ABC News investigates debt collection

In a sensationally-titled report, “Debt Collectors Gone Wild,” ABC News reports on the results of a three-month investigation into debt collector practices. Unsurprisingly, ABC found that “many unscrupulous collectors routinely ignore the law.”

Rozanne Andersen of ACA International, however, would like you to know that “the vast majority of debt collectors follow the law and that the image of the bullying, abusive collector is an old stereotype. According to Anderson, “A debt collector is not the enemy of the consumer. His or her job is to help find a solution and help the person figure out a way to pay the debt.”

Ms. Andersen must be well paid. More on ABC’s findings, including collection call transcripts, after the jump.

Here’s a snippet from a collection call:

Collector: You’re so ignorant. Ignorant. You need to go back to Mexico.

Consumer: OK, ma’am.

Collector: Haha! Watch me big boy. Watch me.

And another call, for good measure, on a call over a $1,200 debt on a credit card someone else had opened in her name:

Loida Ripdos: OK. Well, what are you, are you, what are you, are you attorney?

Collector: After our last conversation, I sent it for legal action to be continued against you.

Loida Ripdos: OK. But what are you though? May I ask you?

Collector: It makes no difference what I am.

Loida Ripdos: No, it does make a difference. What are you? Are you an attorney?

Collector: I’m the guy who’s going to end your life. That’s what I am.

I’m sure there are good collectors out there who genuinely do want to help people, but the ABC investigation found that any such debt collector is more likely to be an exception than the rule. “According to the FTC, the 66,627 debt collection complaints were more than were received against any other industry and yet ‘represents a relatively small percentage of the total number of consumers who actually encounter problems with debt collectors.’”

More collection call transcripts and recordings can be found in the ABC story.