Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)

Congress passed the U.S. Fair Debt Collection Practices Act in 1977 to fight harassment, deception and other abuses. The law applies to “third-party” debt collectors, meaning those who collect on behalf of creditors. It restricts when collectors may call and what they may say. It also gives individuals the right to sue collectors in order to enforce the law’s consumer protection provisions.