How to Dodge the Debt Collector

February 17, 2009 RSS Feed Print

In Confessions of a Shopaholic, Isla Fisher's character is stalked by a debt collector. She does everything she can to throw him off her scent, including lying about deaths in the family to hiding from his calls. But if you've got a real-life debt collector on your tail, that's probably not the best approach.

Gerri Detweiler, author of Debt Collection Answers: How to Use Debt Collection Law to Protect Your Rights, recommends these tips instead:

  • Never admit that you owe the debt or agree to pay the debt without first getting written proof that you actually owe it.
  • Never give the debt collector any personal information about bank accounts, your employment situation, or assets.
  • Don't be tricked into thinking the debt collector is your friend. Sometimes debt collectors act friendly to get consumers to tell them things they shouldn't.
  • Do maintain good records of all of your interactions with the debt collector, including letters and phone calls.

For more, read 5 Reasons to See Confessions of a Shopaholic.

 

Tags:
personal finance

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The reason they have this "negative stereotype" is because several of them actually DO those things.....The company mentioned in the first comment, Liberty Acquisitions LLC, is one of those companies. They employ illegal and immoral debt collection techniques, including intimidation and misrepresentation of the facts. Companies like this need to be closed down permanently!

Concerned Citizen of CO 9:00PM March 08, 2010

When we will stop with these well-worn, negative stereotypes that simply aren't true anymore when it comes to this industry? Read this story in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/business/25pre.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=amy%20zipkin&st=cse) where an everyday debt collector gets to tell his side of things about what we do each day.

Believe it or not, the vast majority of debt collectors are trying to help you, not harm you. If you visit www.debtcollectorstories.com you'll even see a video example of a consumer actually praising a debt collector for helping her figure out a complex financial situation that was preventing this particular consumer from buying a home.

John Nemo of MN 2:56PM February 18, 2009

Alpha Consumer

Alpha Consumer

Kimberly Palmer, senior editor for U.S. News & World Report, is the author of Generation Earn: The Young Professional's Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back. Send her your personal finance questions.


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