The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is a federal law that limits what debt collectors can do when they attempt to collect certain types of debts. The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regulates how debts are reported on credit reports. In addition, there are state laws that provide protection against unfair and deceptive practices. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) prohibits abusive, deceptive, or unfair debt collection practices by an external debt collection agency.
This law applies to agencies that collect debts on behalf of creditors, not the creditors themselves. Under the FDCPA, you have important rights in relation to your credit card debts, car loans, medical bills, student loans, mortgages, and other household debts. The FDCPA doesn't cover business debts. The FDCPA is a federal law that protects consumers from unfair or abusive debt collection practices.
It gives you the right to dispute the debt. Control how and when a debt collector can contact you and what the debt collector can tell you. And it gives you the right to force debt collectors to leave you alone. These issues are discussed in more detail on the following pages. The FDCPA prohibits third-party debt collectors from harassing and abusing borrowers as a way to collect debts due.
The FDCPA prohibits debt collectors from treating consumers unfairly when they attempt to collect debt. The FDCPA makes it illegal for debt collectors to use abusive, unfair, or deceptive practices when attempting to collect debts. FDCPA violations include harassment, threats, and misleading information, and debt collectors can get into legal trouble if they violate their rights. The FDCPA protects consumers in very specific ways against abusive tactics that third-party debt collectors can use to get you to pay overdue bills.
The FDCPA only applies to third-party debt collectors, such as those who work for a debt collection agency. If the FDCPA is violated, the debtor can sue the debt collection company, as well as the individual debt collector, for damages and attorney fees. The FDCPA, enacted in 1978, notes that aggressive debt collection practices, such as repeated calls to the consumer's house, workplace and friends, can lead to bankruptcy, job loss, and other harmful effects for consumers. If a third-party debt collector violates the FDCPA, the consumer can report the company and file a lawsuit against them.
Debt collectors violate the FDCPA when they make harassing, threatening, or misleading statements in order to coerce or trick you into paying a debt. Any FDCPA debt collector who contacts you regarding a debt must provide you with certain information about it. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is a federal law that protects consumer rights when outside debt collection agencies call.
