Did they break the law?
Tell the checker who is contacting you, where you live and what happened. It answers first: which of the things you checked match a violation, under which law, with the statute or regulation behind each one. Then it shows what the law lets you recover and how long you have. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
1. Who is contacting you?
Look at the letter, the caller ID or the credit report. If you are not sure, pick the closest one.
2. Where do you live?
State law adds its own rights on top of federal law.
3. What did they do?
Check everything that happened. Each one is weighed on its own.
4. When was the most recent one?
The date of the latest call, letter, lawsuit or credit report you are complaining about. Each one starts its own clock.
How the checker decides
Every box on the left is tied to a rule: a section of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. § 1692 and following), a section of Regulation F (12 C.F.R. part 1006), a section of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. § 1681 and following), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (47 U.S.C. § 227), Florida’s Consumer Collection Practices Act (Fla. Stat. § 559.72) or New York’s General Business Law § 349. The checker applies three filters before it calls something a match.
- Who. The FDCPA covers third-party collectors, debt buyers and collection law firms (15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6)). An original lender collecting its own debt is usually outside it, so FDCPA boxes do not match for a lender. The FCRA and the TCPA apply whoever the company is.
- What kind of debt. The FDCPA and the FCCPA cover personal, family and household debts only (15 U.S.C. § 1692a(5)). A business debt turns those boxes off.
- Where. Florida’s FCCPA is added for Florida residents and reaches original lenders too. New York’s GBL § 349 is added for New York residents where the conduct is deceptive.
Seven calls in seven days means telephone calls
The Regulation F presumption counts telephone calls about one debt: more than seven in seven days, or any call within seven days after a phone conversation about it (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)). Texts and emails do not count toward the seven, though they can still be harassment. The presumption can be rebutted. To count your calls day by day, use the call log.
What the checker cannot see
Whether you can prove it, whether the company has a defense such as a bona fide error (15 U.S.C. § 1692k(c)), whether an arbitration clause changes the forum, and whether the true deadline is earlier than the one shown. It matches; a lawyer decides. The review is free, and the results can be copied into the case review form.
The call log
Log each call. It flags more than 7 in 7 days and calls outside 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Open the call log →Every violation
Eighteen pages, one for each thing collectors are not allowed to do.
Violations →Every deadline
One year, two, three, four: the clock for each law, in New York, New Jersey and Florida.
Deadlines →Common questions
Does a match mean I have a case?
It means what you described fits the words of a rule. Whether it is a case depends on proof (call logs, voicemails, letters, the credit report), on whether the company is covered by the law, and on defenses the checker cannot see, such as a bona fide error. A lawyer can tell you in one conversation, and the review is free.
I really do owe the money. Can I still use this?
Yes. The FDCPA protects people who owe the debt as well as people who do not. A collector that harasses you, lies to you or calls too often breaks the law whether or not the debt is valid.
Why does it matter who is contacting me?
Because each law covers different companies. The FDCPA covers collection agencies, debt buyers and collection law firms, but usually not the original lender collecting its own debt. Florida's FCCPA covers original lenders too. The FCRA covers credit bureaus and the companies that report to them. The TCPA covers anyone who robocalls a cell phone without consent.
Does the checker store what I enter?
No. The rules download with the page and the answer is worked out on your device. Nothing is sent to us or stored. The copy button only puts a summary on your clipboard so you can paste it into the case review form if you choose.
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.