Is your phone ringing off the hook for someone you do not know? If a collection agency has your telephone number in their records for debt belonging to someone else, you can become a target for endless harassment. In most cases, it does not matter if you tell a debt collector repeatedly that you are not the person they are looking for. They will continue to call you anyway. Luckily, there are ways to defend yourself and end the harassment by taking a few simple actions.

Stop Harassment at the Source

According to the Federal Trade Commission, you should initiate a debt dispute by obtaining the address of the debt collector and writing a letter in which you declare that you do not owe the debtor anything. You should also request verification of the debt and conclude your debt dispute by demanding that the agency cease and desist with any further contact. One caveat, however: if it is a debt you actually owe and the debt collection agency sends you verification of the debt with your name on it, they will be able to continue contacting you. If they do not verify the debt and they continue to contact you, you can report them directly to the FTC for breaking the law.

Check Your Credit Report

If you are getting calls for a debt that you believe is not yours, a second step you should take is to check your credit report. There are a very high percentage of erroneous errors on credit reports, so you should take this step immediately to protect your credit. You can get a free copy of your credit report once a year at the Annual Credit Report website. Once you have pulled your report from all three credit reporting agencies on the site, check all reports for any mistakes or information that you do not recognize and file a debt dispute immediately with each agency reporting the error.

Lawyer Up

If you followed the first two steps but the calls still keep coming, then it is time to take some serious action. Contact a local debt attorney that practices in matters regarding credit and debt disputes. Typically, you will not have to pay legal fees unless you win your lawsuit, and then your lawyer takes their percentage, which leaves you awarded the remainder of the damages. A good debt attorney will not only end the collection calls you were receiving once and for all, they will also help you gain monetary compensation for the time and effort you spent to stop the harassment.

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