You arrive home from work one day to find a letter in the mailbox from National Recoveries, Inc. The letter states the debt collection agency has purchased an outstanding debt in your name from a credit card company.
You ignore the letter by throwing it in trash, but rest assured National Recoveries, Inc. will not ignore you. Phone calls made to your cell phone and/or home landline follow and you ignore the calls as well. What comes next is an exercise in embarrassment, as the third party debt collector begins to call you at work.
A bill collector has the right to call you at work. According to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), a debt collection agency is defined as “any person who uses any instrumentality of interstate commerce or the mails in any business the principal purpose of which is the collection of any debts, or who regularly collects or attempts to collect, directly or indirectly, debts owed or due or asserted to be owed or due another.”
The United States Supreme Court has invariably applied a strict standard for interpreting the FDCPA definition of a third party debt collector that purchases debts and is collecting the debt for themselves, not the original creditor.
Methods for Stopping Bill collector Phone Calls at Work
Consumers have several ways to stop stress inducing work phone calls placed by debt collection agencies. The most efficient method involves referring to the “reason to know” clause written into the landmark consumer protection law.
“Reason to know” means National Recoveries, Inc. understands your employer forbids debt collection agency phone calls made to employees in the workplace. All you have to do is explain your employer prohibits third party debt collector phone calls at work and the phone calls should stop.
If a bill collector persists on contacting you on the job, the next step involves speaking with a licensed consumer protection lawyer.
Your lawyer can speak with National Recoveries, Inc. to request the ending of work phone calls and if that doesn’t convince the debt collection agency to stop, your attorney can then send a certified cease and desist letter that formally demands the bill collector stop harassing you on the job.
Other methods for stopping bill collector phone calls include negotiating a settlement or invoking the statute of limitations placed on debt collection agencies by your state.
![Can National Recoveries, Inc. Call You at Work?*]()
Are You Entitled to Monetary Damages?
The FDCPA does much more than protect consumer rights. It also grants consumers the power to seek monetary damages for one or more violations of the federal consumer protection law. One of the most common reasons for seeking monetary damages is emotional distress, which can negatively impact personal and professional relationships.
You might become moody or withdrawn because of work place phone calls made by a third party debt collector such as National Recoveries, Inc. Proving emotional duress requires the legal expertise of a seasoned FDCPA lawyer.
Your attorney will call witnesses to the stand, including professional peers that validate your claim of undue emotional distress.
Speak with a highly rated consumer protection lawyer today to learn more about how the FDCPA protects you against the aggressive tactics implemented by a bill collector.
Additional Resources
*Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be constructed as legal advice. If you file a claim against National Recoveries, Inc. or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.