Blink Karma Takes Aim at Debt Collector Harassment: When Bill Collectors Won't Stop Calling

Consumer News | 1134 News

For millions of Americans, an unpaid bill doesn't stay inside an envelope.

It follows them to work. It shows up on their cell phone. Unknown numbers appear over and over. Voicemails pile up. A bill collector keeps calling, and many consumers have no idea when ordinary debt collection may have crossed the line into debt collector harassment.

A consumer-focused service called Blink Karma is approaching that problem with a remarkably simple message:

Tell us what happened. It costs you nothing.

Blink Karma is designed to connect consumers who may be experiencing unlawful or abusive debt-collection practices with help while removing one of the biggest barriers that keeps people from doing anything about it—the fear that getting help will cost them money.

What Is Blink Karma?

Blink Karma focuses on consumers dealing with potentially problematic debt-collection activity, including people searching online for answers to questions such as:

Why does a debt collector keep calling me?

How many times can a debt collector call?

Can a debt collector call my job?

Can bill collectors call my family?

What can I do if a collection agency won't stop calling?

Is debt collector harassment illegal?

Instead of expecting consumers to understand complicated federal statutes before asking for help, Blink Karma starts somewhere much simpler:

What happened?

Consumers describe their situation and the collection activity they've experienced. The circumstances can then be evaluated to determine whether the conduct may warrant further attention.

Debt Collector Keeps Calling Me: When Do Collection Calls Become a Problem?

Not every call from a collection agency constitutes debt collection harassment.

Debt collectors are generally permitted to contact consumers in legitimate attempts to collect debts.

But that authority isn't unlimited.

The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, commonly known as the FDCPA, establishes rules governing covered debt collectors and prohibits certain abusive, deceptive, and unfair collection practices.

Federal regulations also address the frequency of debt-collection telephone calls.

Under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Regulation F, presumptions can arise concerning repeated telephone calls about a particular debt. Generally, placing more than seven telephone calls within seven consecutive days concerning a particular debt can trigger a presumption of a violation, as can placing a call within seven days after a telephone conversation concerning that particular debt, subject to exceptions and the circumstances involved.

That makes searches such as “debt collector keeps calling me,” “bill collector keeps calling me,” “collection agency keeps calling,” and “debt collectors calling too much” more than expressions of frustration.

Sometimes the details behind those searches matter.

Bill Collector Harassment Isn't Just About the Number of Calls

Call frequency is only part of the picture.

Federal debt-collection law addresses other conduct as well.

Depending on the circumstances and the law applicable to the collector, potential issues can involve repeated calls intended to annoy, abuse or harass; certain calls at inconvenient times or places; false or misleading representations; abusive language; certain communications with third parties; and other prohibited collection practices.

Consumers may encounter problems that lead them to search:

debt collector calling my work

debt collector calling after 9 p.m.

debt collector calling before 8 a.m.

debt collector threatened me

debt collector threatened arrest

debt collector calling wrong number

collection agency harassment

bill collector harassment

how to stop debt collector calls

Those details can be important.

Blink Karma Says: Save Everything

One of Blink Karma's most practical messages is also one of the simplest:

Don't delete the evidence.

A consumer frustrated by repeated collection calls might instinctively clear the call history, erase voicemails or block numbers.

But those records may help establish what actually occurred.

Consumers experiencing repeated collection calls can preserve their call history, screenshots, telephone numbers, voicemails, text messages, emails and letters.

They can also keep a simple written record:

Date. Time. Phone number. Company. What happened.

A pattern that is difficult to remember months later can look very different when documented contemporaneously.

What If the Debt Isn't Yours?

Repeated calls aren't limited to people who actually owe the debt being discussed.

Wrong telephone numbers, outdated account information, identity mistakes and disputed accounts can create their own problems.

Consumers frequently search phrases including “debt collector calling wrong number,” “collection agency calling for someone else,” “debt isn't mine,” and “debt collector won't stop calling wrong person.”

Federal law also provides consumers with rights involving information about debts and procedures for disputing certain debts.

Blink Karma's approach does not require someone to diagnose the legal issue before making contact.

Consumers tell the story first.

The facts determine what comes next.

Why Blink Karma Says It Costs Consumers Nothing

Perhaps the most noticeable part of Blink Karma's message is its emphasis on cost.

It costs the consumer nothing.

That is important because someone already struggling with collection calls may reasonably assume that getting legal help means another bill.

Blink Karma's model is built around consumer debt-collection cases where qualifying consumers aren't charged for obtaining help through the service.

That removes a major question from the beginning of the conversation:

“How much is this going to cost me?”

Blink Karma's answer is straightforward:

Nothing.

The Laws Consumers Are Searching

People wanting to research debt-collection rights themselves will repeatedly encounter several federal provisions.

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act — 15 U.S.C. § 1692 et seq.

The FDCPA is the principal federal statute governing covered third-party debt-collection practices.

15 U.S.C. § 1692d — Harassment or Abuse

This provision prohibits covered debt collectors from engaging in conduct whose natural consequence is to harass, oppress or abuse a person in connection with collecting a debt.

15 U.S.C. § 1692e — False or Misleading Representations

This portion of the FDCPA addresses false, deceptive or misleading representations or means used in connection with debt collection.

15 U.S.C. § 1692g — Validation of Debts

This provision addresses information concerning debts and consumers' validation and dispute rights.

Regulation F — 12 C.F.R. Part 1006

Regulation F implements the FDCPA and contains detailed rules concerning debt-collection communications and other practices.

Consumers researching their own situations may therefore encounter search terms such as FDCPA violation, debt collector harassment law, debt collection laws, Regulation F, 15 USC 1692d, debt validation rights, debt collector call limits, seven calls in seven days, illegal debt collection practices and consumer rights against debt collectors.

A Different Message for People Tired of Collection Calls

Debt-collection law isn't simple.

That's precisely why Blink Karma's consumer message isn't built around expecting someone to become a lawyer overnight.

If the debt collector keeps calling, document it.

If the bill collector won't stop calling, save the records.

If a collection agency is calling your job, write down what happened.

If a collector makes a threat that doesn't sound right, preserve it.

If they're calling for somebody else, document that too.

Then tell the story.

Blink Karma: When the Calls Don't Stop, Karma Answers

Consumers don't need to memorize 15 U.S.C. § 1692d before asking whether something is wrong.

They don't have to determine whether Regulation F applies.

And they don't have to decide for themselves whether they have a legal claim.

They need to know what happened to them.

That's where Blink Karma begins.

Save the calls. Save the messages. Tell your story.

And for consumers concerned that asking for help will simply create another expense, Blink Karma's message remains the same:

It costs you nothing. That's the Blink Karma promise.

HELLO... THIS IS KARMA.

Blink Karma

When bill collectors cross the line, Karma calls back.

1134 News consumer feature. This article provides general information concerning debt-collection issues and is not legal advice.