If you have an attorney, the debt collector must contact the attorney unless the attorney cannot be contacted readily. If you do not have an attorney, a collector may contact other people but only to find out where you live, what your phone number is and where you work. Collectors usually are prohibited from contacting such third parties more than once. In most cases, the collector may not tell anyone other than you and your attorney that you owe money. That’s why your family members may get a message that tells them to ask you to call Mr. X regarding an “important personal matter.”

Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act a collector may contact you in person, by mail, telephone, telegram or fax. A debt collector may not contact you at inconvenient times or places (usually before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.) unless you agree. A debt collector also may not contact you at work if the collector knows that you are not allowed to receive such calls at work.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (or FDCPA) is a federal statute that seeks to eliminate abusive practices in the collection of consumer debts, to promote fair debt collection and to provide consumers with a way to dispute and obtain validation of debt information in order to ensure the information’s accuracy. The FDCPA creates guidelines under which debt collectors may conduct business, defines rights of consumers involved with debt collectors, and prescribes penalties and remedies for violations of the Act.