Blacks and Debt Harassment

If the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau gets its way, a proposed rule would expand how often you and I can be contacted for debt collection.  The proposal includes allowing debt collectors to call people with outstanding bills (primarily medical) more often for each debt in collection.    The proposal would also allow collections to contact you via social media by leaving messages on your Facebook and Twitter pages or by text.  Can you imagine?  .  

As a result of the proposed rule, a survey was conducted to find out how people feel about it: 

• 76 percent oppose allowing debt collectors to leave messages for people in places that are not private---like your job or a relative's phone.

• 74 percent oppose allowing debt collectors to contact them via private direct messaging on Facebook and Twitter.

• 73 percent oppose allowing debt collectors to call them up to 7 times a week.   So, for example, if you have five outstanding debts, you could be called up to 35 times in 6 days (unless they decide to add Sunday). 

This rule would undoubtedly focus on people who are struggling to make ends meet for one reason or another.  One in 5 poll participants says they were contacted by a debt collector within the past month with 1 in 3 being black and an average income of $50,000 or less.

Needless to say, if passed it would amount to government-sanctioned harassment by debt collectors.  And we all know, bad debt equals bad credit for many minorities and debt is the worst poverty.