What we are seeing, and what to do about it
Shorter than the guide pages and written for the moment you are in: a collector who calls every morning, a summons over a card you stopped paying years ago, a dispute that came back verified. Every post links to the page with the full rule and the citation behind it.
Recent writing
Medical debt on your credit report: the federal rule is gone, the state laws are contested, your dispute rights are not
The federal medical debt rule is gone and the CFPB now says states cannot ban it. Your dispute rights remain.
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Robocalls and consent after 2025: what the FCC and the courts changed
You can revoke robocall consent any reasonable way. Courts, not the FCC, now have the last word on the TCPA.
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Bank account frozen by a judgment in New York
Some money in a frozen account is protected by law. The forms, the 20-day window, and what to do first.
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A court orders the CFPB's funding restored. Here is what that does and does not change for you
A judge ruled the CFPB's funding cutoff unlawful. Your own right to sue a collector never depended on the agency.
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Seven calls in seven days: what the rule is, and what it is not
More than seven calls in seven days is presumed harassment. It is not a ban, and texts do not count toward it.
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Sued on an old credit card in New York
New York's three-year limit on consumer credit suits, and why a small payment no longer restarts the clock.
Read →Why your dispute was verified anyway
You sent documents and got back one word: verified. How the dispute system works, and what the law requires.
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The collector pays your lawyer
Why the law makes a collector found liable pay your attorney's fees, and where that rule stops.
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Your debt collection rights in New Jersey
The FDCPA, the six-year limit, the Third Circuit on old debts, and the 10% wage cap: New Jersey in one place.
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Medical debt collection in New York: your rights
New York keeps medical debt off credit reports and limits how hospitals and providers can sue and collect.
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Florida's FCCPA reaches original creditors
The FDCPA skips most original creditors. Florida's FCCPA does not. What that means for calls from your own bank.
Read →Debt collectors on Facebook and by text
Collectors can text you and message you privately. They cannot post where your friends can see, and you can opt out.
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Robocalls about a debt: when the TCPA applies
Prerecorded debt calls to your cell without consent can cost the caller $500 each. When the TCPA applies.
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A voicemail from a debt collector? Save it
A collector's voicemail can be the strongest evidence you have. What the rules require in one, and how to keep it.
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A background check cost me a job
Before an employer acts on a background check, it owes you a copy. What the FCRA requires, and how to fix errors.
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NYC debt collection rules in 2026: what changed for you
A practical guide to New York City's amended collector rules: how to count contacts and what to keep.
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Should I pay a zombie debt?
Before you pay a very old debt, check its age, the time limit, your credit report and what a payment would do.
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New York City's new debt collection rules are in effect: what changed on September 1, 2026
Three contacts per account per week, original creditors covered, and a 60-day answer to your dispute.
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A default judgment I never knew about
A judgment from a suit you never heard about may be open to challenge. New York's routes, and the deadlines.
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A collector threatened to have me arrested
A collector cannot have you arrested for an unpaid debt. The threat itself may be the violation.
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A tenant screening report cost me an apartment
Screening companies are covered by the FCRA. Get the report free, find the error, and dispute it.
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A debt collector called my mother
A collector may call your family only to find you, usually once, and may never tell them you owe a debt.
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Identity theft on your credit report, step by step
The identity theft report, the freeze and the four-day block: the steps in order, and what the law requires.
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Can a debt collector call my job?
A collector can call you at work until it knows your job forbids it. It can never tell your boss about the debt.
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Someone else's debt is on my credit report
An account that is not yours usually means a mixed file, a collector's mistake or identity theft. How to tell.
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The debt validation letter: what to ask for
Your dispute letter should be short, on time and in writing. What to ask for and what the collector must do next.
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How long negative items stay on your credit report
Seven years for most negative items, ten for bankruptcy. When the clock starts, and what to do when it runs out.
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What to say when a debt collector calls
What to ask, what to say and what never to give when a collector calls, in a script you can keep by the phone.
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What happens if I ignore a debt collector?
Ignoring calls is allowed. Ignoring a validation notice costs you rights. Ignoring a lawsuit costs the most.
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Pay for delete: is it legal?
Asking a collector to delete an account if you pay is not illegal. Whether it agrees is another matter.
Read →Credit Karma shows a collection I don't recognize
A strange collection account on your app. Where it came from, how to check it, and how to dispute it.
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Can a debt collector take my car or house?
For an unsecured debt, a collector needs a court judgment first. Threats to take what it cannot take are violations.
Read →Debt collector calling about someone else
The collector wants someone you have never heard of, or someone you know. Either way, the law limits what it can do.
Read →Is it illegal for a debt collector to call my cell phone?
A call to your cell is not illegal by itself. How, when and how often the collector calls can be.
Read →How much can I sue a debt collector for?
What each law sets in statutory damages, what actual damages means, and which laws make the company pay your lawyer.
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Debt collector won't send proof
A written dispute puts collection on hold until the collector mails proof. What to do if it never comes.
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Does paying a collection restart the clock?
A small payment on an old debt can matter a lot, or not at all. It depends on the state and the clock.
Read →Can a debt collector sue me after 7 years?
Seven years is the credit report clock. The deadline to sue is shorter, and it is set by your state.
Read →A Florida debt collector calling at night
Florida bars collection contact between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. without consent, and it reaches original creditors.
Read →A collection agency called my work in New Jersey
What a collector may and may not do when it calls your New Jersey workplace, and what it cannot threaten.
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When a debt buyer cannot prove it owns the debt
A debt buyer must show a chain of sales back to your lender. What the law requires and what to ask for.
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Sued by a debt collector in NYC Civil Court
Your answer deadline, what the complaint must contain, and the defenses to raise in New York City Civil Court.
Read →Denied a bank account because of ChexSystems
A bank that turns you down over a ChexSystems report must say so. How to get the report and fix an error.
Read →My student loan shows a default by mistake
A default you did not earn is a credit reporting error. How to prove it and dispute it under the FCRA.
Read →A hard inquiry I did not authorize
An inquiry you never approved can be a mistake, a lawful account review, or identity theft. How to tell.
Read →The credit bureau says my dispute is frivolous
A bureau can refuse a dispute it reasonably finds frivolous, but it must say why and what it needs from you.
Read →A late payment on my credit report that was not late
A late mark you did not earn is an inaccuracy. How to prove it and dispute it so the law works for you.
Read →Want to see how these cases actually end?
The stories page tells public debt collection and credit report cases the way they happened, from sewer service in New York City to a false terrorist alert on a credit report, each with its sources. The verdicts page lists the amounts, labeled, with a warning that none of them predicts yours.
Tell us what they did.
One conversation with an attorney, in your language. We tell you which laws the collector or the credit bureau broke, which deadline runs first, and what to save this week. If it is not a case we can take, we say so and tell you where to go.
(718) 484-7510The FDCPA and the FCRA require a company found liable to pay the consumer’s reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. Our fee arrangement is confirmed in a written retainer before we begin. English, Russian and Spanish in-house; an interpreter for any other language.