Lehighton & Carbon County Creditor Harassment Attorney
Stop abusive, deceptive and illegal tactics by creditors and bill collectors
Knowing you owe money but can’t pay it off is hard enough, but it can be almost unbearable when the bill collectors start coming to call. And call they do, at all hours of the day and night. When creditors are legitimately owed money, they are lawfully allowed to take reasonable steps to collect that debt. But both the federal government and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recognize when collection agencies overstep the bounds of decency in their overzealous collection efforts. If you’re being harassed by creditors and don’t think it’s right, call the Law Offices of Adam R. Weaver, Esq. in Lehighton. Our Lehighton & Carbon County creditor harassment attorneys know the laws, and we’ll take immediate action to stop creditor harassment and restore your sanity and peace of mind.
U.S. and Pennsylvania laws prohibit unfair debt collection
The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and the Pennsylvania Fair Credit Extension Uniformity Act both outlaw unfair, deceptive and abusive debt collection practices. These laws prohibit a long list of harassing conduct. For instance, bill collectors are not allowed to do any of the following:
- Call you at home before eight in the morning or after nine at night.
- Contact you at unusual times and places.
- Call you repeatedly just to annoy you.
- Call you or visit you at work if told that your employer doesn’t allow you to take personal calls at work.
- Contact friends, neighbors or other third parties about your debt. They can make limited contacts to find out where you may be, but they aren’t allowed to say that you owe them money.
- Contact you once they know you are represented by an attorney.
- Use obscene or profane language in communications with you.
- Use threats of violence or harm.
- Threaten to sue when they don’t really intend to do so.
- Publish your name on a “deadbeats list” of people who refuse to pay their debts.
- Misrepresent themselves as lawyers.
- Falsely imply that you could go to jail.
These are just some examples of conduct prohibited by the FDCPA and Pennsylvania law. Not only can you use these laws to stop creditor harassment, but you can even recover money damages against a company that violates the law. If you believe a bill collector is harassing you unlawfully, call Lehighton creditor harassment attorney Adam Weaver for immediate help and an evaluation of any potential claims you may have.
Bankruptcy puts an immediate stop to creditor harassment
If you’re finding it next to impossible to pay your bills and are considering whether or not to file bankruptcy, you may want to know that the moment you file for bankruptcy, creditor harassment must stop. Filing for bankruptcy institutes an “automatic stay,” which stays or stops any efforts to collect a debt. The automatic stay puts a halt to foreclosures, repossessions, wage garnishments, lawsuits and other attempts at debt collection. This includes phone calls, letters and other abusive or harassing tactics. Creditors who want to continue collection efforts have to go court and request relief from the stay.
Filing a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy is for many an effective way to find lasting debt relief. That relief begins immediately, thanks to the automatic stay provision putting a stop to creditor harassment.
Stop Creditor Harassment in Lehighton & Carbon County
For effective assistance putting an immediate stop to creditor harassment, as well as long-term solutions for dealing with debt, call the Law Office of Adam R. Weaver, Esq. in Lehighton at 570-818-4888.
