Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Maryland

People with foreign accents call me day and night demanding money from me-they use different names and different agencies they claim to be representing. They have been doing this for about a year and a half. They say that me or my attorney needs to contact them immediately about a criminal fraud charge I'm facing over an unpaid debt (that I don't believe even exists). They have said they are the FBI, the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Legal Department and have also used various company names for which I can find NO evidence that exist. They tell me that I need to cooperate or I will be arrested by officers standing by outside my office waiting to take me to jail at their command. When I ask them who they are collecting for or who filed fraud charges against me since debt is not a criminal matter, they use obscene language and make threats to my safety and well being. I calmly tell them that if they validate the debt in writing I will be happy to pay it and they scream and hang up on me. They call me at home, at work, on my cell, and have harassed 3 of my family members on their home phone numbers in another state. They call me 10-30 times a day. I have been written up at work for excessive phone calls and I am on the verge of a nervous breakdown. This started in December of 2008. I notified the local police who basically told me to change my number (I can't change my work number and can't ask my family to change their numbers). I have filed reports with the FTC and the FBI as well and haven't gotten anywhere as of yet. They always call from different numbers but I know it is the same people because they read from a t6hreatening script until I start asking questions. My job and my sanity are at risk after a year and a half of this. I have 5 voicemails saved from them that they've left on my phone in the last week. If I can find these people can I sue them for harassment and extortion (threatening imprisonment in a non-criminal matter and endangering my job)? I'm at my wits end and these people have to be stopped. Thanks in advance.

Asked on 7/27/10, 3:56 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys

Jed Sorokin-Altmann Law Office of Jed Sorokin-Altmann

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Oh dear. That's awful. I'm very sorry to read that this is happening to you. It's not OK, it's not legal, it's not right.

It is a violation of a federal statute called the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) to threaten you with criminal prosecution to collect a debt. It's a violation of the FDCPA to threaten your safety and wellbeing. It's a violation of the FDCPA to use abusive language. It's a violation of the FDCPA to call your family members about your debt. It's a violation of the FDCPA when the calls cross the line into harassment, which 10-30 calls clearly do. It's a violation of the FDCPA to call your workplace if they know that your employer prohibits getting these calls at work.

If you know who these people are, please do yourself a favor and contact a consumer protection attorney in your area. The behavior you've described is unconscionable and you deserve far better treatment. Assuming you can prove what you describe in your question, and assuming you can prove who did it, I'd think you should have little difficult finding an attorney willing to take this up on a contingency fee basis. These are flagrant violation of the FDCPA.

As a sidenote, along with the local police, FTC, and FBI that you've already spoken to, you might want to contact the Maryland Collection Agency Licensing Board at 410-230-6079 or in writing at 500 N. Calvert St., Room 402, Baltimore, MD 21202.

Best of luck to you, and I hope you can regain your peace of mind soon!

Answered on 8/01/10, 8:32 pm

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