Posted on June 4, 2009 at 12:41 am I have $20,000 on credit card debt and have been contstantly harrassed by credit card bill collectors. I don't mind that because frankly I dont answer my phone anyway, but what bothers me is that they have been calling my next-door neighbors and looking for me! Can they actually do that?!  it's stupid to say the least!!!

Posted on June 4, 2009 at 1:07 am the long and winding road~Debt collectors are authorized by law to contact third parties such as the debtor's relatives or neighbors, but only to obtain location information about you. They can only ask for your address, phone number, and, in some cases, employment information, and nothing more.You did mention earlier that you have not been answering their calls. Since they aren't able to reach you, they resorted to contacting your neighbors. This practice is legal and part of their standard procedure. However if your neighbors request that calls to them be stopped, the debt collectors must follow suit.

Posted on June 4, 2009 at 1:11 am also debt collectors aren't allowed to leave messages for you with the neighbors. that's a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which serves as protection for consumers from unfair practices from debt collectors.juts like what Karess said, the only pieces of information that they can obtain from your neighbors are phone numbers and addresses. they can't tell your neighbors why they're calling in the first place, and that they're attempting to collect a debt. if asked, the collectors need to provide information abt themselves like their names and the name of the company they work for

Posted on June 4, 2009 at 1:41 am Yeah, I've been on the receiving end of these calls, too, except that I'm the late card holder's neighbor.. I honestly don't know who the guy is, all I know is that he lives a couple houses away from me. I've just moved to this neighborhood and my phone's ringing off the hook. I don't owe any debts from anyone and I pay all my bills on time. I know there's a way that can stop the calls but I'm not sure how. Can anyone tell me how to rectify this situation?

Posted on June 4, 2009 at 1:49 am black sheep~Simply informing the debt collector to stop the calls is enough. In fact, attempts to contact individuals other than the debtor should be made only once, assuming that the information that was needed from you would suffice. Since you mentioned that you didn't know who the cardholder was, you can inform the collector the next time they call to stop doing so. In fact, if these individuals contact you repeatedly, that's also considered a violation of your privacy. It may also be considered as a form of harassment. Debtors who wish not to receive calls from these companies can write Cease and Desist letters to these firms to stop the calls. As a third party who has no affiliation whatsoever to your neighbor, the debtor, you may also inform these companies in writing if they continue contacting you via telephone. Have they been telling you why exactly they were calling? That already is a breach of the debtor's privacy, and you can also air your concern to an appropriate gov't agency to have the situation rectified.

Posted on June 4, 2009 at 2:05 am thelongandwindingroad, what Karess is saying in essence is that you have the same rights as the debtor has. Debt collectors are also not allowed to insinuate or imply that you have committed a crime. And they cannot call anyone--debtor, neighbor, relative, whoever--any time before 8AM and after 9PM on their current time zone.

Posted on June 4, 2009 at 3:40 am for black sheep:here's a sample letter that you can use to send to the collection agency who;s been contacting you.http://www.privacyrights.org/Letters/debt6.htmhope that helps! best of luck to you.