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Creditwrench has just posted in the CreditWrench forum of CreditWrench under the title of What can I do next with this #@%CA?.

This thread is located at http://www.creditwrench.com/consumers/showthread.php?threadid=739

Here is the message that has just been posted:
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Debt collectors using different tactics BY CHRISTIE CAMPBELL, Staff writer

chriscam@observer-reporter.com



The woman sounded worried. She'd been trying to get in touch with my neighbor for some time now and hadn't been able to get through.

Would I mind contacting that neighbor and giving her the caller's telephone number?

My initial reaction was to be helpful, especially since the woman was calling from Buffalo, N.Y.

But then I began feeling that something wasn't right, especially since that return telephone number included a seven digit reference number.

It was probably a call from a collection agency.

According to the Bureau of Consumer Affairs in Harrisburg,Pa the call I received Friday morning may or may not have been illegal, but either way the bureau will provide a complaint form for those who receive such calls.

Calling neighbors to track down debtors is one of the latest tactics used by some collection agencies.

"More credit and debt collection companies are using illegal, aggressive tactics," said Barbara Petito, deputy press secretary for the state attorney general office. While contacting a third party is not prohibited, contacting a debtor at work is illegal.

The majority of debt collection agencies are following the law, but there are some that Petito refers to as "rogue agencies" using deceptive business practices. For example, she said they may try to create a false sense or urgency or an emergency just so the person makes contact.

In this case, "Mary Jo" made it sound as though her repeated telephone calls had gone unanswered. She never crossed the line in calling it an emergency. And, she clearly stated she was not making a telemarketing call.

Petito's office has received an increasing number of complaints about collection agencies, but she noted it could be related to the higher numbers of people deeply in debt. There are many who have overextended credit card debt, sometimes due to a medical emergency, a lost job, divorce or death in the family.

"As consumers become more aware of their rights, they are aware that some of the treatments they're receiving are illegal," she gave as another reason for the increasing number of complaints.

In brief,collection agencies cannot:

• Contact you at unusual times or places

• Contact you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.

• Contact you at work

• Contact you when the debt collector is aware you are represented by an attorney.

They may contact third parties to ascertain your location; however, they may not reveal to third parties that you owe a debt.

Debt collectors may not harass you or third parties in connection with collecting debt. They are prohibited from using threats of violence, obscene language or repeated telephone calls.

<>For additional information, call the attorney general's office at 800-441-2555 or visit the Pennsylvania attorney general's office at www.attorneygeneral.gov.


(http://www.attorneygeneral.gov./)
The Attorney General's office in your state can be of great help but you must also be aware that they are only empowered to act in cases where the interests of the state are in question for the most part.

What you really need to do is to learn what your rights are under the law and learn how to use them against the debt collectors who break the law.

That is what Creditwrench teaches you.
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