Fight Back Against Unfair Debt Collection Practices: Know Your Rights and Protect Yourself from Threats, Lies, and Intimidation

Introduction

What got to me later was the answering machine greeting. It invited me to leave a message for Jim, Harley, or Bob—all men’s names. I was looking for a woman named Samantha who owed $3,000 on a major credit card. The phone number I had dialed was the one on the account. As a debt collector, my first task was to call this number and demand payment. So, when the answering machine beeped, I took a breath and started to recite from a script thumbtacked to my cubicle. Halfway into my spiel about some “important business matter” that required Samantha’s attention, Jim picked up.

Trying to get money from strangers is not my usual area of expertise. I had left my job as a newspaper reporter and gone to work at a collection agency to clear ...