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    Debt Collector Harassment: How to Make the Calls Stop

    You can legally make a debt collector stop contacting you. Send a written letter telling them to stop; under the FDCPA they must cease communication except to confirm they're stopping or to notify you of a specific action like a lawsuit. Collectors also can't call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., call your work if they know it's not allowed, threaten arrest, use abusive language, or lie about what you owe. Under federal rules, calling more than seven times in seven days about one debt is presumed to be harassment. Violations can be reported to the CFPB and may entitle you to damages.

    Part of our Fight Back series: Fight Back hub, remove collections, and how can I fix my credit?.

    By CreditKaren Editorial Team·Last updated: October 2026·6 min read

    AI-assisted drafting, human-reviewed and source-checked before publication — how we create content.

    Your phone won't stop ringing and you're scared to answer. Here's how to take control.

    What Debt Collectors Can't Do

    • Call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. your time.
    • Call more than 7 times in 7 days about one debt, or within 7 days after a conversation (presumed harassment under Regulation F).
    • Contact you at work if they know your employer doesn't allow it.
    • Threaten violence, arrest, or jail.
    • Use obscene or abusive language.
    • Lie about the amount, that they're attorneys, or what will happen if you don't pay.
    • Discuss your debt with family, friends, or coworkers (beyond locating you).
    • Keep contacting you after a written cease-contact request.

    Free Cease-Contact Letter

    Copy, fill in, and send by certified mail with return receipt. Keep a copy.

    [Your name]
[Address]
[Date]

[Collector name and address]

Re: Account/reference number [number]

I am writing under 15 U.S.C. § 1692c(c) to request that you stop all communication with me about this alleged debt. [Optional: I dispute this debt and request validation under 15 U.S.C. § 1692g.]

Do not contact me by phone, text, email, or at my workplace. You may only contact me in writing to confirm you are ending collection efforts or to notify me of a specific action you intend to take.

Sincerely,
[Signature]

    Document and Report

    Keep a log of every call: date, time, number, name, and what was said. Save voicemails and texts. Report violations to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint and your state attorney general.

    Under the FDCPA, you can sue a collector for violations and may recover actual damages, up to $1,000 in statutory damages, and attorney's fees. Many consumer attorneys take FDCPA cases with no upfront cost. See can I sue a credit bureau?.

    Don't Forget the Debt Itself

    Stopping contact doesn't erase a valid debt or remove it from your report. Request validation, check whether it's past the statute of limitations, and dispute any errors. See how to remove collections.

    CreditKaren is a free AI credit report analyzer: upload your Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion report and get a Hit List of entries worth a closer look plus draft dispute letters you review and mail yourself. No subscription, no card, and your report is discarded after analysis. CreditKaren is not a credit repair company and cannot guarantee results. Try CreditKaren free.

    Frequently asked questions

    Send a written request telling the collector to stop contacting you. Under the FDCPA, they must stop, except to confirm they're ending contact or to tell you about a specific action such as a lawsuit.

    Under Regulation F, more than seven calls within seven days about a single debt, or a call within seven days after a phone conversation, is presumed to violate the law.

    Not if they know or have reason to know your employer prohibits such calls. Tell them in writing not to contact you at work.

    Yes. Under the FDCPA you may recover actual damages, up to $1,000 in statutory damages, and attorney's fees. Lawsuits generally must be filed within one year of the violation.

    It can't prevent a lawsuit on a valid, non-time-barred debt. It stops the calls; respond to any court papers by the deadline.

    What to gather first

    • A current copy of each credit report you want to review (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) from AnnualCreditReport.com.
    • Government-issued photo ID and proof of current address, which bureaus commonly request with a mailed dispute.
    • Account statements, payment records, or letters that relate to the item you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
    • The exact account name, partial account number, and the reason you believe the entry is inaccurate or incomplete.
    • A way to keep records: copies of what you send and, if mailing, proof of delivery.

    Common mistakes to avoid

    • Disputing information you know is accurate — that wastes the process and does not help you.
    • Sending a vague dispute. Identify the specific item and explain what is inaccurate or incomplete.
    • Disputing with only one bureau when the same entry appears on more than one report.
    • Keeping no copies of what you sent, so you cannot show what was disputed or when.
    • Paying a company that promises deletions or score increases — no one can promise those outcomes.

    When to get additional help

    Consider additional help if a bureau or furnisher does not respond, if an entry you believe is inaccurate stays on your report after a reinvestigation, if you may be affected by identity theft, or if you have questions about your legal rights.

    How CreditKaren can help

    CreditKaren is a free, AI-assisted tool that reviews a credit report you upload and highlights entries that may be inconsistent, incomplete, or worth a closer look. If you decide an item may be inaccurate or incomplete, CreditKaren can draft a dispute letter you can review, edit, and send yourself.

    CreditKaren is not a law firm, credit bureau, lender, or credit-repair organization. It does not provide legal advice and does not guarantee deletions, dispute outcomes, or changes to your credit scores. You decide what to dispute and you send every letter.

    Important limitation

    Credit reporting disputes should be based on information you believe may be inaccurate, incomplete, unfamiliar, or improperly reported. Do not dispute information you know is accurate. A dispute does not guarantee a deletion, correction, score change, or other result.

    Sources and further reading

    Review your own credit report with CreditKaren

    Use CreditKaren's AI-assisted educational tool to organize report entries you may want to investigate for accuracy. You review every result and decide whether to take action.

    CreditKaren does not provide legal, financial, lending, or credit-repair advice. No dispute, deletion, score increase, approval, or other outcome is guaranteed.

    Start an Educational Report Review

    Who wrote this & how we work

    This page is maintained by CreditKaren to answer common questions about the Fair Credit Reporting Act and our free AI-assisted educational credit report review tool. It reflects current practices in the app and is not legal or financial advice.

    Editorial team

    Written by the CreditKaren Editorial Team. Every guide references FCRA, FDCPA, and CROA statutes with links to the U.S. Code.

    How we create content

    AI assists our drafting. Official sources are linked and verified, and a human on the editorial team reviews every page before publication.

    Review methodology

    How CreditKaren parses your report, which patterns count as FCRA §611/§623 violations, and why each dispute letter is generated.

    About CreditKaren

    Free, ad-supported, and independent — not a law firm and not a credit-repair organization under CROA. You review and mail every letter.

    How your data is handled

    CreditKaren does not require an account to use the educational report review. See our Privacy Policy for information about how CreditKaren handles uploaded reports and related data.