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• Ask for the name and address of the company. Then write a letter saying: “Do not call me anymore,” and send it certified mail. By law, it must obey your wishes. The debt doesn’t go away, but the harassment does.
• Companies are not allowed to call before 8 in the morning or after 9 at night.
• They must mail you a letter giving the details of your debt within five days of calling.
• They’re not allowed to tell anybody else about your debt.
• It’s illegal for collectors to curse at you or threaten violence.
• No false lawsuit claims — it’s also illegal for collectors to say they’re going to sue you unless they really are.


The Federal Trade Commission gets more consumer complaints about debt collectors than about any other industry. Americans report being harassed, threatened, even coerced into paying debts that aren’t their own.

Debt collectors who are harassing you could be breaking the law, says “GMA” consumer correspondent Elisabeth Leamy.

ABC NEWS
Hundreds of collection companies now specialize in collecting on 10- to 20-year-old debts called “zombie debts” — debts so old you can’t even be sued over them.

One woman, whom we’ll call Jamie, did not want to be identified because she still runs into her co-workers. She said she heard “collectors threatening anything and everything they could in order to get the money.”

“There were collectors who would tell people: ‘I know your address. I know where you live. I know where you work. I’ll find out where your children live. I will do whatever I have to do to get this money,’ ” she said.

Jamie said collectors often claimed they would refer the debt to the legal department even though they didn’t have one. And when they needed a heavy, they put their “manager” on the line, only it was just another collector playing manager.

Some collectors threatened jail time, Jamie said, even though being in debt isn’t a crime. And if the consumer insisted it wasn’t their bill, the collectors had an answer for that, too. They would tell them that they were “going to call your electric company, your phone company, your mortgage company, and I’m going to tell them that these are all fraudulent accounts,” she said.

Jamie said some people were so afraid they paid the same debt over and over again.
“They honestly believed that someone was going to come and hurt them physically if they didn’t pay,” she said.

Jamie’s claims echo the FTC’s case against Camco. In court filings, company executives have denied the allegations. Their attorney declined to comment to ABC News.

Camco is not the only collection company to outrage consumers. One couple in Utah sued a collection agency that was harassing them and ended up collecting money from their collector. But many are still out there right now, harassing consumers.

I just wanted to thank you so much for all of the help you have given me during a very hard time in my life. You are a true angel to be able to help people without judging them. Bryan is very lucky to have such a nice and caring person working with his clients. If ever there is an opportunity for me to let people know who to go to if they need a lawyer it will be to your office and I will give them your name. I hope I don’t ever need to go to a lawyer again but if I do I will call you.

Thank you so much,

L. R. Jay, OK

What is bankruptcy?
Bankruptcy is a federal court process designed to help consumers and businesses eliminate their debts or repay a portion of them under the protection of the bankruptcy court. Bankruptcy provides a “fresh start” that enables individuals or businesses to start over without the burden of debt. It also gives people who are owed money – the creditors – a fair share of the money that the debtors can afford to pay back.

Have you been injured in:
• An electricity/electrocution accident?
• A falling accident?
• An accident involving falling objects or unsecured loads?
• An accident involving cranes, cars, trucks, bulldozers or excavation equipment?
• An oil industry or oil refinery accident?
• An accident involving lack of training?

Frequently, accidents occur because the employer failed to maintain machinery and equipment or failed to anticipate dangerous situations. Construction and workplace accidents can also occur when employers demand their workers to perform duties that were dangerous or required special training (that the worker did not have). When a forklift overturns, scaffolding collapses, excavation projects cave in or workers are run over, often the accident could have been prevented by adequate employer diligence.

Other benefits to you of filing for bankruptcy include a discharge of most all of your debt in a Chapter 7 filing and a sane and affordable restructuring of your debt with a Chapter 13. Both will allow you to get back in control of your finances and look forward to the future. In addition, a Chapter 13 allows you to keep your assets while repaying your debt.

Although your credit will be temporarily affected by the bankruptcy, you can begin to rebuild your credit standing using some of the tools you’ve gained from the mandatory credit counseling you are required to receive. Our office can also assist you with advice along this line. Irons LLC has over 40 years of combined experience in bankruptcy law and will work hard to negotiate the most effective terms for your filing. We provide personal attention to all of our clients and will keep you informed every step of the way.

At Irons Law Firm, we are dedicated to helping our clients obtain financial recovery for injuries that include the following:
• Broken bones
• Head injury and brain injury
• Back injury
• Neck injury
• Spinal cord injury
• Quadriplegia
• Paraplegia
• Paralysis