Third-party collectors are not all bad. In fact, many are polite and operate within the limits of the law. That being said, not all third-party collectors are like this. In New Jersey, you may find third-party collectors who are unreasonably aggressive in their collection methods. These third-party collectors may ask you to pay more than you owe, use profane language in your encounters, or try to discuss your debt with unauthorized parties.
These aggressive methods (along with many others) are prohibited under the Federal Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Since it’s a federal law, the protections extend to New Jersey and the other 49 U.S. states.
If you’ve experienced any unreasonably aggressive and unscrupulous behavior from a third-party collector, you should consider filing a claim under the FDCPA. You don’t deserve the harassment that you’ve been experiencing– you deserve an advocate. This is why you should think about reaching out to an FDCPA attorney; that attorney could be the advocate that you’ve been needing.
New Jersey’s Debt Collection Protections
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You’ll get many different protections under the FDCPA, but don’t forget that New Jersey offers its own unique protections. It may turn out that the third-party collectors you’ve encountered could be violating state and federal law.
In New Jersey, collectors have three years to collect on most debts. People also need to collect on debts involving personal or property damage within six years. Generally speaking, collectors have six years from when a demand is issued to collect on the debt.
The FDCPA and You
New Jersey’s laws protect consumers from certain debt collection practices, but the FDCPA may offer even more robust protections for a broad range of behavior. Thanks to the FDCPA, third-party collectors are not supposed to do the following.
- Leave multiple voicemails
- Try to collect on a debt that has already been paid
- Collect an amount that was not initially agreed upon
- Tell third-parties that you owe them money.
These aren’t the only prohibited actions under the FDCPA, so don’t fret if you have not experienced those specific behaviors.. You can find additional information on FDCPA violations by clicking the “Your Rights” tab at the top of the page.
Talk to An FDCPA Attorney Today
Even though third-party collectors may have forced you to forget this, you do have rights as a consumer. If you’re experiencing any of the kind of behavior mentioned above, you may have a viable claim under the FDCPA.
Having a well-experienced FDCPA attorney on your side will put you in the best possible position to win that claim. With your attorney’s help, you could get the harassment to stop and get $1,000 for each FDCPA violation that you’ve suffered.
An attorney will serve as the advocate that you deserve. Any amount of harassment from a third-party collector is too much, and you deserve to finally attain some peace. A knowledgeable FDCPA lawyer may very well be the key to making that happen, so contact one as soon as possible.