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At one point or another most people run into a situation in which they have to deal with a collection agency for a past debt. Whether this is due to an inability to pay, forgetting about the debt or a misunderstanding on a debt that was paid, this can be a very sensitive issue for some people. Most collection agencies can help you set up arrangements to pay your debt or are willing to investigate a paid debt that was overlooked for you. A set of rules called the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act has been set up by the federal government to set guidelines on tactics and legal abilities collection agencies have when collecting a debt for another party. Some collection agencies go outside of these guidelines to try to put pressure on the debtor just to earn credit for their company. This is an illegal act and there are ways to report these collection agencies.

1. If you feel that you have been a victim of an illegal collection agency action, visit http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf. Read through the rules and regulations of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act to see if the company acted illegally.

2. Make sure that you have a solid written log record of every call that the agency made to you, your action and any other correspondence that was made concerning this company. Keep in mind that it is important to keep accurate records in the event that your case must go to court. The collection agency will also have solid proof to try to prove you wrong.

3. Make sure that you make it clear to a collection agency that you wish for their calls to stop. They must note this and respect your wishes. It is also very pertinent for you to document any event in which a collection agency makes an attempt to contact you and discusses your case with anyone other then yourself, spouse or other responsible party to this case.

4. Contact an attorney that specializes in collection agency harassment cases. They will be able to advise you on any of the laws and practices that were both legal and illegal. Many attorneys will ask you what your desired outcome is. This includes just having the agency stop harassing you or do you wish to collect monetary damages that you feel this has caused you.

5. You should contact the Federal Trades Commission to file a formal complaint against the collection agency. Their address is Trade Commission:

Consumer Response Center

600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20580

The Federal Trades Commission cannot file a case on your behalf, but they do make complaints and keep a running record of all illegal acts against specific companies. A company that is repeatedly reported is formally investigated and the investigation can result in either criminal or civil punishments.

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