Debt collectors can take steps to do their job  – that is, collecting a past due debt – but there are limits.  Generally, a debt collector is allowed to:

• Contact you by phone, in writing, and in person
• Call you on the telephone at times that are not inconvenient – generally, between 8:00am and 9:00pm.
• Call you at work unless they have reason to believe that your employer doesn’t allow you to receive non-work related calls
• Contact any person for the limited purpose of correcting or confirming your contact information. However, the debt collector may NOT identify himself as a debt collector or tell the person that you owe a debt. Also, the debt collector may NOT call the person more than once.
• Contact you more than once a day, but not so many times as to be considered annoying, abusive, or harassing
• Report your account status to credit reporting agencies, so long as the information is accurate

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