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FAIR CREDIT REPORTING ACT - Summary Public Law 91-508
You have a right to dispute inaccurate information in your credit
report by contacting the credit bureau directly. However, neither
you nor any "credit repair" company or credit repair
organization has the right to have accurate current, and verifiable
information removed from your credit report. The credit bureau
must remove accurate, negative information from your report only
if it is over 7 years old. Bankruptcy information can be reported
to 10 years. You have a right to obtain a copy of your credit
report from a credit bureau. You may be charged a reasonable fee.
There is no fee, however, if you have been turned down for credit,
employment, insurance, or a rental dwelling because of information
in your credit report within the preceding 60 days. The credit
bureau must provide someone to help you interpret the information
in your credit file. You are entitled to receive a copy of your
credit report if you are unemployed and intend to apply for employment
in the next 60 days, if you are a recipient of public welfare
assistance, or if you have reason to believe that there is inaccurate
information in your credit report due to fraud.
FAIR DEBT COLLECTIONS ACT - Summary
Prohibits a collection agency from engaging in many kinds of
activities. If a collection agency violates this law, you have
the right to sue both the agency and the creditor that hired the
agency. Under the FDCPA a collection agency cannot legally engage
in any of the following:
A collection agency cannot contact other people except to locate
you. When contacting other people, the agent must state her name
and that she's confirming or correcting location information about
you. She cannot give the collection agency's name unless asked,
state that you owe a debt, or contact the person more than once
unless she requests it or the agent believes her first response
was wrong or incomplete. Collectors are allowed to contact your
attorney, a credit reporting agency, and the original creditor.
Collector are allowed to contact your spouse, your parents (if
you are a minor) and your co-debtors, but not if you have already
told them in writing to stop contacting you.
A collection agency cannot contact you at an unusual or inconvenient
time or place and not before 8am or after 9pm., or at work if
she knows that your employer prohibits you from receiving collection
calls at work - if you are contacted at work, tell the collector
that your boss prohibits such calls.
A collection agency cannot harass by means of threatening violence
or hurt you, use obscene language, or call you repeatedly.
You can have stop a collector from contacting you by writing
a letter to the collection agency telling them to stop. However,
this will not make the debt go away. If you believe you do not
owe the money you can send a letter within 30 days disputing the
debt.
Contact your state Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission
to report a collector's violation of this law.
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