People in Illinois who are facing significant debt have enough to think about as they seek to navigate their financial struggles without receiving an endless stream of calls from debt collectors, businesses and others seeking to collect. Behaviors such as harassment are illegal under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, but that does not stop these aggressive collectors and creditors from pushing the boundaries in trying to get payment. In these circumstances, legal assistance can be helpful to put a stop to it.
Often, people who are reluctant to file for bankruptcy simply accept the continuous contact of debt collectors, thinking that collection actions will stop once they get their finances under control. What they should know is that they have rights and these debt collectors may be stopped. In certain situations, the victim of harassment may even have a legal claim for compensation. FDCPA is one law that can be used to protect a debtor. Another is the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Without understanding the rights a debtor has under the law and what steps can be taken to hold these companies accountable for their illegal behavior, people will not know how these laws shield them and can garner them compensation. That is when legal help is a must.
Debt collectors will call people early in the morning and late at night. They will contact a person at work and call neighbors. They can even go so far as to imply that the debtor could be placed under arrest if they do not pay what they owe. All these acts are violations of the law. Since debt collecting is such a big business and the collectors will often profit based on how much they collect, they will not hesitate to go beyond the line of legality. The law specifically dictates when and what type of contact debt collectors can use. If they violate it, people should know how to be protected.
Whether bankruptcy is the preferable option or whether there are other alternatives for debt relief, seeking legal help when dealing with troublesome debt is key. When creditors and unscrupulous debt collectors have committed legal violations such as harassment, this may be stopped by a law firm that is experienced in consumer rights, consumer fraud, unfair debt collection and more.