 TITLE: Can a Collection Agency Sell Your Debt? CONTENT: What Are Debt Collectors Not Allowed to Do?\n-------------------------------------------\nWhen a debt collector is trying to collect money from you, such as delinquent debt from credit cards, medical bills or auto loans, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is in your corner. The federal law prevents a debt collector from:\n*   Contacting you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. unless you let them.\n*   Reaching out to you at work if you're not allowed to be contacted there.\n*   Discussing your debt with anyone except you and your spouse, or an attorney representing you. A debt collector can, however, contact other people to obtain your phone number, address or workplace information.\n*   Harassing you. This includes hurling profanity at you or constantly bugging you by phone.\n*   Lying about details of your debt, such as misinforming you about how much money you owe or falsely claiming you're going to be arrested.\n*   Engaging in unfair practices, such as depositing a post-dated check ahead of time.\nWhen a debt collector violates the FDCPA, you can take the collector to court. If the court rules in your favor, you may receive monetary damages, repayment of legal fees and more.\nA statute of limitations governs how long negative information about debt in collections stays on your credit report. Under the FDCPA, a negative mark related to uncollected debt can remain on your credit report for seven years from the time the debt first became delinquent.\nThere's another debt-related statute of limitations to consider. This one restricts the window of time during which a lender or debt collector can sue you in an attempt to recover money from you. The statute of limitations varies from state to state, but it's generally three to six years. END