New Jersey Lawyers BlogFair Credit Reporting Act
The health, stability, and strength of a nation’s economy is directly linked to its banking system. The health, stability, and strength of a nation’s banking system is directly related to a fair and accurate credit reporting system. Congress realized how damaging inaccurate credit reports can directly impair the efficiency of the banking system and therefore passed the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) in 1970. This provides strong protection for New Jersey residents in financial difficulty.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act was enacted to eliminate abusive debt collection practices that contributed to personal bankruptcies, martial instability, loss of jobs, and invasions of an individual’s privacy. The Act’s purpose is to ensure fair debt collection.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act prohibits debt collectors from communicating with a debtor, in connection with a debt, if the debt collector knows the consumer is represented by an attorney. The FDCPA specifically prohibits debt collectors from engaging in any harassing, oppressive, or abuse conduct in connection with debt collection. For example, repeatedly calling a person with the intent to annoy, abuse, or harass that person has been found to violate the act.
The act also prohibits debt collectors from using any false, deceptive, or misleading representation to collect a debt. For example, a misrepresentation of the legal status of the debt or use of any false representation to collect the debt is a violation of the FDCPA.
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