Calls from collection companies can be a nightmare. If you are late, lost or forget to pay your bills, it is normal to receive these types of calls. In many cases, collectors resort to harassment and misrepresentation to collect, and you don't have to put up with them. There are state and federal laws to ensure that you, as a consumer, are treated correctly. If you are being harassed by a collection company, there are several ways to stop them.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Talking to Collectors
Step 1. Don't ignore bill collectors
Answer the phone and see if you have money or not, what you can do to pay during these oppressive calls, or even a mistake. Only after you understand the reason for the calls should you try to stop them. Ignoring legitimate billing calls won't end them.
Collectors have the legal right to collect the debt. Not paying the money owed to companies can have adverse effects on your name in the marketplace. Sometimes you may forget that you owe money to a credit card company, finance company, or bank. If you don't answer the phone, you may not realize you have outstanding debts until you receive notification
Step 2. Beware of illegal and harmful billing practices
It is common for collection companies to confuse people. Those with common names, such as João da Silva or Maria das Graças, often receive calls intending to locate other people with the same name. Sometimes collectors call everyone with the same last name in a given region, looking for the debtor or family members.
- Watch out for phantom debts. These are debts that you do not legally owe but that an unscrupulous collection company is still trying to collect. Phantom debt refers to an amount already paid that a company continues to try to collect. If you do not pay, the company has no resources to use against you, but once you make a payment, the money will not be refunded and you will have little or no recourse against the company.
- Collectors often threaten to take legal action in hopes of getting paid faster, but debts are civil matters and cannot be used to bring criminal actions. The only way to make nonpayment of a debt a crime is if the original sum was obtained in illegal ways, such as identity theft, fraud or other misrepresentation.
Step 3. Know your rights
According to the Consumer Protection Code, no bill collector may make any kind of threat or use offensive language. Let me know who is charging for this. If the charge is fraudulent or dishonest, he will likely be frightened.
Duty can be disgraceful, and most people are unwilling to let their family or friends know about the problem. State and federal laws also do not allow collection companies to talk about your debt to anyone other than your attorney or without your permission
Step 4. Record the phone conversation
Lawyers love to have recordings. If the collector is using vulgar methods to intimidate you, start recording. Early on, inform the collector that you are recording the call as evidence to file a formal legal complaint. If your phone is speakerphone, use a regular recorder to record the conversation. Most cell phones today have built-in apps or recording features.
Step 5. Don't commit fraud
Don't lie and pretend to be someone else, say you died or moved away. Under federal law, all of these acts are considered fraud. Collection companies and investigators can easily determine if such a statement is false. As billing calls are recorded, your lie will be recorded as well.
Method 2 of 3: Stopping Billing Calls
Step 1. Pay off your debt
The easiest way to stop the calls is to pay off your debt, but you need to be careful when doing this. Talk to the collector to set up a payment plan. Many will encourage you to set up an automatic debit. Whatever plan you agree on, choose something you are comfortable with. Fraudulent collection companies love to enable automatic debit and charge an exorbitant fee for the service.
Step 2. Send a letter to the collection company
The debtor can ask these companies to stop calling. Tell them in writing that you prefer to communicate only by post. Please send any correspondence, including disputes, to the company and the creditor by registered mail and ask for an acknowledgment of receipt to be sent.
- There are sample cards of this type available online.
- Keep a copy of the letter. Written communication works in your favor as you will have a record of everything that has been said, while telephone conversations are only recorded on occasion.
- If the bill collector continues to contact you after your written request, it is possible to send an out-of-court notice. Find a consumer rights lawyer who can create such a document. If the problem persists, you may be able to sue the billing company.
- Bill collectors are also prohibited from contacting you at work.
Step 3. Find a lawyer
There are many professionals who focus on debt collection. They can help you if you are in debt or if a bill collector is improperly harassing you. These attorneys will charge a fee or take a percentage of what they obtain on your behalf.
The first thing a lawyer will do is check the statute of limitations on your loan. Older loans, made decades earlier or by deceased relatives, can sometimes be the cause of collection calls. This prescription exists in many places. If it has already expired, you may no longer be obligated to pay. Even if the company continues to charge, there is no longer a legal obligation to pay. In that case, if you don't want to pay, you can send an extrajudicial notice
Step 4. Ask other people how they managed to stop receiving these calls
They may have found an alternative way that works well with this particular company. Every collection company is different. Sometimes they require you to fill out forms. Others just need a letter. Instead of finding out for yourself, ask others for help.
Step 5. Alert consumer protection agencies
Report the collection companies to the local consumer protection agency. These agencies are usually a bit slow to follow up on this type of issue, but if they get enough complaints about a specific agency, their anger can be formidable.
Method 3 of 3: Setting Your Phone to Block Charge Calls
Step 1. Set up a call filter
Only after you've exhausted all other options should you consider blocking calls. Most operators offer anonymous call rejection. If the calling party does not display their identity for any reason, the phone will not ring. Instead, the connecting party will be confronted by an operator system that will do one or more of the following:
- Ask the caller to provide the caller ID related information.
- Ask the caller to leave a very short voice message that will be repeated to you, giving you a chance to accept or reject the call, or instruct the caller to call you back revealing the necessary information.
- This will wipe out most billing calls.
Step 2. Configure your phone to receive calls only from approved numbers
- Numbers not on your whitelist will not reach your phone. Billing companies often employ caller ID spoofing, sending false or alternative information to get you to answer. However, a phone set to receive calls only from a whitelist puts a quick end to this practice by not accepting unrecognized numbers.
- This configuration can be purchased from your service provider, or it is possible to switch from conventional landline telephone service to VoIP. It requires an internet connection and works best with broadband. Dial-up internet is generally inadequate.
- There are several residential VoIP providers that allow whitelist setup for a small monthly fee. If you're feeling brave, you can set up a PBX at home using Asterisk, an open source phone system software that usually requires a dedicated computer. "PBX in a Flash" is one of the functions of Asterisk and is well suited for the above average computer user.
Step 3. Configure your phone system to block a blacklist
Similar to the above, the blacklist system allows all calls except those explicitly blocked.