Know Your Rights
What is the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)?
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is meant to prevent abusive practices by debt collectors. The Act helps the consumer ensure fair debt collection. The consumer can dispute the claims of a debt collector, and ask for validation of his debt information. The FDCPA has laid down guidelines to show how a debt collector may conduct his business and how he may not. It also sets down a consumer’s debt collection rights. There are penalties for violations of the Act.
What is the Fair Credit Reporting Act?
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regulates how a consumer’s credit information may be collected, disseminated and used. The FCRA is one of the important Acts that are the basis of a consumer’s rights in the matter of consumer credit. The FCRA ensures that the consumer's rights are protected and also allows for any incorrect or inaccurate information on his/her credit report to be corrected.
What is the Fair Credit Billing Act?
The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) protects the consumer from unfair billing practices. The Act also provides a way for the consumer to deal with errors in billing of credit accounts such as credit cards and charge card accounts.
Do the laws differ from state to state in the US?
Yes. Firstly, the FDCPA, the FCRA and the FCBA are federal laws. In addition, several states have their own laws in the area of consumer rights and consumer protection. For example, the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Islandm, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Washington D.C have their own fair debt collection laws.