Abusive phone call crackdown underway
What to do if you are called or contacted
Posted 9/29/20
Have bill collectors hasseled you - even if you owe them nothing?
SC Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced a nationwide crackdown to protect consumers from phantom, abusive …
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Abusive phone call crackdown underway
What to do if you are called or contacted
5 steps to dealing with abusive debt collectors
Posted
Have bill collectors hasseled you - even if you owe them nothing?
SC Attorney General Alan Wilson has announced a nationwide crackdown to protect consumers from phantom, abusive and threatening debt collectors.
Operation Corrupt Collector includes 5 cases filed by the FTC, 2 by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and 3 by the US Department of Justice and Postal Inspection Service.
In South Carolina so far in 2020, 1,668 total debt collections have been reported with 706 of those, or 42.3%, are about debt not owed or abusive/threatening debt collections.
If you get a collection call about a debt you don’t recognize:
1. Find out who’s calling. Get the name of the collector, the collection company, its address, and phone number.
2. Get “validation” information about the debt. Within 5 days of first contacting you, debt collectors must “validate” or tell you the amount of the debt, the name of the current creditor and how to get the name of the original creditor.
3. Don’t respond to threats. When scammers threaten to arrest you, suspend your driver’s license, or call your employer if you don’t pay immediately, hang up and report the collector.
4. Check with the original creditor. Is the debt yours? Did they sell your debt or hire a company to collect it? If so, is the caller the original creditor’s collector?
5. Dispute the debt. If you think you don’t owe the debt, dispute it with the collector by mail or online.
To file a consumer complaint call 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357)
Keywords
abusive, threatening, collection, calls, Attorney, General, Alan Wilson
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