Debt collectors, and your rights

By Mac DudleyThis is a true story about one debt collector in Washington State and how it broke the law.It was mid-morning on a weekday when Julie’s cellphone rang. Her phone identified the caller as “County Sheriff.” Surprised, Julie answered. A stern-voiced man said it was Sheriff Johnson and Julie owed a debt that must be immediately collected.It was for a payday loan Julie took out six years ago in college. Julie remembered the loan and having paid it off. But, the man knew so much: the amount of the original loan, exact dates, the correct branch location of the store. Julie began to doubt whether she paid it after all.The man said he would issue an arrest warrant if Julie did not come to a particular address with two pieces of identification and $5,000 in cash.In reality, this call was not from a sheriff and Julie was in no danger of going to jail. There is no debtor’s prison in the US. In fact, Julie did not even owe this debt. A scammer had illegally duplicated the sheriff’s phone number and was trying to scare Julie into paying.Luckily, Julie sought our legal advice. We verified the alleged debt was illegitimate and pursued legal action against the caller. Unfortunately, Julie’s story is all too familiar. Some debt collectors use illegal tactics to get you to pay, whether you owe the money or not.If a debt collector calls, e-mails or writes you a letter and is deceptive or threatening, you are entitled to protection as well. Contact us for a free legal consultation.