The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is a Federal Act that regulates debt collectors and collection agencies. Under the FDCPA, Debt Collectors are not allowed to harass, abuse or mistreat consumers. Given the inadequacy of the then existing laws, the Act was enacted in 1977 in response to “abundant evidence of the use of abusive, deceptive, and unfair debt collection practices by many debt collectors.” Notwithstanding the clear prohibitions of the law, debt collectors persist in harassing consumers for debts they do not owe, or through the abuse of illegal aggressive collection practices to intimidate consumers. In December 2016 alone, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) handled approximately 1,058,100 complaints for unlawful debt collection activity. Scott D. Owens P.A. offers the expertise of its staff to assist consumers harassed by illegal debt collection activities.
