Before you call back — check the time
Calls before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. your local time are illegal.
What to do about collection calls
- Write down every call. Date, time, number, what was said. One call is a nuisance; a logged pattern is evidence.
- Don't pay to make it stop. Paying can restart the statute of limitations on a debt that was already too old to enforce.
- Ask for it in writing.A collector must send written validation within five days of first contact (§ 1692g(a)). If they won't, treat that as the answer.
- Send a cease & desist. Once received, § 1692c(c) requires them to stop contacting you, with narrow exceptions.
Recording the call
Check first — a dozen states need everyone on the line to agree, and a collector is usually calling from another one. See your state's rules. Logging the call is lawful everywhere and is what actually builds the timeline.
Stop the calls
Or let us send the cease & desist for you.
Once the collector receives written notice to stop contacting you, § 1692c(c) requires them to stop. We draft it against your file, print it, and send it certified with tracking — so you have proof of the date they received it.
- Drafted from your logged contacts
- Printed and mailed certified, with tracking
- Delivery date filed to your evidence vault
- You approve the wording before it goes
One-time, no subscription. Logging calls is free — you only pay when a letter goes out.
Browse collectors
Or start from the agency instead of the number — the collector directory lists every verified agency, the numbers they call from, and where to send a letter.