Nothing can be as confusing as getting a call about a debt you didn’t know about – but what if you receive calls from multiple collectors about the same debt? Is this even possible? Can multiple collectors attempt to collect the same debt? Here’s what you should know.

Know Your Rights About Debt

Confusion abounds in the debt collection world. Being contacted by more than one debt collector about the same debt actually happens quite often. However, when this happens, someone somewhere has likely violated some Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) provisions, and you may not owe this debt. In fact, you may have a case to pursue damages.

Here’s some critical information about their rights relating to debt collection practices:

• There are limits on how consumers can be contacted.
• Debt collectors are prohibited from using harassment or abusive tactics.
• Debt collectors cannot engage in false or misleading representations.
• Debt collectors are barred from engaging in unfair practices.
• If a debt collector knows an attorney is representing you about the debt, they must stop contacting you and must contact the attorney instead.

A Tennessee Debt Protection Attorney in Franklin can explain more about what may constitute harassment or abusive debt collection practices in a confidential consultation. If you believe a debt collector has unfairly or illegally treated you, contact Fitzgerald & Campbell, APLC, today.

Learn the Facts About Debt Collection Practices

Debt collection is a huge industry, and the fact is that debts are often sold to multiple collection agencies. Creditors only expend so much effort to collect unpaid debts before selling the account to a debt collection agency. These companies pay pennies on the dollar for outstanding accounts and then make their profit by collecting as much of the original debt as possible.

Collection agencies seem more threatening than the original creditor, so they stand a good chance of collecting the entire debt. However, if they are unsuccessful, they will sell the account to yet another collection agency to at least make something. Now another debt collection agency has your information and will begin collection efforts.

This is how multiple debt collectors can contact you over the same debt.

Don’t Be Alarmed by Multiple Attempts to Collect the Same Debt

Don’t be alarmed if this happens to you – you now have an advantage. Any debt collector must be able to provide you with legitimate legal documentation to validate the debt.

• The original creditor
• How much you owe
• That you actually owe the debt

Here is your advantage: Contract documents are often lost in the shuffle as these debt accounts are sold and resold. A TN Debt Protection Attorney in Nashville can research this and reveal any lack of documentation. And – when a debt collector contacts you without having all this documentation in order, they have violated your rights and the law.

Get Debt Protection Help in Tennessee

Fitzgerald & Campbell, APLC, in Franklin, Tennessee, works with consumers like you to protect them from unfair and even illegal debt collection practices. Have you been contacted about a debt you didn’t know you owed? Have multiple agencies contacted you about the same debt?

Never pay a debt you are not absolutely sure you owe. Mistakes happen constantly, and collection agencies rely on bluster and a thin veneer of official-sounding rhetoric to bluff the unwary into paying debts when they may not be valid.

Contact the office of Fitzgerald & Campbell, APLC, in Franklin to schedule a free consultation if you need help with debt collectors or believe you have been contacted about a debt you may not owe. We can help, and we know how.