If you find yourself in a situation where you are overwhelmed by debt and are not sure how to proceed, it may be in your best interest to contact an attorney. Having too much debt can be stressful, disastrous, and may even affect your overall quality of life. While it is good to have some amount of debt in order to build your credit, it can unfortunately be too easy to continue to rack up your credit card and fall behind on your mortgage payment.
In these cases, it may open the door for bill collectors and creditor harassers to find you and start hounding you about the money you owe. While there is no easy way around dealing with the bills you owe and the debt you have incurred, there are steps you can take in order to avoid being harassed.
Is What They Are Doing Legal?
When you start receiving phone calls, letters, and even in-person visits, it is important that you make sure the debt collectors have the legal right to be contacting you. It may be helpful to consult Oklahoma’s Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to determine whether or not the interactions between yourself and the collection agency are legal or not. Bill collectors cannot use abusive language when they contact you, and they are prohibited from threatening physical violence and property destruction. Their conversations are also required to contain specific information, cannot misrepresent the amount of debt you owe, or communicate with you dishonestly.
Always Keep Records of All Interactions
It is always a good idea to make records and establish a timeline of all communications between yourself and the collection agency. Be sure to make copies of everything they send you and vice versa. If there is some type of mistake or if they are not following the law, you will need these records for evidence.
Contact a Lawyer
It is in your best interest to have an experienced bankruptcy lawyer on your side when you find yourself in a situation of debt. Debt and bankruptcy lawyers are knowledgeable about Oklahoma’s laws regarding creditor harassment and your rights if you find yourself in this kind of situation. We will be able to determine if the collection agencies is behaving legally, fight on your behalf to get them to stop harassing you, help you negotiate and settle your debt with the creditor, and advise you on filing for bankruptcy, if necessary.