Social Security Recipient Reports Bill Collector Harassment

We received this email from Brenda:

i have been harass, threathen, verbally abuse by bill collector, true, i got behind in a bill, and really they refuse to set up any thype of payment plan because i am too far behind, and they want all the money, it has increase due to finance charge they keep adding, i am on ss diability, and they threaten to get by money out of the money what do i do.

Brenda, thank you for your email.  First, the good news here is that bill collectors may not garnish money from your bank account if it came from Social Security.  You do need to make sure that your bank knows that the money in your account came from Social Security and you should no co-mingle your Social Security funds with any other money.

Second, you should write a letter to the collector advising the collection agency that (1) you are judgment proof, and that you have no assets and your only source of income is Social Security; (2) that pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act you want them to leave you alone and (3) that you request that this debt be written off as bad debt.

I would not offer these folks any money as they have no leverage against you at all.  If they are verbally abusing and threatening you, they are violating the law and you could sue them for damages.

This might be a situation where you may want to contact a lawyer to write one or more letters on your behalf.