Debt Collectors Use Social Media to Track Consumers

When you’re behind on payments and have unpaid debts, you may be concerned about calls from debt collectors. In the age of the internet, however, it’s difficult to stay off the radar of debt collection agencies. And collection companies certainly use the internet as a tool to track your movements. Indeed, even when we think we’re keeping a low profile on Facebook or Twitter, it turns out that we may be making decisions in our private lives that become sources of information for debt collectors. According to a recent JD Supra article, consumers should know about ways they’re being monitored.
Facebook, Twitter, and Public Lives
Using social media means that at least some of your private life—depending on how you use platforms like Facebook and Twitter—will become accessible to others through the internet. To be sure, just the fact that you have a Facebook profile, a Twitter account, or even a Flickr photo-sharing page means that anyone can run an internet search for you and can see that you’re engaging in social media. Posts that you intend to be accessible only to family members or close friends simply are not private.
And when posts aren’t private, that means certain aspects of your life become accessible to debt collectors. Why would a collection company want to keep track of your social media presence? First and foremost, debt collectors want to know if you have assets that make it worth their time to try to collect a debt.
For instance, let’s say you recently bought a new sports car, and you posted photos on Facebook to share with your friends and family. You also added some photos of the vehicle to your Flickr photostream, and you tweeted about buying the car. Now, let’s say I’m a debt collector. I’m going to be looking for internet information about you, and I’ve just discovered that you leased a $60,000 car. How did I find out? I learned about your automobile purchase because I saw photos of it and mentions about it on social media. Now I know that you have some extra money, and I may be able to collect on that debt.
At the same time, however, don’t forget that you do have rights. Debt collectors are prohibited from creating a fake Facebook profile to “friend” you in order to access information, and debt collection companies cannot share information about your debts on public websites.
Credit Bureau Trigger Reports
Even if you’re not on social media websites and platforms, you could be doing other things that could alert a debt collector that you have money to spend. Most notably, the three credit bureaus—Equifax, Experian, and Transunion—can supply “trigger reports” to debt collectors. These reports let debt collections know if your circumstances change, based on a triggering event.
For example, a debt collector might learn some of the following information about you in a trigger report:
·      You got a new job.
·      You moved to a new address.
·      You changed your phone number.
·      Your credit score increased.
·      You opened a new credit account.
·      You paid off an installment loan.
How can you protect yourself from trigger reports? Most importantly, don’t update your personal information with a credit bureau. Typically, this kind of information—changes to your personal or professional life—will only provide that information to people and companies that you probably don’t want to have it in the first place.
It’s important to remember that the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) protects consumers from specific behaviors by debt collection companies. If you think you have been the victim of harassment, you should contact an experienced Chicago consumer protection lawyer to learn more about your rights.
See Related Blog Posts:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Payday Lending and Predatory Lenders in Illinois

If you are in substantial debt in the Chicago area and are living in a paycheck-to-paycheck cycle, you may have taken out a payday loan to make ends meet. While payday lending is illegal in a number of states due to the predatory nature of these loans, it remains legal in Illinois. As a result, many debtors in the state have used payday lenders, and far too many of those borrowers cannot repay what they owe. According to a recent article from Progress Illinois , consumers have filed complaints about payday lenders in the state, illuminating a need for federal rules that address harmful lending practices . Predatory Payday Lenders and Protections for Consumers Due to the perceived predatory nature of payday loans, twelve states in the country have banned these lenders from operating completely, according to a fact sheet from loans.org . The states that currently have laws prohibiting payday lenders from operating include Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Mary...
Read more

Phantom Debt Collection Scams on the Rise in Illinois

Have you been contacted by a person claiming to be a debt collector who is seeking to recover a debt you allegedly owe? If so, you are not alone. According to a recent report from CBS Chicago , such parties claiming to be debt collectors are on the rise, and they are scamming Chicago-area residents. These alleged debt collectors are part of schemes known as “phantom debt collection scams,” since they involve the attempt to collect on a debt that the consumer does not actually owe. How can you avoid becoming a victim in a debt-collection scam ? What should you do if you have been targeted by a fake debt collector? How Do Phantom Debt Collection Scams Work? Now, you might be thinking to yourself: I would never agree to make payment on a debt that I did not owe. But the scam is not always that simple. Parties at the center of debt-collection scams often target consumers who do actually owe debts (to someone or to some entity), and they prey on the fact that these c...
Read more

New Information on Debts That Bankruptcy Cannot Discharge

If you are thinking about filing for bankruptcy in the Oak Park area, it is important to know that certain kinds of debts cannot be discharged in a bankruptcy case. Under U.S. bankruptcy law, these are known as non-dischargeable debts, or exceptions to discharge. There are certain types of debts that have long been identified clearly as non-dischargeable debts, while there are misconceptions about other types of debts that may or may not be dischargeable. As an article in CNBC discusses, the U.S. Supreme Court recently issued a ruling in the case of Bartenwerfer v. Buckley , which clarifies that debts incurred due to another party’s fraud cannot be discharged in an individual’s bankruptcy case. Our Oak Park bankruptcy attorneys can explain the Court’s recent ruling and provide you with additional information on dischargeable and non-dischargeable debts. Supreme Court Says Debt Incurred Due to Another’s Fraud is Non-Dischargeable The recent Bartenwerfer case involved a debtor attempti...
Read more