 TITLE: New Debt Collection Rule Allows Contact on Social Media CONTENT: What to Do if You Have Debt in Collections\n------------------------------------------\nIf you've got debt in collections, it's important that you don't ignore it. Ignoring the debt won't make it disappear, and could actually make matters worse. Tackling those overdue bills right away will put a halt to debt collectors bugging you and should ease damage to your credit.\nHere are other steps to take when you have debt in collections.\n*   **Cooperate with the creditor.** If your debt has gone unpaid for just a few months, it's likely that efforts are being made to collect it by the original creditor (your credit card issuer, for instance). Once a company's in-house debt collector runs into a wall, the creditor might turn over the debt to an outside debt collector. Before that happens, contact your creditor to see if you can work out a payment plan.\n*   **Call off the collector.** In most instances, a debt collector must quit contacting you if you ask them in writing to do so. While this won't make your debt vanish, it can give you some peace as you work to repay the debt.\n*   **Explore debt negotiation.** A debt collector may be willing to compromise in order to get at least some of its money. So it's worth inquiring about a lump-sum payment that's lower than the amount you owe or about a debt repayment plan.\n*   **Look into legal help.** If you feel like you're in over your head with the past-due debt, you may want to consider consulting an attorney. This could be especially important if the debt collector is taking you to court. END