Right now there are many of you who are cringing when your phone rings. You get that sick feeling that the call is from a debt collector trying to collect on a past due bill. Debts are bringing you down. Well, you have rights and can do something about those abusive telephone calls.
If debt collector is calling you multiple times a day, calling you at work when you’ve told them to stop, threatening to have you arrested, or being abusive in other ways, you can fight back. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA for short) protects you from these abusive debt collection practices. You have the right to request verification of the debt. Also, if you have an attorney, you have the right to direct the debt collector to talk to your attorney. Once a debt collector knows you are represented, he must stop contacting you directly. You have the right to send the debt collector a letter instructing them to stop contacting you. Once they receive the letter, the debt collector must stop trying to contact you. (See sample letter at www.valentinelegal.com/forms.htm)
Most importantly, you have the right to sue a debt collector for abusive collection tactics. If you win, you are entitled to damages and attorney’s fees and costs. Most times that means that your attorney will defer their fees until the end of the lawsuit so that they are paid out of the money won in the lawsuit. This makes it affordable for everyday consumers to afford an attorney and fight back against illegal collection practices. Read more about your rights here:  www.valentinelegal.com/debtcollectorabuse.htm.
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