Consumer rights violations are on the rise, with more and more consumers complaining about their rights being violated, facing debt collection harassment, and more. To get money from mortgage payments, many agencies and banks engage in activities that can be described as shady and nothing short of harassment.
Common consumer rights violations include debt collection harassment, privacy violations, unwanted phone calls and text messages, and credit reporting violations, among others. The common consumer offense is debt collection harassment. Creditors and / or debt collectors will go to extreme measures to collect payment from a person who has defaulted on your account.
How to define consumer rights violations
Violation of privacy, unwanted phone calls, text messages, etc. everything constitutes harassment. If a creditor continues to do the following things, to get your money back, then it can be defined as harassment:
- Contact you many times in a single day, even at night or early in the morning
- Pressuring you to sell your house or even take more credit
- Push through social media websites, like Twitter, Facebook, etc.
- Using one or more debt collectors at the same time to contact you
- Not informing you about your debt, its status, or whether it has been transferred to the debt collection agency or not.
- Threatening you verbally or physically
- Cause public embarrassment
- Talk about your debt situation with others and smear your image and reputation.
- Giving implication of legal action
- Giving false claims, such as being a bailiff or working for the court, etc.
- Give the impression that legal action has been taken against you
What can you do?
First, you will need to find out more about your debt collector:
- Collect all evidence of harassment
- File a complaint with your creditor
- File a complaint with a consumer attorney
If you are harassed or a debt collector violates your rights as a consumer, you can sue. You have the right to sue and take legal action against the debt collector in federal or state court within one year from the date of the violation. Once you win the case against your collector, you can seek compensation from the collector for any damages. You must first prove the damages caused by the collector; they can be illegal collection practices, harassment, and / or other violations. They may have paid up to $ 1000 per violation to you as a consumer.
You can report problems you are having with your debt collector to the state Attorney General’s office and also to the Federal Trade Commission.
Violation of FDCPA
The FDCPA or the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act come with strict guidelines that define what debt collectors cannot and cannot do. It is important for consumers to know the FDCPA guidelines. A consumer can file a complaint with the FTC or Federal Trade Commission, against the debt collector concerned, with the Better Business Bureau, or file a civil lawsuit in federal or state court.
People who are having trouble paying their mortgages and facing harassment from their debt collectors can seek legal assistance. Through legal assistance, they can avoid foreclosure or save their respective homes. Consumer attorneys can represent clients in a foreclosure-related legal proceeding, provide advice on tax and legal implications related to foreclosures, bankruptcies, or short sales, or even negotiate a loan modification.