You cannot go to jail for not paying your debts

A fairly common tactic of shady debt collectors is to tell people that they will go to jail if they do not pay a debt. I’ve even heard about debt collectors impersonating the police and telling unsuspecting people that they have a warrant for them and that they will be arrested immediately unless they pay their debt.

You cannot go to jail for not paying your debts. Period. Any debt collector that tells you otherwise has violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The FDCPA prohibits false and misleading representations when attempting to collect a debt. This prohibition specifically includes telling you that the nonpayment of a debt will result in imprisonment.

If you’re dealing with debt collectors, make sure to download and use my free debt collection call log so that you can document all of the debt collectors’ communications. And if the debt collector does anything that you think was unfair; untrue; or harassing, oppressive, or abusive, please contact me to discuss the situation further. I offer a free case review for all FDCPA cases and if I agree to handle your case, you won’t have to pay me any money up front. My fees come from the money I recover from you if you win your case or accept a negotiated settlement.

(photo: jakevol2)