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The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) prohibits debt collectors from using abusive, unfair, or deceptive practices to collect debts from you, including: Misrepresenting the nature of the debt, including the amount owed. Falsely claiming that the person contacting you is an attorney.

The FDCPA creates a structure within which debt collectors are allowed to work in an attempt to make debt collection a fair and nonaggressive process. The law limits the time of day when collectors may call, the type of language they may use, and how they represent themselves.

A debt collector may not communicate with a consumer at any unusual time (generally before a.m. or after p.m. in the consumer's time zone) or at any place that is inconvenient to the consumer, unless the consumer or a court of competent jurisdiction has given permission for such contacts.

Don't pay, don't promise to pay and don't give any payment information the collector may use later. Ask for information on the debt and say you'll call back to discuss it later. Making a single payment ? even just $5 or $10 ? is an acknowledgment of the debt and can have serious repercussions.

You can sue the debt collector for violating the FDCPA. If you sue under the FDCPA and win, the debt collector must generally pay your attorney's fees and may also have to pay you damages. If you're having trouble with debt collection, you can submit a complaint with the CFPB.

Send a Cease-and-Desist Letter If you want a debt collector to stop contacting you, the FDCPA gives you the right to make that happen. Putting your request in writing, via a cease-and-desist letter, is an easy and effective option to stop the communication.