When you submit a credit application, you provide the credit card or personal loan company with your contact information. If you fall behind on your payments, the original creditor might decide to sell your debt, as well as your contact information, to a debt collection agency. Acquiring your contact information is easy, but how does a third party debt collector discover the contact information of your friends, neighbors, and family members?
The answer is as simple as performing a Google search. A third party debt collector such as Synerprise Consulting Services, Inc. inputs your name into Google’s search engine and several sites pop up that list some of the people you know. Then, the bill collector inputs the names of the people that appear in your personal profiles to obtain the contact information the company needs to discuss your outstanding consumer debt.
Contacting a Third Party is against the Law
A debt collection agency can find out the contact information for friends and relatives. What the company is not permitted to do by law is to contact those people regarding your debt. After years of debate, the United States Congress wrote into law the ultimate consumer Bill of Rights called the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
The FDCPA prohibits a long list of previously legal debt collection tactics that include using abusive language to intimidate consumers into taking care of delinquent credit card and personal loan balances. Another provision of the FDCPA forbids bill collectors from contacting third parties concerning consumer debts.
Synerprise Consulting Services, Inc. cannot contact a third party to ask the third party to convince you that paying off the outstanding debt is in your best interest. The debt collection agency cannot discuss the debt with anyone, unless you give permission to the company to call or send an email to a friend, a neighbor, a family member, or a professional peer. Permission must be granted in writing, preferably in a hand typed letter sent by certified mail.
What to Do If Synerprise Consulting Services, Inc. Breaks the Law
You have several legal options to address a violation of the FDCPA. None of the legal options will have much impact until you speak with a licensed consumer attorney who practices consumer protection law. You need an experienced FDCPA lawyer who will know exactly how to handle a debt collection agency.
Your FDCPA lawyer might decide to file claim seeking monetary damages. Dealing with a third party debt collector that crosses the legal line can produce considerable anxiety, which can lead to physical and/or emotional distress symptoms.
Under the FDCPA, you might be eligible to receive just compensation that pays for the medical bills generated by physical and/or emotional duress symptoms. You also can recover lost wages and the money garnished from your paychecks.
Work with a Consumer Protection Lawyer
Most consumer protection attorneys work on a flat fee contingency basis, which means they win whenever their clients win. Discover how the FDCPA protects you against the third party calls made by a debt collection agency. Contact an FDCPA lawyer today.
Additional Resources:
*Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Synerprise Consulting Services, Inc. or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to compensation.