The Washington Post reports that Indonesian authorities are accusing Citibank of responsibility for the death of 50 year old Irzen Octa, who was $5,700 in debt on his Citibank credit card. Mr. Ocra was allegedly beaten to death by non-employee debt collectors hired by Citibank to collect a delinquent $5,700 credit card debt.
Filed under FDCPA Claims, Illegal Debt Collection Practices by on Aug 17th, 2011. Comment. 
The New York Times recently published an interesting article entitled “Automated Debt Collection Lawsuits Engulf Courts.” The article points out that with the downturn in the economy, collection lawsuits are growing in number even though many of the lawsuits are either based on stale (time barred) claims, or are based on summary file information that is insufficient to withstand a challenge.
Read more on “Automated Debt Collection Lawsuits” Clog Courtrooms…
Filed under False or Misleading Information, Illegal Debt Collection Practices by on Jul 13th, 2010. Comment.
CNN Money recently published an article entitled “Debt Collectors Get Nasty” which confirms what many of you already know – that bill collectors are becoming more and more aggressive when it comes to demanding payment from consumers. In 2009, the FTC reported over 40,000 complaints from consumers about debt collectors calling repeatedly, up from around 1,000 complaints in 2007. Obscene language is another area of complaint as are calls at inconvenient times. Alarmingly threats of violence against consumers are an increasing source of complaints to the FTC.
Read more on Debt Collectors Getting Nastier as Economy Flounders…
Filed under Consumer Rights Under the FDCPA, FDCPA Claims, Hiring a Lawyer, Illegal Debt Collection Practices by on Jul 9th, 2010. Comment.
One of the tools available to consumers under the FDCPA is the right to demand that bill collectors stop contacting you. Under Section 1692c(c) of the law, if you notify a collector to stop contacting you, he must discontinue contact or be subject to statutory damages and reasonable attorney’s fees under the law.
Read more on What is a “Drop Dead Letter” and When Should I Use It?…
The debt collection industry has only one goal: to make money by collecting debt. Sometimes, debt collectors will use illegal methods to collect debt – and all the while they are hoping that you don’t know that what they are doing is wrong. Here are some things you need to know to make sure you’re not taken advantage of.
Read more on Secrets Debt Collectors Don’t Want You To Know…
Filed under Illegal Debt Collection Practices by on Apr 14th, 2010. Comment.
After you file for bankruptcy, it is illegal for your creditors to attempt to collect discharged debts. Nevertheless, many creditors hope that debtors don’t know how far their protection extends and will continue to attempt to collect debts even after they’ve been excused by the court. These actions are illegal and it’s 
important to understand the protection you receive after filing bankruptcy to prevent you from being taken advantage of.
Filed under Illegal Debt Collection Practices by on Mar 24th, 2010. Comment.
Any time consumers get into a position where they are in financial trouble and unable to pay their bills on time, it is almost a certainty that they will have to deal with the original creditor and possibly a debt collection agency and one or more of their representatives. The FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) of 1978 protects consumers from any debt collection practices that are deemed as being abusive, coercive, illegal, and/or unfair. The following is a list of those practices which are prohibited under the FDCPA.
Read more on Debt Collection Practices that are Prohibited by the FDCPA…
Filed under Illegal Debt Collection Practices by on Mar 5th, 2010. Comment.
