It seems that aggressive, unethical and deceptive tactics are being employed quite regularly by creditors in regards to military personnel who find themselves in debt. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), veterans, active military personnel and military families have recently filed a staggering number of complaints with the agency against creditors.
Since July of 2013, the CFPB has received approximately 3,800 complaints from military members and their families. These complaints allege creditor harassment, illegal debt collection practices and numerous other unacceptable actions on behalf of creditors.
This statistic is particularly frustrating when compared to the number of mortgage-related complaints filed by military members and their families. While the agency has received nearly 4,000 complaints about debt collectors in less than a year from this segment of the population, it has received less than 5,000 mortgage-related complaints from the military community since December of 2011.
Nearly four out of every 10 complaints filed with the CFPB by military members and their families are related to continuous attempts to collect debts that these individuals do not actually owe. Military members are not generally paid highly for their arguably invaluable service to this nation. The fact that thousands of military members and their families are compelled to fight with creditors regarding debts they do not owe is unacceptable.
The law protects individuals against such deceptive collection practices. Please, if you or a loved one is suffering as a result of unscrupulous debt collection, call an experienced attorney who can help you navigate your legal options.
Source: Military Times, “Consumer Watch: Protect yourself from unscrupulous debt collectors,” Karen Jowers, April 2, 2014