FCCPA

How the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act Effects Tampa Residents

Knowledgeable Bankruptcy Attorneys Help Protect Your Rights

The Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act (FCCPA) protects consumers from debt collection abuses in the state of Florida. While the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) exists at the federal level, the FCCPA takes protections for Floridians even farther. The FCCPA has many requirements about activities that are allowed and activities that are prohibited during the collection of debts. If you believe that the creditors contacting you are not operating within those requirements, our Tampa bankruptcy lawyers may be able to help.

Experienced Representation

Practices that are prohibited by the FCCPA include:

• Use or threat of force or violence.
• A creditor posing as a law enforcement officer or as a representative of a governmental agency.
• Communicating or threatening to communicate with the debtor’s employer without permission.
• Disclosing information affecting the debtor’s reputation to people other than the debtor, and his or her family, who do not have a legitimate business need for the information.
• Communicating with the debtors with such frequency that it could reasonably be considered harassment.
• Using profane, obscene, vulgar or willfully abusive language.
• Communicating in a manner that simulates the appearance of being authorized by a government, governmental agency or attorney at law, when it is not.
• Mailing any communication to a debtor with words written, typed or printed on the outside intended to embarrass the debtor.
• Communicating with a debtor between the hours of 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. in the debtor’s time zone.

Stopping Creditor Harassment in Florida

Our Tampa bankruptcy lawyers can help you stop all forms of collection activities, including lawsuits and wage garnishments.