Has a debt collection agency such as Delta Outsource Group, Inc. left you a voicemail on your home landline? Have you walked into the office to find your work phone lit up with messages from a third party debt collector? Do you have trouble sleeping at night because a bill collector left a message on your cell phone that included abusive language?
The most important question might be can a debt collection agency even leave you a voicemail?
Overview of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
Often referred to as the ultimate consumer Bill of Rights, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) outlaws dozens of previously legal debt collection tactics. For example, third party debt collectors are forbidden from using deception to trick consumers into paying off outstanding credit card and personal loan accounts.
Deception can include impersonating a law enforcement official or trying to get more money than what is actually owed on a consumer debt. The FDCPA also grants consumers the right to file a claim seeking just compensation for one or more violations of the historically significant consumer protection law.
![When Can Delta Outsource Group, Inc. Leave A Voicemail?]()
Why Voicemails Cross the Legal Line
Under the FDCPA, Delta Outsource Group, Inc. is not permitted to contact third parties in regard to delinquent consumer debts. How does this provision apply to voicemails? In each of three examples mentioned in the opening paragraph, it is extremely difficult for a third party debt collector to leave a voicemail and not have a third party listen to it. Take the voicemail left on your home landline.
If you are away at the time of the phone call, someone else is likely to hear the message left by a bill collector. Although the debt collection agency did not intend to contact a third party, by leaving a voicemail, the company indirectly violated the FDCPA when someone other than you heard the voicemail.
The FDCPA Covers Other Types of Voicemails
In the second and third examples mentioned above, it is harder for someone other than you to hear the voicemail messages left by a third party debt collector. However, a bill collector can still violate the FDCPA by threatening you via voicemails and by calling you after the allowed period stipulated by the FDCPA. Delta Outsource Group, Inc. cannot leave repeated voicemails throughout the day or use abusive language when leaving a message for a consumer. If you listen to an overly aggressive voicemail left by a debt collection agency, the time has come to contact an accomplished consumer protection lawyer.
Schedule a Free Initial Consultation
The only way you can expect to get justice for the illegal practices implemented by a debt collection agency is to work with a licensed consumer protection attorney, preferably a lawyer that thoroughly understands the FDCPA. Your FDCPA attorney will determine whether the FDCPA infractions committed by Delta Outsource Group, Inc. caused you physical and/or emotional duress.
If your FDCPA lawyer can link FDCPA violations to your pain and suffering, you might be eligible to receive monetary damages that are not capped by the FDCPA. Otherwise, you can seek statutory damages not exceeding $1,000 for all FDCPA violations. Schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced FDCPA lawyer today.
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 Delta Outsource Group, Inc. or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.