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You Can STOP Debt Collectors
You can write to a debt collector to tell him not to contact you anymore. After he receives your letter, FDCPA requires collector to cease all contact with you other than to let you know about a specific action he is going to take -- sue you for example. The drawback of ceasing contact however, is you eliminate option of negotiating a payment arrangement with collector or settling your debt for less.However, if you believe you really don’t owe a debt or if you truly can’t afford to pay it, telling a debt collector to stop contacting you may make sense.
Time and again I’ve seen collectors try to pressure consumers into paying them immediately by threatening to seize their assets, take money from their bank accounts, or garnish their wages. However, a debt collector cannot do any of these things without getting court’s permission first. Furthermore, you will have plenty of notice from court about what a debt collector wants to do so you can hire an attorney to stop him.
What To Do If A Collector Violates The Law
If you believe that a debt collector has violated your rights, or you need advice about best way to deal with a collector, contact a consumer attorney (visit www.naca.net for a referral). You should also register a complaint about collector with Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov. For much more information about dealing with debt collectors, visit my website at http://www.StopDebtCollectorsCold.com, or contact my Co-author, Gerri Detweiler, at gerri@ultimatecredit.com.
John Ventura is a consumer law attorney and board certified in bankruptcy law. He is also a national authority on consumer and small business financial and legal issues. He has a consumer law firm in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas and is the author of 13 books, including The Bankruptcy Kit and The Credit Repair Kit, and the new ebook, Stop Debt Collectors Cold. He has been featured on CNN, National Public Radio and in numerous newspaper and magazine articles nationwide.