Can a debt collector call my references?

In Pennsylvania, debt collectors are limited in how they can contact debtors and their references. According to Pennsylvania state law, debt collectors are prohibited from contacting people other than the debtor in order to collect on a debt. This includes calling references. They are also prohibited from calling more than once a day, or at any unreasonable or unusual hours. Debt collectors may, however, contact employers or references if they need to locate and verify the debtors’ whereabouts or verify their employment. This is as long as the debt collectors are non-aggressive in their approach and do not threaten the person with any harm or legal action. If the debt collector contacts a reference or employer, they must disclose their identity, the purpose of the call, and the amount of the debt, but they are not allowed to discuss any details of the debt with the reference. If the debt collector calls your reference with the express purpose of collecting the debt, or makes more than one call, this could be considered a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act in Pennsylvania. If this happens, you should report the debt collector to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General so they can investigate the matter.

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Can a debt collector call my references?

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