LAWDOG Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

LAWDOG is intended to assist in the understanding of basic concepts. See Disclaimer. Always obtain legal advice from legal professionals.

Identification Of Debt Collector And Employer

Under the definition section of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Section 803 defines he term "location information" to mean "a consumer's place of abode and his telephone number at such place, or his place of employment". This location process is often referred to as "skip-tracing" in the credit and collection industry.

Collector Must Identify Self, Identify Employer Only If Requested

When a debt collector is communicating with third parties to acquire information about the consumer's location, a debt collector must "identify himself, state that he is confirming or correcting location information concerning the consumer, and, only if expressly requested, identify his employer". See Section 804 of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, reproduced here for illustration purposes only.

See Other Requirements From Previous Menu

The debt collector must not refer to the debt, must normally make only a single contact with each third party, may not communicate by post card, not indicate the collection nature of his business purpose in any written communication, and must limit communications to the consumer's attorney, unless the attorney fails to respond to the communication. See other requirements for "Locating Consumers" from Previous Menu.

Also see a portion of the FTC Official Staff Commentary on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act reproduced here for illustration purposes only.

A copy of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is reproduced for illustration purposes only here. A copy the FTC Official Staff Commentary on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is reproduced for illustration purposes only here. Read Sources and Disclaimer. Links do not return to this page. Use browser "back" button to return.

Copyright 1996-2000 by LAWDOG.COM Publishing, Inc.