This is really not breaking news at this point. It’s been happening for a couple of years now. But I do think it worth mentioning again. Debt Collection companies CAN try and collect via your social media accounts.
Over time, our communication process has changed dramatically. The idea of making a phone call when a quick text or IM will do the trick seems odd to many people these days. The only time I hear my kids speaking on the phone, it isn’t the old-fashioned phone call, it’s through FaceTime or some other application. I can’t say I blame them. I love those face to face (even if on camera) conversations. Our work life is now Teams calls or Zoom calls. Rarely do conversations happen via a phone call in the office. It’s no wonder that collection companies are changing with the communication trends.
However horrifying and intrusive this sounds, these collection companies still have to abide by the rule of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. They cannot post on your timelines. Any communication must be done by direct messaging. The drawback to this new method is that it makes it much more open to fraud and scammers. So, take steps to make sure they are, in fact, who they say they are. If you don’t have a credit monitoring service, you should really think about doing this.
- Make sure they identify themselves as debt collectors, what company they work for, and the reason for their communication.
- If you have a credit monitoring service, has this debt hit your report yet? Does the debt seem like it even belongs to you?
- Who was the original owner of the debt? How long since the account went delinquent?
All questions you should ask yourself before just paying the debt.
Please take a few minutes to this story from CBS affiliate WFMY News of Greensboro, NC. They have done a wonderful job explaining the cans and cannots of how debt collectors can use these social media platforms to try to collect a debt. Just copy and paste the link below in your browser. If you are currently being harassed by debt collectors, our Attorneys here at Credit Law Center may be able to help.
