A new federal rule allows debt collectors to harass people on their social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Worse, these debt collectors don't even have to confirm that the person they're bothering actually owes the money!
That means any of us could get unlimited text messages, emails and direct messages on social media about supposed money we owe, even if we don't owe it. In case that is not enough, debt collectors can try to contact consumers by phone up to seven times a week (and in some circumstances, even more) about each debt.
But perhaps the most egregious part of the rule is debt collectors don't have to document and confirm that a person actually owes a debt before trying to collect it. In fact, of the 75,000 complaints lodged last year at the CFPB about debt collection, the most common complaint was about attempts to collect money that wasn't owed.
The financial industry has gone too far. Sign our petition to fight back against this anti-consumer rule!