If you use credit cards, owe money on a personal loan, you are a "debtor." If you fall behind in repaying your creditors, or an error is made on your accounts, you may be contacted by a "debt collector." You should know that in either situation, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires that debt collectors treat you fairly and prohibits certain methods of debt collection. Of course, the law does not erase any legitimate debts that you owe.
Most debts that are covered by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act include personal debt, family debt, and household debts. This includes money owed for the purchase of an automobile, for medical care, or for credit card accounts. A debt collector is any person who regularly collects debts owed to others. This can include attorneys who collect debts on a regular basis.
A collector may contact you in person, by mail, telephone, telegram, or fax. However, a debt collector may not contact you at inconvenient times or places, such as before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., unless you agree. A debt collector also may not contact you at work if the collector knows that your employer disapproves of such contacts.
You can stop a debt collector from contacting you by writing a letter to the collector telling them to stop. Once the collector receives your letter, they may not contact you again except to say there will be no further contact or to notify you that the debt collector or the creditor intends to take some specific action. Please note, however, that sending
such a letter to a collector does not make the debt go away if you actually owe it. You could still be sued by the debt collector or your original creditor.
In addition, a debt collector may contact others about your debt. If you have an attorney, the debt collector must contact the attorney, rather than you. If you do not have an attorney, a collector may contact other people, but only to find out where you live, what your phone number is, and where you work. Collectors usually are prohibited from contacting such third parties more than once. In most cases, the collector may not
tell anyone other than you and your attorney that you owe money.
A debt collector must disclose certain information about the debt? For example, within five days after you are first contacted, the collector must send you a written notice telling you the amount of money you owe; the name of the creditor to whom you owe the money; and what action to take if you believe you do not owe the money. A collector may not contact you if, within 30 days after you receive the written notice, you send the collection agency a letter stating you do not owe money. However, a collector can renew
collection activities if you are sent proof of the debt, such as a copy of a bill for the amount owed
Prohibited debt collection practices include:
· Debt collectors may not harass, oppress, or abuse you or any third parties they contact.
· Use threats of violence or harm.
· Publish a list of consumers who refuse to pay their debts (except to a credit bureau).
· Use obscene or profane language.
· Repeatedly use the telephone to annoy someone.
· May not use any false or misleading statements when collecting a debt.
For example, debt collectors may not:
· Falsely imply that they are attorneys or government representatives.
· Falsely imply that you have committed a crime.
· Falsely represent that they operate or work for a credit bureau.
· Misrepresent the amount of your debt.
· Indicate that papers being sent to you are legal forms when they are not.
· Indicate that papers being sent to you are not legal forms when they are.
Debt collectors also may not state that:
· You will be arrested if you do not pay your debt.
· They will seize, garnish, attach, or sell your property or wages, unless the collection agency or creditor intends to do so, and it is legal to do so.
· Suggest actions, such as a lawsuit, will be taken against you, when such action
legally may not be taken, or when they do not intend to take such action.
Debt collectors may not:
· Give false credit information about you to anyone, including a credit bureau.
· Send you anything that looks like an official document from a court or government agency when it is not; or use a false name.
Unfair practices. Debt collectors may not engage in unfair practices when they try to collect a debt. For example, collectors may not:
· Collect any amount greater than your debt, unless your state law permits
· such a charge.
· Deposit a post-dated check prematurely.
· Use deception to make you accept collect calls or pay for telegrams.
· Take or threaten to take your property unless this can be done legally; or contact you by postcard.
You can control where your payments are applied. For example, if you owe more than one debt, any payment you make must be applied to the debt you indicate. A debt collector may not apply a payment to any debt you believe you do not owe.
What you can do if you believe a debt collector violated the law.
· You have the right to sue a collector in a state or federal court within one year from the date the law was violated. If you win, you may recover money for the damages you suffered plus an additional amount up to $1,000.
· Court costs and attorney's fees also can be recovered. A group of people also may sue a debt collector and recover money for damages up to $500,000, or one percent of the collector's net worth, whichever is less.
You can report any problems you have with a debt collector to your state Attorney General's office and the Federal Trade Commission. Many states have their own debt collection laws, and your Attorney General's office can help you determine your rights.

Wow lots of mis-information mixed in there. Im curious if your quoting your local state laws or federal laws? Maybe you could provide the federal statues that says any collector must send you notication with in 5 days. You have the right to sue a debt collector, sure and the debt collector has the right to sue you too. Infact anyone in America can sue anyone. Didnt a lady drinking her coffee sue mcdonalds because her coffee was too hot? So you win in court, so what! end result you still owe the money and your credit bureau still reflects the amount owed.

When all else fails you could pay the bill you owe....

Looks like a cut and paste job from a personal blog - Google confirms it.

Is any of this really true in practice? I don't think so. Somehow it does not seem to me that the jails are full of IRS employees or debt collecting agencies, yet all of the so-called prohibited practices are quite common. It's an unjust system.

Does these perceived prohibitions also apply to the government, who is, in essence, a debt collecting agency--nope. Rather, they can jail you, and harass you to their delight to "collect debt."