Source: http://unfairdebtcollectioncenter.com/statute.php
Timestamp: 2017-05-25 16:16:54
Document Index: 629843864

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1692', '§ 1692', '§ 1692', '§ 1692', '§ 1692', '§ 1692', '§ 1692', '§ 1692', '§ 1692', '§ 1692', '§ 1818', '§ 181', '§ 226']

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is an important consumer law that is a part of the Consumer Credit Protection Act. It protects consumers from unfair, deceptive and abusive debt collectors and collection harassment. Among other things, the FDCPA prohibits debt collectors from harassing and abusing a consumer, reporting inaccurate information about a debt, suing a consumer after the statute of limitations has expired, and contacting most third parties such as neighbors. In addition, the FDCPA gives the consumer the right to demand that the debt collector provide verification of a debt (called validation) and cease contact if such a demand is made properly by the consumer. If a consumer proves that a debt collector violated the law, the FDPCA provides that a consumer may recover statutory damages up to $1000, as well as any actual damages. § 1692. What Congress Found in Passing the Law This is exactly what Congress found was going on in the collection industry which caused it to pass the FDCPA:
§ 1692a. Definitions—The following are the definitions for the terms found in the FDCPA (1) The term “Commission” means the Federal Trade Commission.
(6) The term “debt collector” means any person who uses any instrumentality of interstate commerce or the mails in any business the principal purpose of which is the collection of any debts, or who regularly collects or attempts to collect, directly or indirectly, debts owed or due or asserted to be owed or due another. Notwithstanding the exclusion provided by clause (F) of the last sentence of this paragraph, the term includes any creditor who, in the process of collecting his own debts, uses any name other than his own which would indicate that a third person is collecting or attempting to collect such debts. For the purpose of section 1692f(6) of this title, such term also includes any person who uses any instrumentality of interstate commerce or the mails in any business the principal purpose of which is the enforcement of security interests. The term does not include--
§ 1692b. Acquisition of location information—The FDCPA limits the contacts that a debt collector can have with third parties about a consumer’s debt. One of the exceptions is when the debt collector is just looking for information about where the consumer is located. But the FDCPA is very specific as to what the debt collector can and cannot say in such a situation. Here is what the law says: Any debt collector communicating with any person other than the consumer for the purpose of acquiring location information about the consumer shall--
(1) at any unusual time or place or a time or place known or which should be known to be inconvenient to the consumer. In the absence of knowledge of circumstances to the contrary, a debt collector shall assume that the convenient time for communicating with a consumer is after 8 o'clock antemeridian and before 9 o'clock postmeridian, local time at the consumer's location; Example: Calling too early or too late
Example: When the consumer is represented by a lawyer, contacting the consumer directly (3) at the consumer's place of employment if the debt collector knows or has reason to know that the consumer's employer prohibits the consumer from receiving such communication.
Example: Calling the consumer at work after the consumer has told the debt collector he or she cannot take calls at their place of employment (b) Communication with third parties
Example: Continued and repeated contact with the consumer despite the consumer having sent a cease and desist letter; (1) to advise the consumer that the debt collector's further efforts are being terminated;
§ 1692d. Harassment or abuse—Harassment and/or abuse by a debt collector is prohibited by the FDCPA. The FDCPA lists specifically what kinds of acts constitute abuse or harassment. They include: A debt collector may not engage in any conduct the natural consequence of which is to harass, oppress, or abuse any person in connection with the collection of a debt. Without limiting the general application of the foregoing, the following conduct is a violation of this section:
(1) The use or threat of use of violence or other criminal means to harm the physical person, reputation, or property of any person. Example: threatening violence or injury to the consumer, damage to house or car, or to embarrass the consumer to his or her neighbors/family; (2) The use of obscene or profane language or language the natural consequence of which is to abuse the hearer or reader. Example: cursing to the consumer
Example: repeated calls on a daily or weekly basis; (6) Except as provided in section 1692b of this title, the placement of telephone calls without meaningful disclosure of the caller's identity.
Example: debt collector failing to tell consumer who they are , what company they work for, etc. § 1692e. False or misleading representations—In addition to prohibiting abuse and harassment, the FDCPA prohibits debt collectors from making false or misleading statements or statements in an effort to coerce payment of the debt. The FDCPA specifically defines what types of statements are false and/or misleading. A debt collector may not use any false, deceptive, or misleading representation or means in connection with the collection of any debt. Without limiting the general application of the foregoing, the following conduct is a violation of this section:
Examples: Stating the consumer owes more than they actually do, or that the debt collector can sue on a debt that is barred by the statute of limitations; (B) any services rendered or compensation which may be lawfully received by any debt collector for the collection of a debt.
Example: that if the consumer pays the debt, the debt collector or someone else will pay the consumer; (3) The false representation or implication that any individual is an attorney or that any communication is from an attorney.
Example: Lawyers sending mass form letters which suggest that the lawyer is involved in collecting the debt; (4) The representation or implication that nonpayment of any debt will result in the arrest or imprisonment of any person or the seizure, garnishment, attachment, or sale of any property or wages of any person unless such action is lawful and the debt collector or creditor intends to take such action.
Example: threatening that a consumer can be arrested for non-payment of a debt, or that his or her wages can be garnished if the state he or she resides in prohibits garnishment; (5) The threat to take any action that cannot legally be taken or that is not intended to be taken.
Example: like 4 above but would include threats of suit when the debt collector doesn’t sue or cannot sue in the consumer’s forum, threatening suit far away; (6) The false representation or implication that a sale, referral, or other transfer of any interest in a debt shall cause the consumer to--
(8) Communicating or threatening to communicate to any person credit information which is known or which should be known to be false, including the failure to communicate that a disputed debt is disputed. Example of this would be telling a consumer that a debt will stay on the consumer’s credit report beyond the time-period permitted by the FCRA or that the debt collector has reported a debt to a credit bureau when they haven’t). (9) The use or distribution of any written communication which simulates or is falsely represented to be a document authorized, issued, or approved by any court, official, or agency of the United States or any State, or which creates a false impression as to its source, authorization, or approval.
§ 1692f. Unfair practices—The FDCPA prohibits debt collectors from engaging in tactics which would clearly be unfair to a consumer. The following is a list of prohibited unfair tactics: A debt collector may not use unfair or unconscionable means to collect or attempt to collect any debt. Without limiting the general application of the foregoing, the following conduct is a violation of this section:
§ 1692g. Debt Validation--This section gives consumers the right to demand that a debt collector provide verification of a debt. For example, if the consumer disputed the debt as not being his or hers and demanded verification of it, this would require the debt collector to provide some evidence showing the consumer’s liability (like a credit application or receipt for a purchase. (a) Notice of debt; contents
§ 1692i. Lawsuits ---This section limits how and where a debt collector can sue a consumer for a debt:
§ 1692j. Furnishing certain deceptive forms—Debt Collectors cannot use deceptive forms which trick a consumer into paying a debt. (a) It is unlawful to design, compile, and furnish any form knowing that such form would be used to create the false belief in a consumer that a person other than the creditor of such consumer is participating in the collection of or in an attempt to collect a debt such consumer allegedly owes such creditor, when in fact such person is not so participating.
§ 1692k. Civil liability—If a debt collector violates the FDPCA, the consumer can sue the company AND recover attorney’s fees and costs. (a) Amount of damages
(1) section 8 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act [12 U.S.C.A. § 1818], in the case of--
(6) the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 [7 U.S.C.A. § 181 et seq.] (except as provided in section 406 of that Act [7 U.S.C.A. §§ 226, 227]), by the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to any activities subject to that Act. The terms used in paragraph (1) that are not defined in this subchapter or otherwise defined in section 3(s) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813(s)) shall have the meaning given to them in section 1(b) of the International Banking Act of 1978 (12 U.S.C. 3101).