Debt collection lawsuits are among the most common type of civil litigation in the U.S. In fact, between the years 1993 and 2013, the number of debt collection lawsuits filed each year increased from around 1.7 million to roughly four million. In other words, as a consumer in the U.S., there is a chance that…

Although debt collectors often go to great lengths to collect debts—there are many things they are legally prohibited from doing. Unfortunately, however, this doesn’t always stop them. In fact, debt collectors routinely break the rules in pursuit of profit. In this article, we discuss five things debt collectors aren’t allowed to do.   #1: Show Up…

Debt collectors often do whatever it takes to collect a debt. Threatening letters, harassing phone calls, and other legal and illegal tactics are just a few of the ways that debt collection agencies attempt to intimidate consumers into paying. When these methods fail, however, debt collectors sometimes file lawsuits against debtors. If you’ve been sued…

When a debt collector successfully sues you in court, you become legally obligated to pay the amount owed. To collect the debt, a debt collector can obtain a court order requiring your bank or credit union to take money from your account. This process is called garnishment. Although a debt collector that wins a judgment…

Debt collectors purchase debt from original creditors for pennies on the dollar and then attempt to collect the debts. However, they don’t typically research whether a consumer actually owes a debt before attempting to collect it. The result of this is that debt collectors routinely harass people about debts they don’t owe. If you’re being…