Debt Collector Harassment

Both Federal and Florida law provide strong legal protection to people against harassment by debt collectors.

Many of our clients report to us that they receive harassing telephone calls from debt collectors on a daily basis. However, many of them didn’t know that there are very strict rules that debt collectors must follow or else they violate the law. These rules are designed to protect you against harassing debt collectors, even if you owe the debt.

When debt collectors violate the law, you can fight back to get them to stop the harassment and you can be awarded between $100 and $1,000 per violation.

For example, debt collectors are not allowed to

Call your cell phone using a pre-recorded or automated message;
Call you before 8:00 AM or after 9:00 PM;
Use foul or abusive language;
Threaten to arrest you for not paying the debt;
Call you at work;
Pretend the debt collector is an attorney, when they are not;
Contact or threaten to contact friends, relatives or employers regarding your debt;
Threaten to take legal action when they have no intention of doing so;
Continue to contact you after you have requested that they stop or after you have instructed them that you have an attorney;

Militzok & Associates is able to handle these cases and stop the harassment for no cost to you. Not only is the representation at no cost to you, but you can also be awarded money for each time the debt collector violates the law. Contact us today to discuss your case with an attorney.

For additional information on debt collector harassment, please visit our companion website at www.FLdebtHELP.com.

Unauthorized Debit Card (ATM Card) or Bank Account Activity: Under the law, when a customer reports fraud or unauthorized transactions on his or her bank account or debit/ATM card, all banks are required to fully investigate and comply with specific guidelines under the Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA). If you have been the victim of unauthorized bank account activity, and you have lost money in which the bank has refused to reimburse you for, contact us for a free evaluation of your case. We handle these cases on a contingency basis which means we are able to take on these cases at no cost to you.

Identity Theft

Florida is ranked first in the United States for the number of identity theft and fraud complaints per capita. If you are the victim of identity theft and you have negative marks on your credit report from the unauthorized use of your credit, contact us for a no-cost consultation. By law, you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report one time each year. To obtain a free copy of your credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com. We are able to take these types of cases on a contingency basis which means we are able to take on these cases at no cost to you.

Credit and debit card receipts: The Firm is accepting new cases for electronically printed credit or debit card receipts provided in Florida after December 4, 2006 which show any digits of your credit or debit card number other than the last five, and receipts provided after June 3, 2008 which display your credit or debit card’s expiration date. You may be entitled to statutory damages of $100-$1,000 per violation.

ATMs

Most banks charges non-customers fees who use their ATMs without posting the proper notice on the outside of the ATM that you will be charged these fees. The banks are required to notify you on the outside of the ATM in addition to a notice appearing on the screen. The failure to provide such notices may entitle you to statutory damages of $100-$1,000 per violation.