Debt collection harassment is a real occurrence, that affects everyday people all the time. In some cases, when the party knows their rights, it can be dealt with cleanly and swiftly with little to no repercussions. Sometimes, it has a more long-term effect as collectors get more and more aggressive and truly begin to cross the line. Here are some real life horror stories of collection company harassment.
Collection Company Harassment Stories That Will Leave You Horrified
Jessica Burke
One of the most well-known and commonly cited debt collection harassment lawsuits is that of Jessica Burke. This case was so outlandish and inappropriate that the courts awarded Burke a $33,000 settlement in 2009. The original debt? $350 owed on a used car.
Burke was dealing with “John Anderson”, debt collector, when he began to harass her over the debt. The harassment started with phone calls at all times, and even at illegal times, past the 9:00 pm cutoff designated by the FDCPA. The debt collector went as far at times as to threaten to find Burke, claiming he was a background investigator. He called her boss to attempt to embarrass her into settling the debt. He even taunted her over text message, making fun of her weight and calling her “Porky Pig”. In the end, Jessica turned over the car and sued the agent, resulting in the settlement in her favor.
Tammy Henshaw
This one truly is a horror story, and took place in Bellville, Missouri. Henshaw turned to the press when the threats from a debt collector took a sinister turn. As she reported to KMOV-TV, Henshaw received a number of threatening phone calls from a debt collector. The threats she received included the debt collector calling her white trash, threatening to kill her dog and eat it,, and the scariest of all, threatening to dig up her dead daughter and hang her from a tree. Although the debt collection company adamantly stated that they do not condone this behavior, it is important to remember that bad debt collectors are people who sometimes slip through the cracks. You should never feel harassed or threatened when speaking with a debt collector.
These are just a couple of the horror stories that could occur with debt collection harassment. All over the country, people live with debt collection harassment each day and don’t speak up. Make sure you know your rights and seek an attorney as soon as you feel threatened or harassed.
Do you feel that you have ever been and victim of collection company harassment? Tell us your story!
