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Everyone experiences a credit collection call or two at some point in their lives. While some may receive more than others, none of us are exempt from the frequent interruptions to our daily lives when creditors call looking for the late payment owed to them. Sometimes it may come as a surprise, other times every ringtone makes you cringe and screen your calls because you know who is on the other end…again.
So let’s say you’ve successfully filed and completed bankruptcy
The debts that cause credit collectors to call you are now discharged, right? Once you’ve filed for bankruptcy, it is true that these calls should immediately stop. In reality, this may not be the case, and you may find yourself screening the same calls you did before, perhaps with a little more ease but with just as much annoyance. Luckily, you may be able to work with the same lawyer you trusted to help you complete your bankruptcy claim to discuss this and other issues after bankruptcy is completed.
How do I stop collection calls after bankruptcy?
Bankruptcy puts in place an automatic stay as soon as you file.
What is this? The purpose of an automatic stay is to protect you from phone calls, emails, and letters that are attempting to collect debts from you that you may find annoying at best and harassing at worst. Ongoing attempts to contact you regarding your debt by the creditor is illegal from this point forward and should cease unless the creditor has expressed permission of the court. With best intentions assumed, creditors use software systems that may take a little time to catch up to the automatic stay order. However, there may be other debt collectors that simply choose to ignore the law and continue to contact you for what is owed no matter what.
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If you continue receiving calls after a reasonable amount of time has passed, you might assume that these creditors are breaking the law, especially if you’ve taken the time to inform them that you have filed and/or completed bankruptcy proceedings. In this case, it is beneficial to be knowledgeable about what your rights are and do not assume you have to live with harassing phone calls, emails, and letters. After all, these are stress-provoking even if you’re confident you no longer owe them money. In this case, get in touch with your bankruptcy attorney so they can assist in ensuring the creditors’ systems are up to date or to bring the matter into a court of law.
What Steps You Could Take
- Provide an explanation to your creditors
- Take detailed notes of each credit collecting interaction
- Contact your bankruptcy lawyer
- Take creditors to court.
While this may seem extreme, moving forward after bankruptcy while you continue to receive debt collection calls is challenging. If they won’t stop after initial simple steps are taken, suing them for harassment and emotional suffering may be necessary to stop the abuse.