Ley de Prácticas Justas de Cobro de Deudas (FDCPA)
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is a federal law that restricts the actions of third-party debt collectors who are trying to collect debts on behalf of another individual or entity. The law restricts the ways that collectors can contact debtors, along with the time of day and amount of times that contact can be made. If the FDCPA is violated, the debtor can sue the debt collection agency in addition to the individual debt collector for damages and lawyer fees.
Cómo funciona la Ley de Prácticas Justas de Cobro de Deudas
The FDCPA does not protect debtors from those who are attempting to collect a personal debt. If you owe money to the local hardware shop, for instance, and the owner of the shop calls you to collect that debt, that person is not a debt collector under the terms of this act. The FDCPA just applies to third-party debt collectors, such as those who work for a debt collection agency. Credit card debt, medical bills, student loans, mortgages, and other kinds of household debt are covered by the law.
Ejemplo de cuándo y cómo pueden los cobradores ponerse en contacto con los deudores
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act specifies that debt collectors can not contact debtors at inconvenient times. That means they must not call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. unless the debtor and the collector have made an arrangement for a call to happen outside of the permitted hours. If a debtor informs a collector that they would like to talk after work at 10 p.m., for example, the collector is allowed to call then. Without an invitation or agreement, however, the debtor can not legally call during that time. Debt collectors may also send letters, emails, or text messages to collect a debt.
Debt collectors can attempt to get in touch with debtors at their homes or offices. However, if a debtor tells a bill collector, either verbally or in writing, to stop calling their place of employment, the collector must not call that number again.
En un plazo de cinco días tras ponerse en contacto con un deudor, el cobrador debe enviar una "notificación de validación" por escrito que incluya:
- La cantidad de dinero que debe el deudor
- El nombre del acreedor al que se debe la deuda
- Aviso de que tienen 30 días para impugnar la deuda y qué hacer
Consideraciones especiales
Debtors can also stop collectors from calling their home phones, but they must put the request in a letter and send it to the debt collector. It's a good idea to send the letter by certified mail and pay for a return receipt so that you have evidence that the debt collector got the request.
If a collector does not have contact information for a debtor, they can call relatives, neighbors, or associates of the debtor to try to find the debtor's phone number, however they can not disclose any information concerning the debt, including the fact that they are calling from a debt collection agency. (The collector can only talk about the debt with the debtor or their husband or wife.) Furthermore, collectors can only call third parties once each.
The law makes it illegal for debt collectors to bother debtors in other ways, including threats of bodily harm or arrest. They also can not lie or use profane or obscene language. Furthermore, debt collectors can not threaten to take legal action against a debtor unless they truly intend to take that debtor to court.
For More Information About the Fair Debt Collections Act in Newport Beach, California, Contact Thomas K. McKnight LLP At (800) 466 - 7507 or Visit Our Website at TKMLLP.Com for a Free Consultation!
