Debt collector calling? What they can and can't do, and how to dispute a debt

What's happened

Holiday spending can leave old bills behind, and debt collectors are busy all year. Two sets of federal rules limit what they can do: the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and Regulation F, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's rule under it, which took effect in 2021 and is still in force.

Regulation F set clear limits on calls, added rules for texts, emails and social media, and spelled out what a collector must tell you about a debt. Here's what that means if a collector gets in touch.

Who's affected

Anyone being chased for a personal, family or household debt, such as a credit card, medical bill, car loan or old phone contract. The FDCPA mainly covers third-party debt collectors and debt buyers, not the original lender collecting its own debt, though many states have their own rules that go further.

What the rules say

• Call limits. A collector is presumed to break the rules if it calls you about a debt more than seven times within seven days, or calls again within seven days after having a phone conversation with you about that debt.
• Times. Unless you agree otherwise, collectors must assume that before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m. is inconvenient for you.
• Work. They can't contact you at work if they know or should know your employer doesn't allow it.
• Texts and emails. Every electronic message must explain a simple way to opt out, and once you ask a collector to stop using a channel, such as texts, it must stop.
• Social media. A collector can't contact you about a debt in a way your social media contacts or the public can see.
• Validation notice. In its first contact or within five days, the collector must give you details of the debt: the creditor, an itemization, the amount, and an end date for disputing it.
• Disputes. You have about 30 days from getting the notice to dispute in writing. If you do, the collector must stop collecting the disputed amount until it sends you verification.
• Old debts. A collector must not sue or threaten to sue you over a debt that's past your state's statute of limitations.
• Credit reports. A collector can't report a debt to a credit bureau until it has contacted you about it.
• No lies or threats. Collectors can't lie about the amount, pretend to be law enforcement, threaten arrest or violence, or use obscene language.

A worked example

This is an illustration, not a real case.

Jordan gets a letter on Thursday, November 5, 2026 about a $780 medical bill he thought insurance had paid. The validation notice gives a dispute deadline in December. He writes back within that time, says he disputes the debt, and asks for proof. The collector must pause collection of the $780 until it sends him verification.

Before he writes, the collector calls him and they speak on Monday, November 9. Counting that day as day one, the collector shouldn't call him again about the debt until at least Monday, November 16. If it rings him eight times in a week, that's presumed to break the rules.

If a collector breaks the FDCPA, you can sue for your actual losses plus up to $1,000 in extra damages, and legal fees. You generally have one year from the violation to do so.

What to do now

1. Don't ignore it. Ask who the collector is, who the original creditor was, and how much they say you owe.
2. Check the validation notice and write down the dispute deadline.
3. Dispute in writing if the debt isn't yours or the amount is wrong, and ask for verification. Send it by a method you can track, and keep copies.
4. Opt out of channels you don't want, such as texts or work email, by following the opt-out instructions.
5. Tell them to stop if you want. If you write saying you refuse to pay or want contact to end, the collector must stop, except to confirm it's ending its efforts or to say it may take a specific step, such as a lawsuit.
6. Complain to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint or on (855) 411-2372, and to your state attorney general.

FAQs

Will telling a collector to stop make the debt go away?

No. You still owe a valid debt, and the creditor or collector can still use legal ways to collect it, including reporting it to a credit bureau or suing if it's not time-barred.

Can they talk to my family about my debt?

Generally, a collector can contact other people only to find out how to reach you, and must not tell them you owe a debt. It can talk to your spouse, or your attorney if you have one.

Sources: CFPB: know your rights when a debt collector calls, CFPB: what information a debt collector has to give you, 12 CFR 1006.14: harassing calls and opt-outs, 12 CFR 1006.6: electronic communications, 12 CFR 1006.22: social media, 12 CFR 1006.26: time-barred debts, 12 CFR 1006.30: credit reporting, 12 CFR 1006.34: validation notices, 15 U.S.C. 1692c, 15 U.S.C. 1692k