by Laura Boeckman
Debt collectors may only call between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. If they call outside of these hours, they have violated the “Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).”
If you tell a debt collector in writing that you do not want to communicate with them anymore regarding a debt, the debt collector cannot contact you again about the debt except for very limited reasons. But they cannot continue to send you letters attempting to collect the debt after you request it to cease.
A debt collector must always identify himself when he calls and who he works for.
Debt collectors frequently sell satisfied debts so if you make a payment arrangement with a debt collector, make sure to have the arrangement in writing and keep proof of all of your payments.
Any payments made to a debt collector should be with a cashier’s check or money order because sending a personal check gives the debt collector your checking account information which they could use to drain your account.