When dealing with crushing debt, you need a caring and considerate financial counselor and legal help at your side. What you do not need is a debt collector hounding you day and night for your money.
Debt collector harassment often gets press for forcing victims of debt through difficult and painful situations. But what do you know about debt collector misrepresentation?
How misrepresentation differs from harassment
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau discusses debt collector misrepresentation, which serves as just as much of a problem as harassment, if not more of one due to its low-key nature. Misrepresentation can at times share traits with harassment, such as the use of threats to reach a certain goal. But in general, it is more likely for misrepresentation to use tactics of coercion or outright lying.
Threats and coercion
For example, debt collectors may threaten you with legal action. They may say they will sue you for all you are worth or evict you from your home. They could even threaten to call the police on you, saying that you will face time in jail and other repercussions if you do not pay them back immediately. But if they cannot actually follow through on these threats or do not actually intend to, then this falls under the umbrella of misrepresentation.
Another example involves misrepresenting or even outright lying about the actual amount of debt you owe. They do so in order to increase the sense of pressure you face, hoping that a higher toll will force you into quicker action. If you have suffered from any of these tactics, consider seeking legal help.
