You’ll be pleased to hear that debt collectors cannot legally come to your place of work to request money. Debt collectors cannot discuss your debts with anyone other than you, including your family or an employer.

Can you lie to debt collectors?

No. Debt collectors are prohibited from deceiving or misleading you while trying to collect a debt. Debt collectors are generally prohibited under federal law from using any false, deceptive, or misleading misrepresentation in collecting a debt.

Can debtors find out where you work?

All they need to do is contact The Work Number and the information is provided to them. However, the dark side of all of this is that if your employer uses The Work Number (and many large employers do) your information will be added to this database and debt collectors can use it to find out where you work.

What information do debt collectors have access to?

Ask the debt collector for information about your account and copies of any contracts. If the collector is acting for someone else, they may get the original credit or service provider to send you the documents. ▶ details of all payments made and all amounts owing (including principal, interest, fees and charges).

What to do if a debt collector finds out where you work?

But don’t despair, if a debt collector finds out where you work and they call you, you can stop them. Simply send the debt collector a letter stating that you do not want to be contacted at work. And don’t worry, the debt collector can’t automatically garnish your wages just because they know where you work, they need a court order to do that.

Can a creditor sell your debt to a collection agency?

The creditor you originally owed money may have sold your debt to a collection agency, which in turn may have sold it to another collection agency. A mistake somewhere along the way could mean that the collector contacting you has incorrect information.

What does it mean to be a debt collector?

By definition, a debt collector is someone whose job it is to collect a debt you owe to a third party. It’s often a lawyer or a collection company, not the party you initially contracted with.

Can a debt collector get your bank account number?

If you wrote a check, he has your bank’s routing number and your account number as well. Debt collectors will get creative if you’ve given them absolutely nothing to work with.