Debt Collector Sued For Sending Facebook Messages To Borrower's Family

One collections agency is facing a lawsuit for allegedly overstepping its bounds by contacting a debtor's family via Facebook. One woman who fell behind on her financial responsibilities was horrified to find that a collections agency sent Facebook messages to her sister and cousin about the debt, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

Debt collectors are permitted by law to contact the family members of borrowers if they are unable to get in touch with the individual themselves. But in this case, the debt collection agency had been in contact with the debtor many times, leading her to file a lawsuit on the grounds that the company violated her privacy.

"I've never seen a case like this, but it's no surprise because debt collectors are like any other business, they change according to their environment," Billy Howard, the plaintiff's attorney said.

Americans who have been unable to obtain debt relief may see their overdue balances go into collections. However, consumers have rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which prohibits collections agencies from engaging in certain behaviors or harassing individuals in debt.