Debt Collectors Harassment: Put a Stop to It!

Author: Lara Sawyer

 Those undergoing a difficult financial situation know how annoying debt collectors can be and how often they disrupt people’s life and contribute to increase the stress of an already stressful situation. Some of the practices that debt collectors use are often in the verge of illegality and immorality. But not too often people know how to protect themselves and how to put a stop to debt collectors’ misconduct. Following are some tips and methods you can use to defend yourself and others from debt collectors’ abuses.

The type of practices that debt collectors can make use of vary from state to state but if you want to know whether a certain practice is legal or illegal you should take into account the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act that provides regulations for those company working on the debt collection field. Local regulation can be even harsher on collection agencies than federal regulations and thus, it is a good idea to contact a specialist when you are being harassed by a debt collection agency.

Contacting The District Attorney

As explained above, regulations vary from one state to another and thus, contacting your district attorney is a smart move. Sometimes they are just too overwhelmed with job and they can not help you much and though they can always delegate on subordinates they may also be too busy. If the situation is just too stressing and you can not wait for the times that public representation imposes, you can also try contacting a private attorney to represent you and engage in legal conversations and negotiations with the collection agency to force it to cease and desist on their harassment practices.

Legal Actions And Costs

What you need to understand is that this type of legal actions can be expensive and though in the long run you may win and obtain an order from the court for damages to be paid to you, that may take a while and in the meantime you will need to pay for the fees and costs from your own pocket unless you find a lawyer willing to take the risks and costs and collect at the end of the trial. If you are victorious you can recover all the legal fees and costs plus an additional amount for you when the court orders damages to be paid, however, you should always consider that the possibility of losing exists.

What to Expect From The FTC

It is important to understand that this is not the main purpose of the federal trade commission and therefore there are more practical approaches to this issue. Nevertheless, the federal trade commission can take action when one of these companies repeatedly violates the fair debt collection practices act or other regulations on this matter. A single complaint about a debt collection agency may not be enough though, and only after several complaints the FTC may resolve to take action. Yet, that is the reason why it is important to make a complaint. All complaints will be registered and once an agency accumulates enough complaints an investigation will take place.

The Federal Trade Commission can block the operations of an agency that repeatedly violates the Fair debt collection practices act, it can also impose fines, conduct legal investigations with the aid of other federal agencies, etc. Though contacting the FTC may not be a solution for you right away, it will certainly help others that would otherwise suffer what you had to go through. It should not be your only curse of action but you should file a complaint with them nevertheless.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/debt-consolidation-articles/debt-collectors-harassment-put-a-stop-to-it-431657.html

About the Author

Lara Sawyer is a professional loan advisor used to solving bad credit problems and helping people secure home loans, car loans, personal loans, unsecured credit cards, home equity loans, refinance mortgage loans and plenty of other financial products. Whether you want to learn more about Bad Credit Loans and Debt Consolidation Loans or find information about other loan types, just visit: http://www.fastguaranteedloans.com/

What To Do About Debt Collection Harassment

Author: Antonio Filippone

If you have ever fallen behind on a debt for more than a month you have probably experienced the dreaded call from the debt collector. And while some debt collectors are just people like you and me trying to do their job, others can be down right abrasive in their attempt to collect your back payments. Some people have been treated like a criminal, talked down too, embarrassed at their place of employment or even in there home while entertaining friends. This does not have to happen to you.

You should know that the Fair Credit Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) protects you as the debtor. The law does not negate the debt you own but it insures that you are treated fairly by debt collectors and it even prohibits certain types of collection practices.

If you are currently in this situation and you are concerned with maintaining a decent credit score in the future it is a good idea to try and make realistic payment arrangements that you can afford. If the collector attempts to have you agree to a payment arrangement that you know you can not follow through on simply say so and never agree to any terms that don't seem reasonable to you.

If however collectors are unwilling to cooperate and continue to harass you, ask them to stop calling. This usually will stop the calls but in case it doesn't you can then send them a Cease and Desist letter. This is much easier than it sounds. Here is what you can do.

Ask the caller for his companies name and address. (This is information they must disclose so do not be afraid to ask for it) Then write a standard business letter with your name and address at the top, the date, and your account # in question. Under that you will put their company name and address then after a brief greeting you can state, According to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act,15 U.S.C. section 805., you are hereby notified to cease and desist all further communication with me in regard to the referenced account. Failure to comply will result in a complaint being filed against you with the Federal Trade Commission, the Attorney General of your state. I also reserve the right to file suit against you for any future violations of this law. I will record any phone calls if you fail to comply with this notice. Then ad your salutation and sign it. You want to be sure to mail the letter using certified mail using the return receipt requested feature.

This process almost always works but remember they do still have a right to continue to collect the debt. They can file a law suit to try and collect the debt. Although sending a cease and desist letter is a valuable tool, it should only be used when absolutely necessary and after reasonable negotiations have failed. Keeping open communication is a better choice as long as you are not being harassed.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/what-to-do-about-debt-collection-harassment-1862988.html

About the Author
Antonio Filippone is a respected Speaker, Author, and Consultant on the topic of financial planning for middle American people.Readers who are interested in learning how to quickly fix their money problems can read his unique story at http://www.NotYetWealthy.com

One of the worst aspects of being in debt is the seemingly endless calls from creditors trying to get money out of you.  It is the nature of the calls that is one of the most stressful factors.  People are often angry that they have not been paid, so can be rude and even threatening at times.  When you simply do not have the money to pay your creditors what you owe them, you are left in a very difficult situation because all they want to hear is how you are going to give them their money.

Debt collection agencies are often used by creditors to collect debts, and some of these organisations do have a reputation for being a little over enthusiastic when it comes to finding ways to squeeze money out of people.  They often work on a commission only basis so their incentive is that if they do not collect on the debt they do not get paid.  That is quite an incentive and has led to some bad practices by a few agencies.

The only way to stop creditor harassment is to take action to settle the debt.  Creditors will not go away if you try to ignore their calls, but they will stop chasing you if they know you are actively engaged in a process that will allow you to repay your debt.  If you engage with your creditors and let them know exactly what your circumstances are they are likely to be more understanding.  If they see that you are seeking expert help in order to tackle your debt, there is a greater chance that they will be open to negotiation in terms of finding a way forward.

There are several possible ways to deal with consumer debt problems, and the best one for you will depend on how much you owe, how many creditors you have, what kind of debt it is, etc.  Debt management plans are used a lot by people with fairly serious debts who have a decent income that can be used to make regular payments to a debt plan.  For those people whose situation is worse than this, perhaps struggling to keep up with payments on large amounts of debt, the best answer is probably debt settlement.

Debt settlement is sometimes the only way to deal with very serious debt because it involves actually writing off a large part of it.  Instead of just working out how to repay the full debt in a different way, debt settlement is about negotiating a large reduction on the total amount owed, in exchange for settling the rest of the debt quickly.

Creditor harassment stops when you start debt settlement because the debt settlement company deal with your creditors for you.  All you do is make a monthly payment into a separate fund where your money is left to grow.  When a settlement agreement is reached with a creditor this pot of money is used to make the payment to them.

For UK residents, debt settlement is not something generally available, because there is another solution introduced by the government which fulfils the same function.  An IVA is a formal arrangement that involves you making a fixed monthly payment for the duration of the IVA (usually up to five years).  At the end of the agreement any remaining debts get written off, which can mean wiping out a substantial chunk of debt.

If you decide to use debt settlement or an IVA to put an end to creditor harassment you will need to carefully select a good company to work on your behalf.  It is important to be careful about choosing a well respected and proven company as there are quite a few out there now that cannot be relied on to actually improve your situation.  To be sure of using a good company just follow advice for recommended companies and apply to as many as you like before deciding which is best for you.

In the last section we covered your rights against harassment and abuse by collectors. We also covered some options that your creditor may have to help you resolve your delinquent debt. Again I repeat that this is not legal advice but a guideline of your rights and options.

Before we begin I would like to share a little info about myself. I was a collector for about 10 years until health problems forced me to leave the profession in 2003. I was really proficient and often resolved account no one else could. My supervisors would sometimes have poor performers sit next to me and the next month they would be getting bonus money. With that experience I may have some insight to share.

If your account is in collections and you simply can't catch them up you still have options. We will explore all of them.

1) Check with your creditor to see what programs they may have to assist.

2) Pay the furthest past due payment each month.-This doesn't catch you up ever but it keeps the situation from getting worse

3) Consumer Credit Counseling--- there are many different organizations that do this. Some of them are businesses, some are not for profit. Check with the United Way. You simply pay them a set amount each month and they disperse it to your creditors. Most creditors will give special benefits to someone on this program. Typically they will bring the account current after 3 consecutive payments. (Similar to the cure program discussed in previous chapter) Since your account is current then, there are no late fees assessed. Additionally and perhaps even more beneficial is that most will reduce interest. Typically they drop the interest rate, usually to 6%-9%. Your creditors policy may be different. Your creditor will probably close your account for future charges with this option. In some case this option may save your creditor from being ruined by late payments.

4) Bankruptcy—This is also an option. Individual bankruptcy can be either 1 of 2 chapters.

7 is a straight liquidation. In other words, all of your unsecured debt is wiped out if the court approves your bankruptcy. You still must pay for your secured debts if you wish to keep them. The court MAY force you to sell some of your assets. But just because you file Chapter 7 doesn't mean you will lose your home or car. If you are at this point I strongly advise you to consult an attorney on what filing would mean to you.

Chapter 13 is similar except that your delinquent payments are paid over a period of 3 to 5 years in addition to your current payments. You may have to pay all, none or a small percentage of your unsecured debt over the term of the plan. Again if you feel this is an option then consult an attorney. If you decide this is the option for you then be aware of these facts. Once you notify your creditor that you have retained an attorney for bankruptcy and give them the attorneys name and a way to contact them, the creditor MUST stop all collection activity for " a reasonable time". Once the case has been filed they must stop all collection activity against you.

FAQ Q I mentioned to the collectors that I may file bankruptcy. They said not to because my credit will be ruined for 10 years. Is this true. A. First lets look at who told you that. A collector. His/her job is to get you to pay the debt. He may or may not get a bonus off getting you to pay. What is true is that it will report on your credit bureau for up to 10 years. Maybe even less. Will you ever be able to get credit again? Most likely. It depends on many factors. What is true that it may be more difficult to get credit but not impossible. You may also pay a higher interest rate than you would if you had never went past due.

I personally had to file a chapter 7 in 1996 after my son was in accident with medical bills over ½ million dollars. 30 days after the case was finalized I was able to get financed on a 1-year-old truck with no money down. 18 months later I had credit cards and had purchased a house and got it financed.

There are lenders whom will finance you but they charge higher interest rates This is called "sub-prime lending" Just because you are behind on your bills and cant catch up the past due payments doesn't always mean you should file bankruptcy.

Communicate with your creditor first and see what options are available, look into credit counseling to see if they can help. New laws coming into effect may make that a requirement before bankruptcy can be filed.

Q I got 4 months behind on my bills when I lost my job. I got caught up but my creditor will not fix my credit. What can I do to make them remove the bad mark against me. An If you where 4 months past due and they are reporting that, they are following the law. If a creditor reports they must report accurately This quote is from the Fair Credit Reporting Act "Reporting information with actual knowledge of errors. A person shall not furnish any information relating to a consumer to any consumer reporting agency if the person knows or consciously avoids knowing that the information is inaccurate. " In other words, they can't report that you weren't past due if you where and vice versa. The only way they can change a report is if it was due to the fault of the creditor. (i.e. payments posted to wrong account)

However you can place a statement into your credit file that explains any derogatory info. (i.e I was behind because of unemployment) As long as that negative information is on file that statement must accompany it. It is up to the person with whom you applied to for credit who makes the decision of if you are granted credit or not. The credit bureaus do not determine if you get credit. They simply relay your score which is based a many factors such as payment history, recent inquiries, % of total credit available to you that you have used, and income to debt ratio.

Very few people ever get into debt with the intention that they will not pay it off. Unfortunately, life can deal us all some tricky hands, and oftentimes it is just too difficult to see this obligation through. While it may not be your fault that you are suddenly unable to pay your debt, that won't stop the creditor harassment from coming. If you are the victim of credit harassment, it is important to know your rights under the law so you can handle the situation appropriately, snd speak with an advocate of Consumer Rights in GA .

The first step in the process is to not be intimidated by collection harassment. You have rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and if you are unsure of exactly what those rights might be, you can always report the creditor to an experienced attorney. In Georgia, a leading advocate for consumer rights is the law firm of Persily & Associates Georgia Consumer Rights, like the team at http://www.persilylaw.com, who can explain those rights to you and provide the necessary methods to protect yourself. If you do not live in Georgia, Persily & Associates Atlanta Lawyers may be able to help you find a collection harassment lawyer in your state.

There are also a few simple steps that you can take yourself to ensure that your rights are protected and that creditor harassment ends.

The first step in fighting collection harassment is to make copies of all correspondence, including envelopes that show postmarks. Before you contact a consumer rights lawyer to protect creditor harassment, the more complete your records, the more likely you will be to win your case. Make sure to document all phone conversations with the company as well, and write down any potential creditor harassment that takes place during those calls. These might include threats of imprisonment or garnishment of wages, profane or obscene language, or other types of abusive behavior. An attorney can advise you on additional procedures that may be appropriate, such as keeping recordings of your conversations.

Finally, don't let creditor harassment push you into doing something you are uncomfortable with. Some creditors will try to persuade you to pay your debt using a post dated check or automatic withdrawals from your account. Others collection agencies may try to dictate the amount of the payments and the intervals in which they must be paid. Keep in mind that you are the one who decides how much and when to pay your debts, no matter how much creditor harassment is occurring on the other end. If the payments are more than you can afford, talk to your consumer rights attorney about setting up smaller payments that will be comfortable for your budget.

Creditor harassment can sap your energy and create stress and strain in your life. The good news is that it doesn't have to. When you know your rights and have an experienced Georgia attorney on your side, you can stop creditor harassment and go back to the task of living your life.

When the collector calls you an excessive amount of time per day that is one form of harassment. This harassment can be stopped. You have protection under the law against certain abusive tactics that some collection agencies employ.

In the state of Texas, business solicitation calls can not be placed before 8 am or after 8 pm your time. That means that if a collection agency calls you before or after those hours, its harassment. You have the legal right to hang up under this condition.

Another common ploy they use in harassment is to threaten you. This is very serious harassment. These are some of the types of verbal threats they may use against you: saying that they will send out a police officer, or telling you they will freeze your accounts. Any statement that they make like this has to be lawful and they have to really intend to take action. If you receive this treatment you should check the federal and state laws to see if they can make the threat good.

The government is the only "person" able to freeze your accounts. Don't believe a collector when he tells you he can do this. They may claim to be a lawyer and they better be one if they say they are. Otherwise, the collector has violated a federal law. They use this tactic because it sounds very serious and will intimidate a lot of debtors. Don't let them intimidate you into forfeiting your right to being treated correctly under the law. Do learn about your rights.

They would have to have filed a warrant and have a court order to bring you in from your home, which is usually not an option for them to exercise.

The most basic way to stop harassment is to place a privacy manager on your phone. If anyone with an 800 number or other specific identity you don't want calling you calls, then you can set it to make them go through a recorded announcement before they reach you. You can also use caller ID to help screen your calls.

If you want to find more legal options for yourself, you can contact a lawyer in your area or look up the information on the internet. The first law to look for is The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. You may have the grounds for a lawsuit.

Before the collector can try to collect the debt, he must state that it's an attempt to collect a debt and any information attained will be used for that purpose. He also has to tell you that the call may be recorded.

You can record the collection calls too. Recording the calls is a good measure to take to protect yourself in case the collector is verbally abusive, such as screaming at you, or cursing you. If you do want to record them then you have to tell them you're recording the conversation so it will be admissible evidence of harassment in court.

Learn the federal and state laws concerning the collection of debts laws. That way you know what the collectors can legally do when attempting to collect a debt.

It isn't enough to just sit back and take ongoing harassment from collection agencies and debt collectors. You can take simple steps provided under federal law and stop ongoing harassment...

CONSUMER RIGHTS UNDER FEDERAL LAW

The United States Associated Press reports an ongoing epidemic of bill collectors ignoring the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and harassing their clients. In 2008 over 71,000 people filed harassment and abuse charges with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).  And an additional 24,000 complained to the Better Business Bureau office in their State. The complaint rate has quad duple in the past three years and will only get worse due to the present economic downturn in the world together with the inability of a greater number of individuals who genuinely cannot pay their bills.

What Steps Can You Take To Stop Harassment From a Collection Agency?

Here is the very first thing you MUST do. Fire the Agency! Send them a Certified return receipt letter using one of the legal forms legal forms "Cease and Desist". Although there’s a catch, you must put this into action within (30) days. This of course, is after they send you a written letter making you aware that you owe them money and in detail exactly to whom you owe the money to. For instance, this is the case in the State of Colorado, if you send a “certified written letter” stating emphatically “NOT” to contact you under any circumstances the recipient must abide by your request. By law, as soon as they receive your certified written notice then legally they can't call or mail you anything until they file suit against you and they must take you to court. And you must be first served with a summons before they can make any attempt to contact you. In most cases, the majority never go to court, only a small number will take this action right through to court.

Put the law to good use, and you can quickly and effectively STOP constant phone calls, letters and ongoing harassment by persistent creditors, debt collectors and collection agencies without it costing you much effort, time and money. In accord with federal law (public laws 95-109 and 99-361), a collection agency MUST stop contacting you after they receive a letter clearly telling them discontinue contacting you.

THE LAW LENDS A HELPING HAND

The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act provides the consumer with a legal avenue to prevent collection agencies from continual harassment. So if you wish to avail yourself of the law in this matter, this is what you should state in your written letter and notice.

The contents of the letter should essentially say:

You are hereby notified in writing under the provision of public laws 95-109 and 99-361, also known as the Fair Debt Collection Practices act, that your company services are NO longer required.

You are to immediately CEASE & DESIST all efforts and attempts to collect money owing. I/We will not recognize any collection agency and will communicate ONLY with the original finance creditor (state name of financial institution).

Federal Law: Fair Debt Collection Practices act; public laws 95-109 and 99-361.

"Hello Amy?" Uh oh --- You know the collection harassment is about to begin when debt collectors start calling you by your first name. Darn credit companies.

Maybe it's some sort of psychological ploy to get you feeling comfortable before they threaten to attach your wages. Or maybe it's a sign of disrespect - not using your last name even though it's a 'business call'. Or maybe it's just what gets 'em past the phone-answering gatekeeper.

Who knows ... one thing's for sure though, creditors are only nice until they get you on the phone - then it's all out warfare. A hundred questions about your personal life, and your partner's too, if they think they can get away with it.

They like to sound ominous about what may happen if you don't make arrangements with them and many of them have a way of sounding threatening without being specific.

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

Debt collectors can't actually be specific in their threats because there's a limit to the degree and ways they can legally pursue the debt that you owe. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which was first passed in 1977 to protect consumers from abusive debt collectors, lays out clear guidelines that they must follow while they're attempting to collect a debt.

You may want to get familiar with the original text of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. There are a whole lot of things that debt collectors routinely do that could be considered for a class action lawsuit, but because of the nature of the initial contact, many people are reluctant to "air their dirty laundry" just to make the collection agencies respect their rights.

From a brochure intended for consumers put out by the Federal Trade Commission, here's just a peek at some of the stuff that debt collectors are legally prohibited from doing:

* They're not allowed to harass you or anyone that you know

* They can't imply that they're lawyers or that they represent the government in any way

* They can't falsely suggest that you have committed a crime or tell you that you will be arrested if you don't pay up

* They can't say that they're from the credit bureau

* They can't tell you owe a different amount than you actually do

* They can't threaten that they will attach your wages, put liens on your property or come take your stuff unless they intend to do it and it is within their legal right.

* They can't suggest that actions (like lawsuits) are pending or imminent unless they are or are intending to move forward in that way

* They're not allowed to send you anything that appears to be an official document from a court or government office if it isn't

And the list goes on ...

Basically, credit collection agencies aren't supposed to be out there doing a lot of the things that they are doing. Everyone knows it. And because the citizens who are being unfairly treated tend to have more to worry about than some creditor who's calling and looking for money that they haven't got, the debt collectors get away with their illegal behavior.

The only way to really stop them, and put them on point, is to hit them where it hurts - their bottom line - their wallets.

Chances are that if they're treating you this way, they're also treating the other 200 calls they make in a given day the same way. And while an individual lawsuit is unlikely - we already know the 'injured party' is dead broke - the only real remedy then is a class action lawsuit.

Don't let them get away with treating you like dirt just because you've gotten a little behind. Explore your class action lawsuit options and put them back in their place where they belong.

Stop debt collector harassment by paying off your bills and getting a fresh financial start. One of the most difficult things we can deal with is getting phone calls from Bill collectors harassing to make a payment. It is important that you try to always pay your credit card bills on time so that you do not fall into a situation where you get a lot of calls. One of the best ways to do this is to find a debt professional that can help you eliminate your debt and reduce the amount of stress you have in your life. When we are talking about credit card debt usually this means having more monthly bills then we can afford to pay.

Stop: Debt Collector Harassment

The most important thing that you do is take action so you can eliminate your debt and stop the creditors phone calls. It is important to know there are laws that protect you from your creditors. In many cases they will step over the line and do things that are illegal. They cannot legally call you at work and harass you to pay any debts that you owe. Also they are not allowed to call in the relatives of yours and speak about any debts that you owe them.

Get Free: Help Eliminating Debt

Remember that if you have a lot of debt and you keep getting harassing debt collector calls there is a solution for you. it can be easy to find an debt expert knows how to deal with creditors. Once you take action and get your credit card bills eliminate you will have a more stress-free life. You do not have to sit around any longer and wait for the phone to ring because getting your debt paid off is closer than you think.

Did you lose your job? Have you suffered some form of medical emergency? Are you being forced to endure any other cause of financial burden due to your loss of income? You are not alone. Millions of people have to face the accumulation of debt that they cannot pay. Miss a single or a few payments and you can expect a not-so friendly call from a debt collector.

Receiving such a call at your workplace can be quite inappropriate and worst of all, utterly humiliating. Some debt collectors will hunt you down until you pay up.

Debt collectors are generally compassionate to individual situations on a personal level, but they have to disengage themselves from this level to focus on what their job entails. It is no surprise that anyone who is deep in debt fears the rather ambitious debt collectors. Frequently, debt collectors are rewarded for successfully collecting debt payments. Their commission is based on the acquired payment amount. Consequently, the greater payment collected; the greater their reward.

Rights of a Debt Collector

It is legal for debt collectors to contact you by phone, fax, mail, telegram and in person. They may contact you at home and in your workplace, but are restricted to if they are informed that your employer prohibits it. They should not be contacting you before 8am or after 9pm unless you have clearly given them permission to do so.

Unless you don't have one, debt collectors should be contacting your attorney. Debt collectors are also allowed to find out necessary information about you through other people. They are allowed to obtain your telephone number, place of employment, or address from anyone. However, they are normally not permitted to divulge confidential information to these people, such as the fact that you owe them money. Debt collectors are allowed to contact these people only once.

I Want Them to Stop Contacting Me!

You can choose not to be contacted further by debt collectors, whether you owe money or not. This can be achieved by writing them a letter informing them that you no longer want them to contact you. They may then get in touch with you one last time to state that they will no longer contact you, or to explain the appropriate actions that may be taken against you.

Putting an end to these exasperating calls will not automatically settle your debt payments. If you firmly believe that the debt has already been cleared or you do not owe them money, make sure to state it clearly in your letter.

Your Rights Against Harassment

Consumers are protected by the Fair Debt Collection policy implemented by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). Knowing your rights will keep even the most determined debt collector at a distance.

Debt collectors are prohibited from harassing individuals. They are not allowed to abuse, nor oppress you or anyone they might be able to use in order to get to you. Harassment generally includes the use of obscene language, non-stop calling or threats of violence.

Debt collectors who are falsely representing themselves are breaking the law. They should not misrepresent themselves as government agents or attorneys. They cannot say they are representing a credit bureau if that isn't the actual case. If they are not sending any legal documents, they should not indicate that they are. They may not accuse you of crime if you did not commit a crime. Additionally, unless they have been legally instructed to, they are not allowed to seize property, withhold your income, nor imply legal action to be taken against you.

If you would like to know more about your rights, you can get all the information you need from the FTC. If you would like to report an agent, this can also be done by contacting the FTC, or your state's Attorney General. Furthermore, if what they are doing is illegal then you have every right to sue.