676
PUBLIC LAW 92-200-DEC. 17, 1971
[85 STAT.
alleged to be due and owing by means of any threat, coercion, or attempt to coerce in any of the following ways: "(1) the use, or express or implicit threat of use, of violence or other criminal means, to cause harm to the person, reputation, or property of any person; "(2) the accusation or threat to falsely accuse any person of fraud or any crime, or any conduct which, if true, would tend to disgrace such other person or in any way subject him to ridicule, or any conduct which, if true, would tend to disgrace such other person or in any way subject him to ridicule or contempt of society; "(3) false accusations made to another person, including any credit reporting agency, that a consumer has not paid a just debt, or threat to so make such false accusations; " (4) the threat to sell or assign to another the obligation of the consumer with an attending representation or implication that the result of such sale or assignment would be that the consumer would lose any defense to the claim or would be subjected to harsh, vindictive, or abusive collection attempts; and "(5) the threat that nonpayment of an alleged claim will result in the arrest of any person. " (d) No debt collector shall unreasonably oppress, harass, or abuse any person in connection with the collection of or attempt to collect any claim alleged to be due and owing by that person or another in any of the following ways: "(1) the use of profane or obscene language or language that is intended to unreasonably abuse the hearer or reader; "(2) the placement of telephone calls without disclosure of the caller's identity or with the intent to harass or threaten any person at the called number; and " (3) causing expense to any person in the form of long-distance telephone tolls, telegram fees, or other charges incurred by a medium of communication, by concealment of the true purpose of the notice, letter, message, or communication. "(e) No debt collector shall unreasonably publicize information relating to any alleged indebtedness or debtor in any of the following ways: "(1) the communication of any false information relating to a consumer's indebtedness to any employer or his agent except where such indebtedness has been guaranteed by the employer or the employer has requested the loan giving rise to the indebtedness and except where such communication is in connection with an attachment or execution after judgments as authorized by law; "(2) the disclosure, publication, or communication of false information relating to a consumer's indebtedness to any relative or family member of the consumer unless such person is known to the debt collector to be a member of the same household as the consumer, except through proper legal action or process or at the express and unsolicited request of the relative or family member; "(3) the disclosure, publication, or communications of any information relating to a consumer's indebtedness by publishing or posting any list of consumers, except for the publication and distribution of 'stop lists' to point-of-sale locations where credit is extended, or by advertising for sale any claim to enforce payment thereof or in any other manner other than through proper legal action, process, or proceeding; and "(4) the use of any form of communication to the consumer, which ordinarily may be seen by any other persons, that displays or conveys any information about the alleged claim other than the name, address, and phone number of the debt collector.
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