When does debt collection cross over the line into harassment? A debt collector is prohibited from using obscene language or threats of violence. However, they are allowed to insult your integrity and make you feel bad about the person you are.

Anecdotal stories that have surfaced are about collectors saying that a debt can’t be negotiated, settled or paid off more slowly. Bill collectors have been known to rudely demand when a debtor is going to pay, and then reject a debtors offer as not enough. This is not true or acceptable, as a consumer you always have the ability to negotiate.

Bill collectors receive a commission, which may be why the persistent ones can be so hostile and aggressive. But the key thing is that even though you may owe money to a creditor, you always have the right to be treated like a professional, and you deserve that right. While collectors are prohibited from calling third parties such as co-workers, friends and family to spread the word that you are in debt, collection agencies are allowed to contact people who may know where you are if they are trying to find you.

Bill collectors are expressly banned from threatening you with jail time, however it has become a common tactic to use this threat to intimidate immigrant communities, because there is less of a chance that these people will know or understand the law.

A bill collector cannot call you repeatedly, which technically means that they can’t continuously call you over and over. Still, that doesn’t stop them from calling you two, three, even four times a day. With some companies, collectors are given a small number of accounts to work with purposely so that they can badger a consumer in debt into paying for their commission. To put a halt on collections phone calls, it is possible to send a letter by certified mail return receipt requested requesting that they no longer contact you over the phone.

Mallory McGuinness writes stories on business, finance, consumer spending and collection agencies.