Debt Collector Rights Checker

Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), collectors can contact you by phone, mail, or in person between 8 AM and 9 PM local time. They can report the debt to credit bureaus, file a lawsuit before the statute of limitations expires, and contact your attorney if you have one. They cannot harass, threaten, use false information, or call before 8 AM or after 9 PM.

Debt collectors are prohibited from: calling before 8 AM or after 9 PM, calling repeatedly to harass you, using profane language, threatening violence, making false statements (like claiming to be a lawyer or government agent), threatening legal action they cannot or do not intend to take, or discussing your debt with third parties (except your spouse or attorney).

Not if they know your employer doesn't allow it (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(a)(3)), or that work is an inconvenient place for you (§ 1692c(a)(1)). Tell them either one — by phone or in writing — and they must stop contacting you at work. Also send it in writing by certified mail to keep a record. Separately, a collector may contact your employer or coworkers only to get your address or phone number, generally only once, and may not say you owe a debt (§ 1692b).

Within 5 days of first contacting you, a collector must send a written validation notice. You have 30 days from when you receive that notice to dispute the debt (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34) — the notice shows the exact date. Send a written dispute letter via certified mail, return receipt requested. If you dispute in writing within that window, the collector must stop collecting until they send you verification of the debt. Keep copies of everything. A dispute does not erase the debt, but it forces the collector to verify it.

The statute of limitations is the window during which a creditor can sue you to collect a debt. It varies by state (typically 3-6 years) and by debt type (credit card, medical, written contract, etc.). After it expires, the debt is "time-barred" and collectors cannot legally sue you. Be careful — making a payment or even acknowledging the debt in writing can reset the clock in some states.

Send a written "cease communication" letter via certified mail. Once a debt collector receives it, they can only contact you one more time — to confirm they will stop or to notify you of a specific action they intend to take (like filing a lawsuit). This doesn't erase the debt, but it stops the calls. The FDCPA grants you this right under 15 U.S.C. § 1692c(c).