My husband was threatened today by a collection agency stating that they were sending a officer tomorrow to take him to jail for not paying his credit card. I have heard that this is how they try to get their money. Is this possible for them to do?
2006-08-31 13:58:34 · 12 answers · asked by eeyore1 1 in Business & Finance ➔ Credit
the police in my area don't have time for that s**t, they're too busy catching dangerous criminals...
doubtful, they can repossess stuff and take you to court but i don't think they will arrest you... at least not yet, it's just a scare tactic
2006-08-31 14:05:13 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No .. but they can harass you via the phone .............. send threatening letters.. have collectors call you day & night... ding your credit.. possibly sue you. But you can't go to jail for not paying your bills. This is a scare tactic. Despite other responses on this topic, creditors cannot sue and have your wages garnished in *most* states. If it's a car loan they can repossess the car; if it's a home loan they can foreclose .............. but if it's a credit card all they can do is harrass you relentlessly. Obviously you want to get this in-hand because it will adversely affect your credit score and hurt anything you plan to do in the future... like buy a home, new car, etc etc. Some states even have a Statute of Limitations on the amount of time that bill collectors can collect a past due debt from you.. but the deal is here, you can't have made ANY attempt to pay them or the SOL starts all over again. I would only recommend the latter "route" if you have a circumstance like you plan to file bankrutpcy. But if your intention is to pay .. then by all means .. contact the creditor and try to work out a payment plan that works for BOTH of you........ GOOD LUCK :-)
2006-08-31 14:16:00 · answer #2 · answered by CactusFlower 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No - they cannot threaten him. It is actually against the law for them to do so. If you want some good advice go to www.creditboards.com. This is a very good informative website and in the forums the people with answer your questions and give you very helpful advice. There are some there that have actually taken these nasty collection people to court & won because of things like this.
I don't have an issue with collection agencies doing their jobs but when they try to intimidate & harass the average consumer then I get really irritated. Most consumers don't know their rights when it comes to credit & debt repayment so SOME collection agencies will say & do whatever they can to get you to pay even if it isn't your debt.
Good luck to you & your husband. Go to that sight and become an informed consumer so that next time they try this you will know how to respond.
Patty
2006-08-31 14:23:49 · answer #3 · answered by PattyW 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No this is not possible. I have had difficulties with collection agencies for a few years now and that is just a tactic to get you to give them some money. They would most likely sue you and take you to court rather than try something like that.
2006-08-31 14:06:03 · answer #4 · answered by litl_man 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No they can't but they can garnishee his wages and if he went to a loan company and borrowed the money from there and whatever he put up as collateral they can come and get. If he purchased something - ie. a car they can repossess it. I suggest he tries to make out a payment agreement with them at once.
2006-08-31 14:06:06 · answer #5 · answered by older woman 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO,they can not arrest you for not paying a bill...there are no debtors prisons....but if you had been to court and orderedto pay and didnt then you could be arrested for contempt of court or something....collectors will say anything to try and scare you into paying...
2006-08-31 14:05:16 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't think so. I have had bad problems in the past with my ex-wifes spending and have never had them threaten to arrest me. Nice story though, but I am not aware of a way they can do it.
2006-08-31 14:04:12 · answer #7 · answered by B R 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my aunts owe credit cards and they just put the negative on their credid report for not paying the bill
2006-08-31 14:30:20 · answer #8 · answered by MS. DAISY 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No they don't do that. They can damage your credit rating and they can file suit against you and attach your wages.
2006-08-31 14:49:22 · answer #9 · answered by Misty Evenings 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no they cant ...they cant even sue you ...they add your name to the "bad credit" list and it will be hard (if not impossible) for you to get anything on credit
2006-08-31 14:05:14 · answer #10 · answered by ptmamas 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋