Debt collectors are individuals or companies that collect debts owed to others or have the primary purpose of collecting debts. Debt collectors can contact you by phone, email, text messages, or letters to collect a debt. However, there are limits to what debt collectors can do, and their tactics are limited by the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. Here are some things that debt collectors cannot do:

• Come to your workplace or contact you at an unusual time or place.
• Contact anyone other than you or your spouse about your debt, except to find out your address, phone number, or where you work.
• Use social media to publicly post about a debt that they claim you owe.
• Harass or threaten you or treat you differently because of your race, sex, age, or other characteristics.
• Call you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. .

Here are some things that debt collectors can do:

• Seek payment on an expired debt.
• Apply pressure to collect payment, such as daily calls, frequent letters, or talk about pursuing a lawsuit for payment on the debt.
• Sue you for payment on a debt as a last-ditch effort.
• Sell your debt.
• Contact you privately on social media.
• Report delinquent debts to credit bureaus to encourage consumers to pay.
• Place levies on bank accounts or motor vehicles, place property liens, or force the sale of an asset.
• Take you to court to recover a past-due debt.

It is important to note that if you dont owe the debt or have already paid the debt, you can ask the debt collector to stop contacting you. However, asking them to stop contacting you will not necessarily stop them from suing you or reporting the debt to a credit reporting company, which can affect your credit report and credit scores.