Phone Calls And Letters After Bankruptcy
Once you file for bankruptcy, the rule is simple - creditors are not allowed to call, write, or sue you. No collection efforts are permitted once your bankruptcy is filed with the court. It’s that simple.
In fact, most creditors subscribe to computer services that automatically tell them when a consumer files for bankruptcy. Most times, the debt collector or creditor knows you filed for bankruptcy before the official court notices are in the mail.
Unfortunately, many creditors and debt collectors choose not to follow the law. Some will contact you months, even years, after your bankruptcy case is over. You believe that you’ve moved past the old bills and suddenly out of the blue a call or letter - or worse, a lawsuit - lands in front of you.
Why do creditors and debt collectors still try to get money from you after bankruptcy? The answers are simple - or not so simple:
Creditors and debt collectors believe that you will pay them something just to go away. They think you will either not call your bankruptcy lawyer or will believe that this is a new bill or one that you forgot to list on your bankruptcy papers. Even worse - and this part is true - they think your bankruptcy lawyer (if you do actually make the call to your old lawyer) will tell you to send them a copy of your bankruptcy papers and they’ll go away.
But there’s an even bigger reason they keep trying to wring every last dollar out of you - and that’s money. They get billions of dollars every year from consumers who pay after bankruptcy. Often, the account is sold to a new debt collector or debt buyer AFTER your case is filed. These new owners buy debts specifically because they are bankrupted accounts, and they do so because they know chances are good that they’ll make a lot of money.
So what do you do? If someone calls or writes about an account you listed - or even one you didn’t list - in your bankruptcy, contact me immediately. Your federal rights have been violated, and I will fight the creditors, debt collectors and debt buyers for you.