You have rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act [1] and you may have additional rights under your state consumer protection laws. If you believe your rights were violated, you should do the following:

1. Document Everything: As soon as possible, note the details of the phone call (or other communication) in a call log. You should note the following information:
   
   • Date and time of call
   • Place of the call (home, work, mobile phone, etc.)
   • Caller name, company name and any other contact details (phone numbers, address, etc.)
   • Credit account and amount demanded
   • Tone of caller’s voice
   • Language used by caller
   • Threats made by caller
   • Any other information you feel is important (frequency of calls, etc.)
     
2. Use this information to file a complaint with the following agencies:
   
   • Federal Trade Commission [2]
   • Your State’s Attorney General’s Office [3]
   • Better Business Bureau [4]
     
3. Contact an attorney [5] licensed to practice law in your state. Be sure to evaluate more than one attorney [6]. The FDCPA allows for penalties and recovering legal costs if the consumer wins the case against the debt collector.
   
4. If you are enrolled in a debt relief program (debt management plan, debt settlement program or bankruptcy), inform those helping you with your debt about the situation. If the debt relief organization utilizes a consumer advocacy service, like the United Consumer Advocacy Network [7], then also report suspected violations to them.
5. Post your situation on the Forum [8] so others can learn from your experiences and share their thoughts, feelings and similar experiences.