MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Recent news reports have highlighted the unfortunate fact that a small number of people posing as legitimate debt collectors have been accused of using criminal or fraudulent tactics. ACA International, the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals, feels strongly that our nation's legitimate, ethical, and professional debt collectors should not be penalized or characterized as sympathetic to those who break the law and engage in unethical behavior. ACA International condemns fraudulent, abusive, and unethical debt collection practices and applauds government efforts to investigate and prosecute debt collection scams.
"Deceitful scams harm consumers and damage legitimate and ethical debt collection efforts," said ACA International CEO Pat Morris. "Our members are committed to compliance with the law and ethical means of collecting consumer debts. Unfortunately, fraud still occurs on a rare occasion. Those who purposely violate the law should be held fully accountable for their actions."
ACA International encourages consumers to be aware of their rights if contacted by a debt collection professional. The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) provides for several important consumer rights in the debt collection process. The FDCPA regulates the conduct of debt collectors and can be helpful to consumers when trying to discern a legitimate attempt to recover a debt. For more information about consumer rights and how to work with a debt collector visit www.askdoctordebt.org.
"Debt collectors are not an enemy of consumers," Morris said. "The recovery of consumer debt is important to our local, state and national economies. We are advocates for protecting consumer rights while balancing the ability to recover rightfully owed obligations that maintain America's credit-based economy."
ACA International (www.acainternational.org) is the comprehensive, knowledge-based resource for the credit and collection industry. Founded in 1939, ACA brings together more than 230,000 professionals representing third-party collection agencies, asset buyers, attorneys, creditors and vendor affiliates. ACA supports members through state and federal advocacy, training and resources.
Contact: Alex Szeto
Tel. (952) 259-2108 or [email protected]
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SOURCE ACA International
Related Links
http://www.acainternational.org
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