Drawing a line for collecting a debt

The phone rings for the 1,000th time and it’s a debt collector again. Do you have any rights? What are they?

Under the law, if you do have a debt, you also have the right to send what’s called a “drop dead” letter. This letter will prevent the collector from contacting you again about a debt. Collectors can’t call at work once you say they can’t. (Though you can still be sued against the d ebtyou legitimately owe.)

To avoid collection calls in the future, I’ve advised people to get a Google Voice phone number and give that when you apply for service to a company. That way, you’re not creating a situation where a debt collector could potentially get your real cell or home phone number down the road.

Of course, if you owe a debt and have the money, I want you to pay the debt!

But know that if you pay even so much as one penny against an old debt that’s not legally active anymore, the entire debt comes back to life even if it had been outside of the statute of limitations.

Most often, though, people can’t afford to pay. In that case, collectors may say horrible things. They may tell your kids you’re going to jail if they get them on the phone. Or they may call your neighbors to try to use them to humiliate you into paying.

Another thing they’ re doing right now to trick you into talking with them is caller ID spoofing. They have the ability to make the caller ID come up with the name of a relative or a local business.

Remember this: If a collector is harassing you, you can shut down their harassment by certified mail using that drop dead letter. And know that they can’t threaten to kill you or physically harm you. Mainly, they want to create intimidation and fear. Report them to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.