Collecting on debts is not an illegal practice, but when creditors use harassing techniques to force a consumer to pay, that is illegal. Laws like the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act help protect consumers from illegal practices such as calling too early in the morning or late in the afternoon, contacting debtors at work after they were specifically told not to or going as far as using abusive language or threats.

With the economy in that state that it is, creditors are working harder than ever to keep delinquency percentages low, and consumers are fed up with their legal violations. The number of lawsuits against collection agencies and creditors significantly increased in the past two months in a display of frustration.

In the second half of August 469 lawsuits were filed against the agencies and individuals. That number rose to 616 filings in the first half of September and 697 in the second half. Claims of Fair Debt Collection Practices Act violations alone added up to 804 in the filings from Sept. 16-30.

Since the start of 2011, approximately 9,550 lawsuits have been filed by consumers who are standing up to the harassing practices of collectors and agencies across the nation. Other consumer protection legislation claims were based upon includes the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Truth-in-Lending Act.

Some collectors and reporting agencies walk a fine line between legal collection practices and harassing techniques. If you believe that you have become the victim of harassment, there are experienced attorneys who will sit down with you and discuss your options. No one should suffer illegal creditor harassment.

Source: Collections & Credit Risk, "Lawsuits Against Collection Agencies, Creditors Spike," Oct. 17, 2011