Robocall Guide · Answers
How to stop debt-collection calls
There’s a right way to make debt-collection calls stop, and if they keep coming anyway, that persistence can turn into a claim worth $500 to $1,500 per call. This covers the practical playbook, then the legal angle.
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Short answer
Send a written request to stop calling, keep a copy, and save every call after that. Under the FDCPA, a collector must stop calling once you put your request in writing. If they ignore it, especially with auto-dialed or prerecorded calls to your cell, those later calls can also violate the TCPA, and each one can be worth $500 to $1,500.
The playbook in four moves
- Put your “stop calling me” request in writing and keep a dated copy.
- Don’t confirm or pay a debt that isn’t yours.
- Save every call that comes after your stop request.
- If they keep dialing, the calls can violate the FDCPA and TCPA.
Step 1 & 2: Send a written stop request and protect yourself
The most effective practical step is also the simplest: tell them to stop, in writing.
A few things make the request airtight:
- Use writing, not just a phone call. Email or a letter creates a dated record. A verbal “stop calling” is easy for a collector to ignore or deny later.
- Keep a copy. Save the email you sent or a photo of the letter. The date you sent it is the line in the sand.
- Don’t confirm a debt that isn’t yours. If this is a wrong number or not your debt, say so plainly but don’t agree to anything or hand over personal details.
This step alone resolves many situations. If it doesn’t, you’ve now set up the legal angle, because every call after your written request is one a collector wasn’t supposed to make.
Step 3: Save every call that comes after
If the calls keep coming, your records become the case. The good news is you already have most of what you need on your phone.
- Your call log. Don’t delete anything. Keep every entry from the collector, including missed calls, with dates and times.
- Voicemails. Save any prerecorded or robotic messages. They show the calls were automated.
- A short note per call. Date, time, what was said, and the fact that it came after your written stop request.
You don’t have to organize this like a lawyer. Keeping it is enough, and once a case is filed, the collector’s own dialer logs can confirm exactly how many calls they placed and how.
The legal angle if the calls don’t stop
When a collector keeps dialing despite a proper stop request, you’re no longer dealing with an annoyance. You may be dealing with two federal violations at once.
- The FDCPA bans continuing to contact you after a written stop request, along with harassment, threats, and calls at unreasonable hours.
- The TCPA separately bans auto-dialed or prerecorded calls to your cell phone without consent. Since revoking consent (telling them to stop) strips away any permission they had, the calls after that can be TCPA violations worth $500 to $1,500 each.
One honest caveat. You can sue a real, identifiable collection company, while an anonymous scam faking a debt usually can’t be sued and is better reported. If legitimate calls keep coming after you’ve put your request in writing, a free review makes sense. For more on these calls, see debt-collection robocalls and what to do about them.
Related: Debt-collection robocalls · What to do about them · Calls after you said stop · Do I qualify?
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Stopping debt-collection calls: FAQs
How do I legally make a debt collector stop calling?
Send a written request to stop contacting you and keep a dated copy. Under the FDCPA, a collector generally must stop after that, aside from limited required notices. Save any calls that come afterward, since those may also violate the TCPA.
What happens if a collector keeps calling after I told them to stop?
Those calls can violate both the FDCPA (contact after a written stop request) and the TCPA (auto-dialed calls after you revoked consent). Calls after a stop request can be willful, worth up to $1,500 each. Save them and consider a free review.
Should I answer debt-collection calls to ask them to stop?
You can, but put the stop request in writing too, since a written, dated request is far stronger. Don’t confirm a debt that isn’t yours or share personal details. Keep your call log and any voicemails as a record.
What should I do if a debt collector robocalls me for someone else’s debt?
Don’t confirm the debt or agree to anything. Note that they have the wrong number, send a written request to stop calling, and save every call and voicemail. Wrong-number auto-dialed collection calls are a strong TCPA case worth $500 to $1,500 each.
Can debt collectors legally use robocalls?
Only with your consent to call your cell using an autodialer or prerecorded message. If you never gave that consent, or it’s a wrong number, the auto-dialed calls can violate the TCPA. Abusive tactics can also violate the FDCPA. Both are federal laws.
What’s the difference between the TCPA and the FDCPA here?
The TCPA governs the robocall itself, auto-dialed or prerecorded calls to your cell without consent. The FDCPA governs collector behavior, banning harassment, threats, and contact after a written stop request. A single illegal collection campaign can violate both.
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