No its illegal, you have to pay your debt rather than hiding. If you not paying your debt and hiding from debt they can take you to the court.
Yes, I am aware of the Harris Debt Collectors scam, which involves fraudulent practices by Harris and Harris debt collectors.
It depends on what you mean by “take” the settlement money. In my experience, a debt collector can generally accept a settlement payment on behalf of the creditor if the collector is authorized to handle that account. However, the amount paid and the terms of the settlement should be clearly agreed upon before sending any money. I would always ask for the settlement terms in writing, including whether the payment will satisfy the debt completely or only reduce the outstanding balance. It is also important to keep the payment receipt and any written confirmation of the agreement for your records. If there is a dispute about where the money should go or whether the debt has actually been settled, getting clarification from the original creditor or a qualified legal professional is a sensible step.
Debt Advisor
There are sites online that advertise their debt collection business. Some of these Debt Collectors are UK Debt Collection, Debt Recovery UK, Debt Collect and Debt Recovery Plus.
Debt Collectors - 2012 was released on: USA: 1 May 2012
can a debt collector come to your house to collect a debt
Debt Collectors - 2012 Debt Relief 1-2 was released on: USA: 1 June 2012
The best debt collectors in the world would be International Collection Agency - The Debt Recovery Solution. They are recovery solutions for business and consumers.
There are specific laws in place to protect consumers from harassment from debt collectors. It is illegal for debt collectors to contact you at work if your employer does not allow this. Record all contact by debt collectors just in case you have to take them to court in the future. Also, I advise you to check online for laws in your state that protect you against harassment.
The best way to pay debt collectors is to communicate with them directly, negotiate a payment plan that you can afford, and make payments on time to settle the debt.
Debt collectors are not allowed to enter your property without permission, so if they do so, they would be violating trespassing laws. However, they can visit your property to attempt to collect a debt as long as they do not enter your home without permission.
Debt collectors (not the original creditor) is governed by this very nifty federal law: Federal Debt Collections and Practices Act (FDCPA). Sample of FDCPA and Sates see below in the link