Fair Debt Collection Act
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was passed in 1977 to provide debtors with legal protection from abusive debt collection practices.
Here’s what the FDCPA does:
- Eliminates deceptive and abusive practices in the collection of consumer debts.
- Promotes fair debt collection.
- Provides consumers with an avenue for disputing and obtaining validation of debt information to ensure it’s accurate.
- Creates guidelines under which debt collectors may conduct business.
- Defines the rights of consumers involved with debt collectors
- Sets out penalties and remedies when debt collectors violate the law.
The FDCPA makes it illegal for creditors to:
- Attempt to collect more debt than what is actually owed.
- Call you at work.
- Call you early in the morning or late at night.
- Call your friends, neighbors and co-workers.
- Harass you, intimidate you, lie to you or use obscene language.
- Make anonymous calls or use false names.
- Threaten you with lawsuits, arrests, or violence.
- Threaten to garnish wages
- Use social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to harass you.
Debt collectors can be liable for up to $1,000, plus any actual damages that you have incurred as a result of their conduct. They can also be required to pay your reasonable attorneys’ fees and court costs.
Are you a victim of unfair debt collection practices in Florida? It’s important to know that you can, and should, fight back. The debt collection practice attorneys at Florida Debt Fighters know first-hand the unethical practices some creditors use to collect debts. We fight debt collectors for consumers just like you and can make bill collectors’ harassing calls stop – once and for all.