Law Office of Rick Morin, PC

My office has been receiving a surprising number of phone calls recently from people thinking about filing bankruptcy with one common trait: they were recently called by a extremely aggressive bill collector. Read more below to find out what you need to know about these bill collection scams in Sacramento.

Bill collectors get a bad rap because of a minority of people in their industry. However, the number of “bad” collectors appears to be in the rise. At least that’s what the phone calls to my bankruptcy law firm seem to indicate.

Potential bankruptcy filers calling my office all tell a similar tale. They defaulted on a debt in the past 10 years or so and never heard from the company again. Then, out of nowhere, they were flooded with aggressive phone calls. Not only to their personal numbers, but to work and to family and friends.

In one case, a client of mine agreed to pay an aggressive collector some money because he was hounding her at work. What the client did not know at the time was the debt was too old — it was beyond the “statute of limitations.” The client had no legal obligation to pay the debt!

Other clients have told me of stories of collectors threatening them with arrest or criminal prosecution for failing to pay a debt. My advice here is the same that I give to my clients: there are very, very few circumstances in which a person can be arrested for failing to pay a debt in America. This is jut another dirty trick that collectors use to try to get any money that they can.

Again, not all collectors are bad apples. In many cases, they are pursuing legitimate debts or judgements. If you receive collection calls, whether they be legitimate or not, it is important that you consult an experienced consumer attorney.

I have helped many clients deal with bill collectors — and bankruptcy isn’t always the path that we go down. I have negotiated debt settlement offers that keep collectors at bay and also avoid the need for filing bankruptcy. Occasionally we determine that bankruptcy is the best available option. Either way, I’m happy to guide clients through this challenging process.

If you have questions about aggressive debt collectors or bankruptcy in Sacramento, please call my office at (916) 333-2222.