Debt collectors are generally not allowed to call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. That’s not a suggestion — it’s the law. Specifically, it’s the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lays out exactly what collectors can and can’t do.
Note: these rules apply to third-party debt collectors — companies hired to collect a debt — not always to the original lender you borrowed from.
They also generally can’t call you more than seven times in a seven-day period about a specific debt, or within seven days of actually speaking with you about that debt. So the “we’ll just keep calling” move? Likely illegal.
The lying stuff is where it gets really important. They can’t claim you’ll be arrested if you don’t pay. They can’t pretend to be a lawyer or a government official. They can’t tell you that you owe more than you actually do. None of it. According to the FTC, collectors flat-out cannot deceive you to collect money.
Here’s the part almost nobody knows: you can make them stop contacting you entirely. One written letter. Tell them to stop — and they legally have to. They can acknowledge the letter or notify you of a specific legal action they’re taking (like a lawsuit), but the ongoing calls stop.
If a collector is harassing you, threatening you, or lying to you, that’s something you can report. You can file a complaint with the CFPB or the FTC. You can also sue a collector who breaks these rules.