I’m a big fan of Facebook. It helps me keep up with what’s going on with my family who is strewn all over the country. And I have reconnected with friends that I haven’t heard from years and even decades. But that doesn’t mean that I like everything about it. I tolerate its nonchalance to my privacy in exchange for the pleasure of being connected with friends and family. But I have also learned to navigate its privacy settings to make sure that only people I want to see me on Facebook, see me.
Debt collectors can be tenacious when it comes to tracking down debtors who have defaulted on loans and have stopped contacting their creditors. These days, one of the first places that debt collectors are going is to Facebook to see if they can find you. In some cases, they might even contact your friends and family members online to find you. Fortunately, at least one judge has said that debt collectors go too far when they do this. A Florida judge has ordered a debt collection agency to not use Facebook or any other social media site in an attempt to locate a woman over a $362 unpaid car loan.
In order to prevent this from happening to you, you should update your privacy settings on Facebook. Click on the Account tab in upper right hand corner of the Facebook home page and then click on Privacy Settings. Next, click on the Connecting on Facebook tab. This is where you can set who can search for you; send you friend requests and messages; and see other personal information about you. Notice that each of these tabs allows you to choose either Everyone, Friends of Friends, or Friends Only. If you want to make sure that only people you know can see this information, select Friends Only for all of these settings. Otherwise, this is how debt collectors use Facebook against you. Also, take a look at your Sharing on Facebook settings. You will want to make sure that these are set so that only people you want can see your photos, status updates, and other items you can share.
Of course, Facebook is seemingly constantly changing its privacy policy. You should check your Facebook settings regularly to make sure that only those people you want can contact you.
If debt collectors are hounding you, bankruptcy can put an end to their harassment. You should talk with a Colorado bankruptcy lawyer to see if you bankruptcy is your best option.