If you feel a little sick to your stomach every time you see a number you don’t know pop up on your phone you’re not alone. Millions of people are stressed out and filled with anxiety because of the calls they get daily from debt collectors. Debt collection calls on your personal phone are bad enough, but when debt collectors start calling you at work it can cause you to be afraid of losing your job which is stress that no one should have to go through. Debt collectors who won’t stop calling you at work or who leave voicemails on your work phone are violating the FDCPA and you don’t have to put up with that.
What You Need To Know About The FDCPA
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or FDCPA is a law that was passed in the 1970s to protect consumers from unscrupulous actions by debt collections. The law lists all the things that debt collectors aren’t allowed to do, like call you after 9 PM or call you really early in the morning. They also can’t call your friends and relatives and tell them you owe a debt, or call your boss and say that you owe a debt. But debt collectors don’t always follow the rules listed by the FDCPA and if you catch them violating the FDCPA you could be entitled to damages for every violation.
![When Can Amcol Systems Inc. Leave a Voicemail?*]()
Why Debt Collectors Can’t Leave Voicemails
One of the areas in which the FDCPA is very clear about what is allowed and what isn’t is voicemails. Debt collectors are allowed to leave a message on your personal voicemail, but they must identify themselves as debt collectors. Your work voicemail is a different story because your boss or your HR department has access to your work voicemails. That means that a third party can hear whatever is on the voicemail, including the debt collector saying that you owe a debt. That violates the FDCPA rule against discussing your debt with a third person. But if the debt collector doesn’t identify themselves a debt collector that’s a violation also. There is really almost no way that a debt collector can leave you a voicemail at work without violating the FDCPA.
Stop Threats And Harassment From Debt Collectors
Debt collectors also cannot use threats or intimidation to get you to pay a debt. They cannot tell you that you will be sued, or arrested, or that any other type of punishment is coming if you don’t pay the debt. They also can’t use intimidation tactics to get you to pay the debt. If they do and you can prove it you may be entitled to damages because they violated the FDCPA.
How An FDCPA Attorney Can Help
If you have received voicemail from a debt collector at work contact an attorney that works with FDCPA cases to find out what your options are. You can file a claim for damages because the debt collector violated the FDCPA and you could receive thousands of dollars in damages.
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 Amcol Systems Inc. or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.