Dealing with Debt Collectors

Debt collectors can be hard to work with. It is their job to get the money that you owe and make sure it is done in a timely manner. This can be a problem though because a lot of debt collectors will try to annoy you until they get the money. This is not what you want to have happen during debt settlement. There are some rules that a debt collector must follow whenever they want to get money from you. Here are some of the Dos and Don'ts.

Collector Dos

• Collectors can contact you in person, over the telephone, by fax, or by mail. Know that there is a designated calling period for which they can do so.
• You might have an attorney during debt settlement. If this is true then the collector must contact them and not you.
• After the initial contact, the debt collectors have 5 days to send you a notice telling you the exact amount you owe and who the payment must be made to.
• Collectors must stop contacting you if it is found that you do not owe any money. If they are sent proof that you do owe money, then they can start to contact you again.

Collectors Don'ts

• Collectors cannot tell you they represent the government nor are attorneys. This is not something that is true.
• You must make sure that they do not try and tell you that you have committed some sort of crime. You cannot be arrested during this process.
• Collectors must tell you the actual amount of debt you have. They must be correct down to the penny. This is your debt settlement, not theirs.
• Every document that you get from the collectors must be an official document. They cannot threaten you with any false items.
• Make sure that these people do not harass your credit. They cannot play around with your credit and they cannot give false credit information out about you.