What Do I Do If A Creditor Keeps Harassing Me?
The State of Florida has passed laws that give protection to Florida consumers. This protection is in place to keep credit card companies and debt collectors from harassing you in order to collect a debt. The frequency and severity of unfair practices in collecting debts became such a problem in Florida that laws were passed to safeguard Florida consumers from any creditor trying to collect a debt, not just a licensed debt collecting agency.
Florida has very specific guidelines regulating what debt collectors and creditors can and cannot do when attempting to collect unpaid debts. Specifically, Florida law prohibits debt collectors and creditors from the following:
· Pretending to be an officer of the law or a government representative;
· Using or threatening to use violence;
· Communicating or threatening to communicate with the consumer’s employer before a final judgment from a court is ruled against the consumer;
· Unjustifiably disclosing to a person other than the consumer or the consumer’s family information affecting the consumer’s reputation;
· Harassing the consumer or the consumer’s family with frequent communication;
· Using profane, obscene, vulgar, or willfully abusive language;
· Mail any communication with words visible on the outside of the envelope designed to embarrass the consumer; and
· Communicating with a consumer between the hours of 9 p.m. and 8 a.m.
Each and every one of those acts is a violation of the law. Florida consumers are protected from such violations for up to 2 years after the date which the violation occurred. Eubanks, Barrett, Fasig & Brooks is committed to protecting individuals who have been harassed or been the recipient of any of the violations listed above. If you have any questions or concerns about your rights and debt collectors, contact an attorney at Eubanks, Barrett, Fasig & Brooks.