The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is a federal law for the protection of borrowers against harassment, deception and other unfair collection practices by collection agencies, also known as third-party collectors. These protections were put in place in the late 1970s. The FDCPA places restrictions on when and where a borrower can be contacted by a collection agency. Borrowers cannot be contacted early in the morning or late at night unless they have previously agreed to take calls at these times. A borrower cannot be contacted at work by a collection agency if the borrower’s place of employment forbids outside calls. Third-party collectors are prohibited from claiming that they are attorneys or government officials. There are other statements that they cannot make when attempting collect on a debt as well. An original creditor is not covered by the FDCPA, but there may be other governmental safeguards that they must adhere to.
