Are you getting debt calls that will not stop? If you are being followed or harassed by a debt collector, or other agency in Georgia, Morgan & Morgan can protect your rights.
Repeated contact from creditors or debt collectors is stressful, frustrating, and sometimes threatening. You may not know that there are laws that can stop people who use harassment and threats to collect on debt you may not even owe. Our personal injury law firm can help.
Morgan & Morgan is a national law firm with offices in downtown Atlanta, just off Peachtree. Our lawyers are highly knowledgeable about debt collector practices and the laws that can protect you. Contact us for a free case evaluation today.
Are you receiving harassing phone calls about debt?
It is common to get behind on your bills. A lost job, reduction in hours, unexpected financial burden—or just credit cards—can be financially overwhelming. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is legislation that prohibits—and punishes—debt collectors who abuse or harass you and your family over unpaid bills or debt.
Our attorneys in Atlanta help you understand how federal law protects you against debt calls and other actions that include:
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Unfair debt collection tactics: A debt collector, or debt collection agency, may not contact you at all hours of the day or night. Calls made after 9:00 PM, or before 8:00 AM could be considered unreasonable. Making repeated attempts to contact you at work is inappropriate if you have informed them not to contact you at your place of employment. If you are represented by a debt collection attorney in Atlanta or elsewhere, a debt collector may only contact or correspond with your attorney.
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Harassment and abuse: If you are targeted by a debt collector in Georgia who uses abuse to threaten or intimidate you, it is illegal. Debt agencies may not threaten violence or imprisonment. They also cannot place harassing phone calls, or inform your associates through advertisement or other means that you owe a debt.
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Misrepresentation: When contacted by debt collectors, many people are upset, embarrassed, or frightened by the prospect of legal action. Some debt collectors misrepresent themselves as attorneys, government officials, or even as a creditor.
A creditor is an organization to whom you directly owe money—like a car dealership, or the bank that finances your home loan. Debt collectors often work for an agency that has purchased your debt—even an old, forgotten, or previously paid debt—from a creditor for pennies on the dollar.
Some unscrupulous debt collectors try to collect twice on debt, or collect on debt that has already been discharged by a creditor, called zombie debt. If you do not know your rights, and a person shows up at your door telling you that you owe money right now, it is important for you to know how to get help.
Remember the FDCPA exists to protect you from unfair and harassing debt collection efforts. This law does not prevent creditors or debt collectors from legally proceeding with debt collection actions against you for unpaid debt. Also, The FDCPA protects individuals who owe consumer debt—such as car loans, house payments, medical bills, and charges on credit cards. The FDCPA is not intended for use in commerce for business debt.
We Can Help You with Unfair Debt Collection in Atlanta
When you suffer debt harassment, you have the right to tell the debt agency not to contact you. Do not agree to pay any amount of money unless you see proof that you owe the debt. Take steps to protect yourself, including contacting our attorneys to stop the harassment. If appropriate, we will pursue an action against the debt collector for money damages owed you due to unfair debt collection practices.
To find out more about how we may be able to help, contact us for a free case evaluation today.