Collecting in a High Tech World

It’s a new world out there.

Many collection laws were written when people communicated by telephone or by U.S. Postal mail. When the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act was enacted in 1978, few people had answering machines and many were still using rotary dial telephones. Cell phones were bigger than bricks when the Telephone Communications Act became law in 1986.

Today, collectors have a variety of ways to communicate with borrowers. Telephone. Cell phone. Fax. Email. Text message. Social media.

But with new tools, come new questions. May you call a borrower’s cell phone? May you leave a voice mail? Does it matter if the voice mail is on the borrower’s home telephone or the borrower’s cell phone? How about the borrower’s work phone? Does it matter if you are returning the borrower’s call from that phone?

And what about email, text message, or Facebook message?

The debate isn’t limited to how you communicate with borrowers, either. May you communicate through Facebook? May you use it as a skip tracing tool?

The law is still developing, but collectors need to stay on top of which laws now do — and don’t — apply. Some of the answers might surprise you.

During this 90 minute (estimated) online training program, attorney Eric North will talk with participants about subjects including—

For more information call NorthLegal Training and Publications at 623.537.7150.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!

Can’t make it on the scheduled day? Remember that your registration allows you to also watch the archived version at as often as you like for 30 days at a time of your convenience!