How to Fight Debt Collectors and Collection Agencies

If you're reading this, you're obviously having a hard time with debt collectors or collection agencies and believe me, I've been there. This article is for anyone who is tired of the harassment of phone calls and letters, tired of being threatened and all of the other hassles that come along with dealing with these individuals. I have been in your shoes and now work in the credit industry and I'm here to help you out. I'm going to tell you the no nonsense, real-world way to deal with these folks that I will from here on out refer to as "Predators" because they prey on people who don't know how to defend themselves. Let's get started.

In this first installment, we're going to cover the basics of who you're dealing with and some basic rules to follow when talking to them.

First off, don't think you don't have any rights when it comes to dealing with these predators. No matter what they tell you they have rules that they HAVE TO FOLLOW. As a matter of fact, they're not even rules, there are Federal Laws that must be followed. I'm not going to bore you with all of the federal laws and their numbers but I recommend www.creditinfocenter.com to use during this process where you can find the letters I'll speak of and the more technical information on these laws. Now that you realize you have rights and they have laws that must be followed, lets talk about a couple of the biggies to start with because the rest will be mentioned in other sections.

First, they have to identify themselves as a debt collector or collection agency. They're required on all phone calls with you and with all letters you may receive to give tell you this and that's the simplest way to know that you're dealing with these folks.

Second, they're not allowed to harass you. If they call you at work, tell them not to and if they do it again, you can sue them. Get a phone record and sue them in small claims court. If they start talking to your neighbors, sue them because if they've talked to you once, then they know how to get in touch with you and they're not allowed to talk to anyone else about your case or use family or friends to pressure you. The Cease and Desist letter you may have heard about will be covered later.

Now, I never said that this is a piece of cake but it isn't hard and is well worth fighting for so, if you're ready to change your life with the actual steps to take and other strategies...follow me in "The First Contact and Debt Validation"...