What constitutes harassment under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)?
Harassment is one of the illegal practices prohibited by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). This federal law protects you from unfair collection tactics of debt collectors. Harassment is defined as behavior by a debt collector that is meant to annoy, abuse, or intimidate you into repaying a debt. Examples of debt collector harassment include: • Contacting you at inappropriate times or places, such as before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. or at your place of work. • Repeatedly using obscene language, racial slurs, or religious insults. • Using profanity or threatening you with violence or harm. • Making false statements or misrepresentations about you, the amount you owe, or what could happen if you refuse to pay. • Contacting you multiple times each day or multiple times within a week. • Publicly revealing your debt to other people, such as friends, family, or co-workers. • Asking you for payments or amounts that exceed the amount you agreed to pay or that are not allowed by state or federal law. • Refusing to give you written notice of the debt. Because of the FDCPA, debt collectors in Delaware are prohibited from engaging in any of the above-mentioned activities. If you believe that a debt collector is harassing you in any way, you have the right to sue them for damages or to receive compensation. You should keep detailed records of any contact you have with the debt collector to document the harassment.
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