Telephone Calls

• Debt collectors may not use abusive or threatening language when making telephone calls; they also must restrict their calls to between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, according to the Maryland Attorney General. Bill collectors must not discuss the debtor's account with other parties and cannot make empty threats of lawsuits. Also, debt collectors cannot legally lie about the purpose of their calls and must stop calling upon written request.
  
  

Written Communication

• Bill collectors should send any letters to the last known address of the debtor. Envelopes cannot legally contain information on the outside that identifies the correspondence as being from a debt collector. Maryland residents should not receive postcards about their overdue debts, as this violates their privacy rights. All letters must include a disclosure that the communication comes from a debt collector.
  
  

Dispute Rights

• If you believe a debt collector is trying to pursue payment of a bill that is not yours or was included in your past bankruptcy case, you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission and the Maryland Attorney General. Keep copies of all correspondence you send and receive regarding the debt; always get payment settlement offers in writing and send your correspondence through certified mail. In cases of identity theft or extreme harassment, you may need to contact the local police or a qualified Maryland attorney for assistance.
  
  

Additional Considerations

• Bill collectors can legally place debts on your credit report, which can harm your ability to get new credit, housing or some types of jobs, warns the Federal Trade Commission. In Maryland, most negative credit reporting can only legally remain on your record for seven years from the date of the original missed payment. Debt collectors can only sue you in a Maryland court for the debt for three years, according to state law 5-101. But bill collectors can try to pursue payment through letters and phone calls for as long as they wish, unless you included the bill in a bankruptcy case.