How Pennsylvania’s FDCPA Laws Can Help Protect You

Consumers have a right to not be harassed for a debt. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act provides protection to consumers and dictates the ways that debt collectors can collect on a debt. The FDCPA is a nationwide law that protects consumers in all states including Pennsylvania.

According to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act debt collectors can’t do things like threaten you in order to collect a debt or call your family and friends trying to get you to pay a debt. They also call you at work if you have told them not to.

Many debt collectors count on consumers not knowing their rights so they try to get away with behavior that is forbidden by the FDCPA. If a debt collector acts in a way that is prohibited by the FDCPA or Pennsylvania’s consumer protection laws you could be entitled to damages.

FDCPA Laws In Pennsylvania

Even though all consumers throughout the US are protected by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act each state also has their own laws to protect consumers from predatory debt collection practices. In Pennsylvania there is the Fair Credit Extension Uniformity Act.

The FCEUA has even stricter regulations than the FDCPA. Together the Pennsylvania debt protection law and the FDCPA provide thorough coverage for consumers to keep them from being harassed or shamed into paying a debt.

Creditor Harassment Protected under FDCPA + Pennsylvania Collection Laws

There is a long list of things that debt collectors cannot do in order to collect a debt in Pennsylvania. If you are being harassed by a debt collector or if the debt collector violates any of the dictates of the FDCPA or the FCEUA you could be entitled to damages from that debt collector.

You are allowed to file a claim for damages against any debt collector that has violated the debt collection practices included in the FCPA and the FCEUA like:

• A debt collector cannot send a postcard or a letter to your home that indicates you owe a debt. Any letter or physical correspondence must not indicate that it is in regard to a debt or that you owe a debt.
• A debt collector cannot call you at work more than once a week and cannot call you at work at all if you tell them not to or if your employer forbids collection calls.
• A debt collector cannot threaten you with legal action, criminal prosecution, or other dire consequences for not paying a debt.

Work With An Attorney Today

Debt collectors try to take advantage of consumers that don’t know their rights. The best way to fight a debt collector and protect your rights is to work with an attorney that specializes in debt collection cases.

If a debt collector has harassed you, or violated the FDCPA or the FCEUA you could be entitled to up to $1000 in damages for every violation of the consumer debt protection laws. Talk to an experienced attorney today to get the help you need to file a claim against a debt collector.

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