In 2007 the FTC received nearly 71,000 complaints about abusive debt collection practices up from 69,000 the year before. Nearly 20-percent of court-filed complaints alleged harassment through repeated calls, 13-percent of complainants said collectors called a third party repeatedly and 9.2-percent said the collector used obscene or abusive language.
For more information on abusive and illegal debt collection practices and your rights under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act see a few earlier blogs:
Debt Collectors Gone Wild
How to deal with abusive Debt Collectors -Do you Know your Rights?
Appeals Court Rules Aggressive Debt Collector Violates Consumer Rights
Lawsuits Filed against Debt Collection & Debt Resolution Company
Abusive and Illegal Debt Collection Practices lead to Federal Lawsuit...