make repeated calls designed to scare you into making payment
• Imply affiliation with the government
• Imply that you could be arrested for not paying a debt

A Tip You Can Use

If you are contacted by a collector over the telephone tell them that you do not discuss your financial affairs over the telephone. You do not know them, and such a conversation would not be prudent. Be polite, but firm, and tell them that if they send something in writing you will review it and get back to them. Once you have their written notice, you can put our next credit repair technique, debt validation, to work for you.