I was shocked when I read this recent article in the Washington Post. Debt collectors were being investigated after charges were reported that they had harassed, intimidated and even threatened violence. Threats including “killing a pet” or “digging up a body and hanging it from a tree;” after one elderly woman experienced difficulty paying funeral bills for her dead daughter.
Others reported that the collection agency harassment extended beyond nasty and threatening voice mails, numerous phone calls at all times of the day or night to releasing information to friends, family, co-workers and even employers. These practices are shocking, but far too common. Some debt collection practices are not so shocking or extreme but they actually happen. Some unfair practices that affect consumers include being charged fees for the collection process, additional interest charges, and penalities that are excessive and against Federal Trade Commission regulations. They are not so obvious, as a result the probably happen a lot more frequently than you may think.
Have you had a problem with a debt collector harassing you?
Source Washington Post “Debt collectors harassed consumers with violent threats, FTC says” (Oct. 26, 2011)
