If you’ve fallen behind on your bills, it may feel like you’re being harassed by creditors. The law, however, varies on what actually constitutes creditor harassment.

Creditor Harassment

According to the law, a creditor that contacts you in anyway, by phone, email or personal visit, cannot use a tone that could be interpreted as threatening or obscene. The law also protects you from being called persistently by a creditor with any intent to annoy or irritate you.

If you are receiving calls at your home or workplace at odd hours, inform the creditors that it is a disturbance and that they are not allowed to call you during those particularly early or late times. If your creditors are contacting your friends, relatives, or even your boss without your permission, that is also considered creditor harassment.

Stopping Creditor Harassment

If you are behind on your debts and have creditors calling you, the best way to handle it is to reason with them. Explain your situation and ask for extensions or even try to make payment arrangements. If the creditor has any suggestions, listen to them, and if you have your own, offer them. The best way to avoid being harassed by a creditor is to work it out as soon as possible.

However, some debt collectors are unwilling to listen to reason and can be extremely harsh and unfair. If you are unable to clear the bad debt and there seems to be no way to resolve the issue with the creditor, the next step is bankruptcy. By filing bankruptcy, all phone calls and contacts will cease, and you will be able to live in peace while you get your life back on track.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act is a federal law that protects you from creditor harassment.  if you are unable to stop the calls and have even started the process of filing for bankruptcy, then you should contact an attorney right away.

You can call 312-273-1217 and speak to one of our professionals today for free. There is never any obligation. All of our 7 Chicagoland locations have free parking and night/weekend appointments available.

Call today!

---