If you’ve ever been late to pay your creditors, you know that it doesn’t take long for them to get in touch with you. It’s rare for them to let a week after you’ve missed a payment before they give you a call. At first, they’ll be sympathetic and seem like they want to help. Eventually, though, their tone will change. If you’ve gone through a hard patch and haven’t been able to pay any of your creditors, you could be getting calls from several collectors. Debts change hands over and over and it’s hard to keep track of who is collecting what debt.
In some cases you may even be wondering if the debt collector is trying to collect a legitimate debt or is trying to intimidate you into paying a debt that you don’t owe. Here are a few ways to tell if a collector is real:
- The debt collector threatens you. A legitimate debt collector won’t resort to threatening you with criminal action, like having the sheriff show up to arrest you or letting your telling your neighbors that you’re not paying your bills. On the other hand, a legitimate debt collector can let you know that they may pursue civil legal action.
- The debt collector won’t give you any information on the debt he is trying to collector or you don’t recognize the debt. The debt collector should be willing to disclose all information about the amount you owe, including who the original creditor was.
- The debt collector refuses to give you their address or phone number. The debt collector shouldn’t try to keep their identity a secret.
- The debt collector asks for sensitive personal financial information. Be careful about the information you provide to anyone that you aren’t certain of. Legitimate creditors should already have that information.
Bankruptcy can stop debt collectors from contacting you. We hope you’ll come in for a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced Colorado bankruptcy attorney to see if bankruptcy may be a good option for you. You can schedule an appointment by calling 303.331.3403 or by using our online scheduling system.