Is a Debt Collector Harassing You?

How to Get Debt Collectors to Stop Harassing You

Are those annoying debt collector calls getting to you? If a company believes you owe them a debt, they do legally have the right to contact you to retrieve that debt. However, in just 30 minutes of work, you can get them to never contact you again.

Here’s how to get debt collectors of all non-business debt to stop harassing you.

Before Getting Started

Before you request anyone stops contacting you, it may be a good idea to actually talk to the debt collector just once.

That way, you can get a good idea of what’s going on. The debt could be a lot less than you expected. Or you might be able to negotiate a much better deal than you’d expect.

Often paying a fraction of your debt may be better for you and your credit than if you just defaulted on the debt.

That said, if you do choose to ignore your creditors, here’s how to get them to stop contacting you.

Cite the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act

The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) is the act that prevents debt collectors from acting out of line. It’s also your main leverage when it comes to getting debt collectors off your back.

If you want a debt collector to stop contacting you, all you need to do is send them a letter citing the FDCPA. Ask them to cease all contact with you as required by law.

Make sure you send the letter with a return receipt, so you know when they’ve received the letter.

Once they’ve received this letter, they cannot try to contact you to collect a debt any longer. The only two reasons they can contact you are to either let you know that they’ve added you to their “do not contact” list, or to inform you of further action, such as a lawsuit.

There are many different templates you can find online for ceasing contact request letters. It’s very easy to just print one of these out, replace the address and mail it.

What Happens If They Still Contact You?

If they continue to contact you after you’ve sent them the letter, you’re eligible for a lawsuit.

You can get paid $1,000 plus legal fees if a debt collector still continues to contact you after you’ve requested them to stop. You don’t have to prove damages.

Using this simple method, you can get a creditor off your back in as little as 30 minutes. All you need to do is buy an envelope and stamps, print out the letter and put on their address. After that, you should either have no more contact or be eligible for a lawsuit if they keep pestering you.