Excessive calls, calls at prohibited hours, third-party disclosures, false statements, or threats by a debt collector.
Statute: FDCPA §1692c, §1692d, §1692e, §1692f
Reviewed by David Hemminger, Consumer Protection Attorney · Hemminger Law Firm.
The FDCPA bars third-party collectors from harassing, oppressing, or abusing consumers. Specific prohibitions include calls before 8am or after 9pm, calls to your workplace after notice, contacting third parties about the debt (other than to find your address), threats of action they cannot or will not take, and false statements about debt amount or character.
Harassment is its own injury — and each separate violation carries up to $1,000 in statutory damages plus actual damages.
Call logs, voicemails, third-party calls reported by family or employers, threatening letters, and credit-report entries that postdate a written cease-and-desist.
Cease-and-desist letter. Catalog every violation. Refer to attorney for FDCPA litigation when the pattern supports it.
FDCPA cases commonly settle in the $1,000 - $5,000 per consumer per defendant range; egregious patterns have produced six-figure verdicts. Award ranges are illustrative of historical FCRA / FDCPA recoveries reported in public consent orders and reported settlements; they are not a guarantee of any particular outcome.
Between 8am and 9pm in your local time zone, unless you have given them a different time of day to call or sent a cease-and-desist.
Only to find your address — and only once per third party. They cannot disclose the debt itself to anyone other than you, your spouse, or your attorney.
Order all three credit reports (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion), then compare the same account across bureaus. Mismatched dates, balances, statuses, or duplicate entries are the most common signal. Credit1Solutions offers a free 3-bureau review to flag candidate items for dispute.
No. Initial credit report review and dispute strategy are included in our service plans, and partnered consumer-protection attorneys take qualified FCRA/FDCPA matters on a contingency basis — fees are paid by the defendant under the statutes' fee-shifting provisions, not by you.
Pull a free 3-bureau credit report review and we will flag suspected fdcpa harassment items for attorney-supervised dispute. Start your free consultation or take the eligibility quiz. Explore all violation types we monitor.
Reviewed by Hemminger Law Firm, Consumer Rights Attorneys | Last reviewed: January 1, 2026
Consumers are protected by several federal laws when dealing with credit reporting issues related to credit education:
You may file complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Reviewed by Hemminger Law Firm, Consumer Rights Attorneys | Last reviewed: January 1, 2026
The credit education company with attorneys who pursue collectors and bureaus when they violate FCRA / FDCPA. Typical client recovery: $3,500+ per successful case. Free TransUnion FICO® 4 mortgage score included — no credit card required.