Collection Agency Complaints Top FTC List

Complaints over alleged FDCPA violations and crimes by bill collectors once again topped all other complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission, according to its latest annual report to Congress released Friday.

The number and percentage of complaints about debt collectors are up. That's according to the Federal Trade Commission's latest annual report on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

In 2007 nationwide, consumer complaints about debt collectors went up "in absolute terms and as a percentage of all complaints." In 2007, there were 91,019 consumer complaints against third-party and in-house collectors, representing 26.7 percent of all complaints the FTC received.

Third-party debt collectors received the most complaints, generating 70,951 in 2007. The complaints in 2007 represented 20.8 percent of all the consumer complaints the agency received, up from 19.9 percent in 2006.

More than a third involved consumer reports that collectors demanded larger debt payments than allowed by law. Some said collectors were going after debts consumers didn't owe or were discharged in bankruptcy.

In the next biggest category, consumers complained of being repeatedly harassed. In some cases, consumers reported obscene or abusive language.