With the high cost of everyday items nowadays, it should come as no surprise that many Americans must reach for their credit cards to make necessary purchases. Indeed, according to reporting from Yahoo!, 14 million Americans have more than $10,000 in credit card debt.
If you fail to make monthly payments on time, your credit card company might send your outstanding debt to a collections agency. Unfortunately, debt collectors are notorious for using somewhat shady tactics to secure payment. They cannot publicly shame you on social media, though.
Debt collectors must follow strict rules
In the modern era, many individuals use social media to connect with others. If you are one of them, you should understand that debt collectors can contact you on social media. They must follow strict rules, though, including the following:
- Debt collectors must message you privately.
- Debt collectors must not send excessive messages.
- Debt collectors must identify themselves.
You can opt out of social media messages
Even though debt collectors can friend you and send you private messages, they cannot make public posts about you or your debt. They also must give you an easy way to opt out of social media messages. If you do not want to correspond about your debt on social media, declining their messages may be a good idea.
Using social media should be pleasurable and not overly stressful for you. Ultimately, if a debt collector uses social media to harass or intimidate you, you may have grounds to take legal action against the company.