Nobody is fond of being in debt, yet for millions of Americans, deceitful debt collectors make this reality much more troublesome. Dozens of collection agencies throughout the country refuse to abide by consumer protection laws which aim to protect your privacy and way of life. These rogue collectors are hungry to collect on copious amounts of debt which they are able to buy for as little as 3 to 10 cents on the dollar.
It’s very easy for just about anyone to become a target of debt collectors. There are hundreds of collection agencies all over the country placing calls and text messages from dozens of phone numbers attempting to trick just about anyone who appears to have outstanding debt or who can easily be mistaken for someone who does based on a name or address.
Two significant laws are in place to protect consumers like you from being hunted by debt collection agencies: the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Both of these are enforced by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and consumer law attorneys. These acts seek to limit the actions of predatory collection agencies and work together to protect your privacy.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is a federal law that prohibits up to 200 common debt collection practices that are considered harassment by the nature of the practices themselves. The most common behaviors imposed by collectors that are strictly prohibited are:
The TCPA restricts how a debt collector can be in touch with a consumer, notably by prohibiting calls placed by automatic dialing systems and prerecorded messages when your consent was not given to receive such communications. A knowledgeable Miami TCPA attorney can help you receive significant rewards in the event that you are the target of TCPA violations by a debt collection agencies. It may be possible to receive $500 to $1500 per call or text that was unlawfully sent to you.
Asset Acceptance, LLC is a subsidiary of Encore Capital Group and is based in Warren, Michigan. The company has been accused of multiple violations of the FDCPA and TCPA, particularly using abusive language, calling at the wrong times, consistently calling with the intent to annoy, harass, or intimidate, posing as legal or law enforcement authorities, and further threatening to sue you over the debt without having the actual means to do that.
In 2012 Asset Acceptance was sued by Michigan resident Jack Coleman in Jack Coleman v. Asset Acceptance, LLC for consumer harassment when the company would not cease to call about a veterinary hospital debt. Calls persisted from September 2011 to August 2012 when the victim filed suit. Calls came through multiple times per day and contained threatening language. At one point Mr. Coleman was threatened with a lawsuit if he could not pay. The company also failed to explain to him how he could make payments. The matter was later settled.
Though this company is in Michigan, it is completely capable of targeting debtors in South Florida. You may recognize the following phone numbers from which they operate: 1-800-545-9931 and 1-586-446-7826. Remember that if you receive calls or texts from Asset Acceptance without your consent, you may be able to receive compensation of $500 to up to $1500 per call or text with the counsel of a Florida TCPA attorney like Jibrael S. Hindi and his experienced team of consumer law attorneys. Call The Law Offices of Jibrael S. Hindi at 1-844-JIBRAEL today.