--- title: What Debt Collectors Can’t Do description: This list, gives specific guidelines for what collections agencies can’t do to collect money. Post it in a place, where employees can access it privately. image: https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/images/Debt_collector.jpg --- [![MoneyWisdom_HFCU_r2](https://go.hfcu.org/hs-fs/hubfs/MoneyWisdom_HFCU_r2.png?width=464&name=MoneyWisdom_HFCU_r2.png "MoneyWisdom_HFCU_r2")](https://go.hfcu.org/blog) Filter by Category** - [Show All](https://go.hfcu.org/blog) - [Security](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/security) - [Personal Finance](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/personal-finance) - [Auto](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/auto) - [Business](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/business) - [Credit Score](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/credit-score) - [Home](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/home) - [Credit Cards](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/credit-cards) - [Life Changes](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/life-changes) - [Insurance](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/insurance) - [Investments](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/investments) Filter by Category** - [Show All](https://go.hfcu.org/blog) - [Security](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/security) - 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At times, it comes from debt that is out of control. For that reason, I suggest you post this list in a public place, maybe your company kitchen, so that employees can access it privately in their own time. This list, provided by our financial partner [BALANCE](http://www.balancepro.net/partners/hanscomfcu/), identifies specific guidelines for what collections agencies can’t do to collect money. Collections agencies can’t: - Use obscene language - Threaten you with harm - Try to deceive you about their identity, or why they are calling - Publish information about your debt, other than reporting it to credit reporting companies - Take or threaten to you take your property except as a part of the legal process, during which you have the right to defend yourself - Tell you that you will be arrested if you don’t pay your debt - Falsely claim to be an attorney or a representative of the government - Incorrectly claim that you have committed a crime, or state that you will arrested if you don’t pay the debt - Lie about how much money you owe - Send you postal correspondence that externally reveals the collections activity - Tell you documents sent to you are legal forms when they are not, or lie about the nature of legal forms sent to you - Claim that they will seize or garnish your wages or property, or take legal action against you, unless they are allowed to by law AND plan to do so - Give false financial information about you to anyone - Claim to be an attorney if they are not - Incorrectly state that they can seize your Social Security benefits, pension, retirement, child support, alimony or other protected benefits - Make you pay for collect calls Always remember that you have rights. If you believe a collections agency is acting improperly or illegally, contact the Federal Trade Commission at [www.ftc.gov](http://www.ftc.gov/). To take advantage of confidential financial guidance and counseling, contact Hanscom Federal Credit Union’s financial partner [BALANCE](http://www.balancepro.net/partners/hanscomfcu/). [![Check out BALANCE today!](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/118438/d4a3e4e4-b610-488a-9685-3be8b122269e.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/118438/d4a3e4e4-b610-488a-9685-3be8b122269e) ** [Personal Finance](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/topic/personal-finance) [** Yard Sale Do’s and Don’ts ](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/yard-sale-dos-and-donts) [** Winter Checklist for Saving on Heating Bills ](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/winter-checklist-for-saving-on-heating-bills) ### About Author ![Maria Porto](https://go.hfcu.org/hs-fs/file-2383787799-png/Blog_Authors/Maria_Porto.png) Maria Porto Maria Porto is Hanscom FCU's assistant vice president of partner relations. She may be reached at mporto@hfcu.org. 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The Credit Union is not responsible for any such third-party content. Any transactions that you enter into with a vendor, merchant or other party that you access through this third-party site are solely between you and that vendor, merchant or other party. The Credit Union does not endorse the content contained in this third-party site, nor the organization publishing the site, and hereby disclaims any responsibility for such content. The Credit Union Privacy Policy does not apply to this third-party site, and for further information you should consult the privacy disclosures of the third-party site. ## You are Leaving Hanscom Federal Credit Union #### **Please read the following before proceeding to:** ### https://www.linkedin.com/company/hanscomfcu/ The website you are about to visit is solely the responsibility of the merchant or other party providing the site. The content of this third-party site, including materials and information, is solely the responsibility of the provider of the site. The Credit Union is not responsible for any such third-party content. Any transactions that you enter into with a vendor, merchant or other party that you access through this third-party site are solely between you and that vendor, merchant or other party. The Credit Union does not endorse the content contained in this third-party site, nor the organization publishing the site, and hereby disclaims any responsibility for such content. The Credit Union Privacy Policy does not apply to this third-party site, and for further information you should consult the privacy disclosures of the third-party site. ## You are Leaving Hanscom Federal Credit Union #### **Please read the following before proceeding to:** ### http://www.youtube.com/c/HanscomFederalCreditUnion The website you are about to visit is solely the responsibility of the merchant or other party providing the site. The content of this third-party site, including materials and information, is solely the responsibility of the provider of the site. The Credit Union is not responsible for any such third-party content. Any transactions that you enter into with a vendor, merchant or other party that you access through this third-party site are solely between you and that vendor, merchant or other party. The Credit Union does not endorse the content contained in this third-party site, nor the organization publishing the site, and hereby disclaims any responsibility for such content. The Credit Union Privacy Policy does not apply to this third-party site, and for further information you should consult the privacy disclosures of the third-party site. ### Popular Posts [What You Need to Know About Putting Your Home in a Trust](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-putting-your-home-in-a-trust) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20-%202022-02-10T072804.753.jpg) [What You Need to Know About Your Federal Tax Bracket](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-your-tax-bracket) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20-%202021-03-22T123305.900.jpg) [6 Boat Types to Get on the Water](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/6-boat-types-to-get-on-the-water) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/images/Jet_Ski.jpg) [23 Organizations Dedicated to the Needs of Seniors](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/23-organizations-dedicated-to-the-needs-of-seniors) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/Senior%20citizens.jpg) [9 Smart Moves for Lottery Winners](https://go.hfcu.org/blog/lottery) ![older man looking at top retirement worry on digital device](https://go.hfcu.org/hubfs/images/lottery_winner.jpg) ### Recent Posts - [![National Credit Union Administration](https://go.hfcu.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NCUA-logo-small.png?width=95&name=NCUA-logo-small.png) ](https://www.ncua.gov/) [![Equal Housing Lender](https://go.hfcu.org/hs-fs/hubfs/EHL-logo-small.png?width=65&name=EHL-logo-small.png)](https://www.hud.gov/fairhousing) - @ 2023 [Hanscom Federal Credit Union](https://www.hfcu.org/) - Federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration. - [Privacy Policy](https://www.hfcu.org/content/docs/Privacy_Notice.pdf) **Disclosure:** Hanscom Federal Credit Union does not provide and is not responsible for any products, services, or overall website content available at any third-party sites linked within this blog. Moreover, Hanscom Federal Credit Union's privacy policies do not apply to any of the linked websites within this blog. Please consult the privacy disclosures on those linked sites for further information. ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Maria Porto" }, "dateModified" : "February 14, 2020, 2:22:24 PM", "datePublished" : "2016-02-17 20:22:18", "description" : "This list, gives specific guidelines for what collections agencies can’t do to collect money. Post it in a place, where employees can access it privately.", "headline" : "What Debt Collectors Can’t Do", "image" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/118438/images/Debt_collector.jpg" }, "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://go.hfcu.org/blog/what-debt-collectors-cant-do", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/118438/Logo%202.jpg" }, "name" : "Hanscom Federal Credit Union" } } ```