Texas residents like you have the right to protect yourself from creditor harassment. Under law, debt collectors can still do their job and try to collect from you. However, there are laws in place that disallow them from turning to threatening or harassing behavior.
Unfortunately, this does not stop every debt collector. It helps to know if the behavior you are facing could end up classified as harassment for this reason.
What are debt collectors not allowed to do?
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau defines harassment by debt collectors. Under law, debt collectors cannot:
- Use profane or obscene language
- Threaten you with physical harm or violence
- Call you without identifying themselves
- Publish a public list of people who owe debts
- Make repeated phone calls with the intention to abuse, annoy or harass you
Unfortunately, some of these may end up difficult to prove. For example, if they call without identifying themselves and you do not have caller ID, it is hard to prove they were the ones calling you.
How can you stop this harassment?
The one sure-fire way to protect yourself in this situation is to file for bankruptcy. When you file for any type, it automatically makes it illegal for debt collectors to continue even trying to collect from you. The problem of harassment ends because they do not even have the right to contact you anymore.
Filing for bankruptcy is still a big decision you should think over carefully. But the protection from debt collection agencies is a big positive for many people suffering in debt. You may want to contact a financial legal expert to discuss your options more thoroughly.