Consumer complaints about debt collection harassment on the rise. Again.

According to a recent CNNMoney.com story, consumer complaints about debt collector harassment soared 50% to 67,550 in 2009 and are on pace to grow another 13% in 2010. And complaints of debt collectors threatening or actually using violence more than doubled in 2009, to 2,517. The reason for these increases in these aggressive collection tactics seems pretty obvious. With unemployment at a record high, debt collectors simply can’t squeeze as much money from consumers as they used to. So they’ve resorted to more aggressive–and often illegal–collection tactics.

Although, if you believe the debt collectors, it’s not their fault. According a Mark Schiffman, a collection industry spokesman, the rise is consumer complaints should be blamed on…wait for it…consumers! In the story, Schiffman attempts to deflect blame from the collection industry by noting that “there’s a growing industry of consumer attorneys and savvy consumers who have learned that they can sue a debt collector fairly easily and collect very easily.” So according to Schiffman, it’s not that debt collectors are harassing more people, they’re just getting called on it more often by “savvy” consumers and their lawyers.

To learn more about your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, consider downloading my free guide FDCPA Basics. And if you’ve been harassed or abused by a debt collector and want to stand up for your rights, feel free to contact me for a free case review.

Debt Collectors Get Nasty | CNNMoney.com | July 10, 2010