Collections Agency Calling my parents

[RedHeadGirlLA]

Is this legal.  They are harassing my parents and they don't know what to do and It's upsetting them. 

Any advice?

[Anonymous]

Hi!

As a rule, if the debt is valid, then the collection agency has a right to collect. However, there are laws that restrict how, when, and under what circumstances a collection agency may attempt to contact the alleged debtor. If you haven't already done so, I'd recommend reviewing the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act on the FTC website. And, please visit the Rebuilding Board here at MyFico. The regulars there are absolute Whiz's at helping with collections.

Is this your debt, and they're calling your parents? Or, is this your parents' debt? Is the debt within the statute of limitations for your state? Is this a medical debt, by chance? With some additional detail, I think that the knowledgable people here will be able to give you more specific advice about your situation, and what you (or your parents) can do.

[Chopbrocoli]

RedHead, its legal for a CA to call and obtain location information on the debtor. But are they trying to collect from a relative etc? Or have they reached a completely wrong # with no relation to your parents?

[Takunda1]

simple advice. if this is your debt then you need to contact the CA via mail or contact the OC and get this debt taken care of.

[guiness56]

If the debt is yours and your parents are in no way connected to the debt, then no, they may not call and harass them.  The only thing they can do is ask for location information, and they may not talk to them more than once unless your parents requested them to or the debt collector thinks the information was erroneous or incomplete and they now have current information.  This comes from the FDCPA Section 804.

If the debt is your parents, yes they can contact them but, they may not harass them.