Stop Phone Harassment by Telephone Solicitors and Bill Collectors
Being bothered day and night at home and at work by over-zealous telephone solicitors or overly aggressive bill collectors can take a real toll on your peace of mind and ability to function. The constant interruptions are jarring and constant calls can often seem harassing and can even be embarrassing. There are some things that you can do to stop phone harassment by solicitors and collection agencies.
The easiest way to stop phone harassment is to get a new phone number that is unlisted and unpublished, and only give that telephone number to people who you want to have it. If this is not a desirable option for you there are a number of other options at your disposal.
When a bill collector calls you, you have the right to ask them to no longer call you. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires that bill collectors stop calling you at home and at work once you ask them to. You must then follow up your request in writing to the company with a certified letter and send it return receipt requested. If they continue to call you, then you have the right to sue them for harassment even if you have not lost money as a result of their actions. However, it is important to note that debt collectors do have the right to call you again if the status of your account changes and they need to notify you that they are going to give up collection efforts against you, are turning your account over to an attorney, or if they are planning to sue you.
Telephone solicitors can be very aggressive, calling at all hours of the day or night. To stop phone harassment from telephone solicitors in the United States, you can list your phone on the National Do Not Call List. Non-profit charitable organizations, police and fire services and companies to which you are all ready a customer can still legally call you with solicitations even after you have registered, however most of these companies will honor your request if you verbally ask them to put you on their do not call list when they do call you.
To get on the National Do Not Call List you can call the FTCs toll-free number 888-382-1222 (TTY: 866-290-4236) or register online at www.donotcall.gov
If calls become threatening or obscene, this is no longer simply an annoyance but an actual crime and you will want to file a police report. You will need to give the police a detailed description of what was said, if the person sounded like a male or female, what age they may have been and any details you can remember about the calls, including the dates and times of the calls. You might want to screen your calls for a time by letting all your calls go to a recording system or voice mail. This way you will have physical evidence for the police if the situation becomes dangerous or goes to court.
For more information on phone harassment please visit http://www.PhoneCallMent.com.
The easiest way to stop phone harassment is to get a new phone number that is unlisted and unpublished, and only give that telephone number to people who you want to have it. If this is not a desirable option for you there are a number of other options at your disposal.
When a bill collector calls you, you have the right to ask them to no longer call you. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires that bill collectors stop calling you at home and at work once you ask them to. You must then follow up your request in writing to the company with a certified letter and send it return receipt requested. If they continue to call you, then you have the right to sue them for harassment even if you have not lost money as a result of their actions. However, it is important to note that debt collectors do have the right to call you again if the status of your account changes and they need to notify you that they are going to give up collection efforts against you, are turning your account over to an attorney, or if they are planning to sue you.
Telephone solicitors can be very aggressive, calling at all hours of the day or night. To stop phone harassment from telephone solicitors in the United States, you can list your phone on the National Do Not Call List. Non-profit charitable organizations, police and fire services and companies to which you are all ready a customer can still legally call you with solicitations even after you have registered, however most of these companies will honor your request if you verbally ask them to put you on their do not call list when they do call you.
To get on the National Do Not Call List you can call the FTCs toll-free number 888-382-1222 (TTY: 866-290-4236) or register online at www.donotcall.gov
If calls become threatening or obscene, this is no longer simply an annoyance but an actual crime and you will want to file a police report. You will need to give the police a detailed description of what was said, if the person sounded like a male or female, what age they may have been and any details you can remember about the calls, including the dates and times of the calls. You might want to screen your calls for a time by letting all your calls go to a recording system or voice mail. This way you will have physical evidence for the police if the situation becomes dangerous or goes to court.
For more information on phone harassment please visit http://www.PhoneCallMent.com.
Phone Harassment Guide
Phone Harassment Videos
Phone Harassment Blogs
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