Fair Debt Collection Practice Act

Know Your Rights

You should view the entire Fair Debt Collection Practice Act and become familiar with your rights and responsibilities as a debtor. It is quite lengthy so we have listed the chapter outline here from the U. S. Government web site as well as detailed some of the more frequently asked questions from consumers. You can also listen to a short MP3 version of a radio recording from the FTC.

Sections 803 through 812 are of primary concern to debtors including what actions debt collectors may and may not take, what constitutes abuse, harassment and illegal actions, as well as section 813 which outlines civil liability for violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practice Act.

If you use credit cards, owe money on a personal loan, or are paying on a home mortgage, you are a "debtor." If you fall behind in repaying your creditors, or an error is made on your accounts, you may be contacted by a "debt collector."

You should know that in either situation, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires that debt collectors treat you fairly by prohibiting certain methods of debt collection. Of course, the law does not forgive any legitimate debt you owe.

Check out these commonly asked questions from the FTC about your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

• What debts are covered?
• Who is a debt collector?
• How may a debt collector contact you?
• Can you stop a debt collector from contacting you?
• May a debt collector contact anyone else about your debt?
• What must the debt collector tell you about the debt?
• May a debt collector continue to contact you if you believe you do not owe money?
• What types of debt collection practices are prohibited?
• What control do you have over payment of debts?
• What can you do if you believe a debt collector violated the law?
• Where can you report a debt collector for an alleged violation?

You can call any attorney in your area, or you can get a list of qualified attorneys that know the debt and credit laws and how they apply to your particular situation. We highly recommend that you be smart and safe! Use a free online legal access service that lets you review the backgrounds of pre-screened local attorneys, then you decide who to call, plus the service is absolutely free and confidential!

Related Sites & Services

It would be to your advantage to review the provisions of the Fair Debt Collection Practice Act for your own protection.

U. S. Government Fair Debt Collection Practice Act Chapters
TITLE VIII - DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES
Sec.
801.  Short Title
802.  Congressional findings and declaration of purpose
803.  Definitions
804.  Acquisition of location information
805.  Communication in connection with debt collection
806.  Harassment or abuse
807.  False or misleading representations
808.  Unfair practice
809.  Validation of debts
810.  Multiple debts
811.  Legal actions by debt collectors
812.  Furnishing certain deceptive forms
813.  Civil liability under the FDPCA
814.  Administrative enforcement Fair Debt Practice Collection Act
815.  Reports to Congress by the Commission
816.  Fair Debt Collection Practice Act Relation to State laws
817.  Exemption for State regulation
818.  Effective date of Fair Debt Collection Practice Act

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them.

To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit the http://www.ftc.gov/ or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. .

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