Can My Personal Information be Shown Outside a Debt Collector's Envelope?
Full Question:
Answer:
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, (FDCPA) is codified at 15 U.S.C. 1692 et seq. It has a number of items that a collection agency may not do. These include, among others, placing anything on the outside of the envelope that identifies it as an attempt to collect a debt, that gives the amount of the debt, and if the words collections or debt collections appears in their name, only the street address can appear on the return address. Shaming is prohibited. These provisions of the FDCPA are designed to prohibit debt collectors from "shaming" a customer into payment, by publicizing the debt.
If there were only a few words visible, then it may be considered a harmless error. We suggest you contact a local attorney who can review all the facts and documents involved. For further discussion, please see:
www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpa/commentary.shtm
