You Have Rights Against Creditor Harassment
Nobody likes opening the mail to find threatening letters from creditors or answering phone calls from debt collection agencies. The more these things happen, the more likely you are to start simply ignoring calls from numbers you don't recognize and avoiding going to the mailbox altogether. Your creditors do, however, have a right to pursue you for payment of money that you owe, and there is little that you can do about that beyond paying back the debts or declaring bankruptcy. If, on the other hand, you are being subjected to any type of harassment or abuse on the part of creditors or debt collectors, you have rights which you can use to fight back and to secure justice.
The United States Congress passed the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act in order to provide consumers with legal protection against a number of different types of abusive behaviors and tactics which are commonly employed by debt collectors and creditors. The act features a long list of prohibited actions, which include but are not limited to:
• Using profanity or abusive language toward you
• Calling after 9:00 p.m. or before 8:00 a.m.
• Contacting you at work after you have given notice that this is unacceptable
• Communicating about your debt with third parties, such as neighbors, coworkers, or employers
• Publishing information about your debt on a postcard or otherwise contacting you through embarrassing media that others might see
• Demanding unjustified amounts for repayment
• Making false threats of arrest or legal action
• Making the phone ring off the hook with the purpose of annoying or harassing you
Compensation for Creditor Harassment
If it can be proven that you have been subjected to any type of violation of the FDCPA, you could stand to recover monetary damages for losses you suffered as a result as well as attorney fees and court costs. Even if you did not suffer any actual damages, the act still provides for a penalty of $1,000. To discuss your case with an Ocala bankruptcy lawyer and find out whether you have grounds to sue for creditor harassment, contact us now at The Law Offices of Justin McMurray, P.A. for a free consultation.