4 Abusive Debt Collection Tactics That Are Perfectly Legal
It is illegal for creditors to contact you about repayment of debts before 8:00 in the morning or after 9:00 at night. They cannot contact you at your workplace or otherwise publicly shame you about failing to pay money that you owe. They cannot threaten you, curse at you, or call you offensive names. Despite all of these protections against harassment by creditors, there are plenty of things that it is legal for creditors to do in pursuit of debt repayment that, despite being nearly as abusive as actions legally recognized as harassment, are perfectly legal. These are four things that, although they don’t legally count as creditor harassment, are just as bad. If creditors are targeting you with these legal, but still bothersome, tactics, contact a Plantation creditor harassment lawyer.
Selling Your Debt Without Your Knowledge
You might be in disbelief when a company you have never heard of calls you and tells you that you owe them money, but it is possible that they are telling you the truth. It is legal for creditors to sell your debt to third parties, usually collection agencies, and then the new creditor (the collection agency) has the right to try to get you to pay. If there is anything good about this situation, it is that collection agencies are usually willing to settle the debt for a much lower amount than what you originally owed.
Suing You Over Unpaid Debts
Business to consumer lawsuits are plenty unfair, but they are legal. If a creditor has exhausted all other permissible measures to get you to pay the debt, and if they file the lawsuit before the deadline, it is legal for them to sue you over unpaid debts. Even worse, these lawsuits often include debtors’ examinations, where lawyers ask you intrusive questions, trying to prove that you can pay the debt but you are choosing not to pay it.
Contacting You About Expired Debts
After the deadline passes for a creditor to sue you over a debt, the debt is considered expired. There is no law against creditors contacting you about expired debts, though. Just because the debt is expired, it does not mean that you no longer owe the money.
Being Unpleasant Enough to Ruin Your Mood but Not Abusive Enough to Break the Law
Creditors know what constitutes creditor harassment, and they are experts at being as unpleasant as possible while staying within the bounds of the law. The good news is that you have the right not to engage. If you tell a creditor to stop contacting you about a debt, they are legally required to stop, whether or not you have made any payments toward the debt.
Contact a South Florida Debt Lawyer About Dealing With Debts That Won’t Go Away
A South Florida debt lawyer can help you find a way to get rid of debts that creditors and collection agencies have been bugging you about for years. Contact Nowack & Olson, PLLC in Plantation, Florida to discuss your case.
Source:
thebalance.com/statute-of-limitations-on-debt-960565
