Until what time can debt collectors call

What times can debt collectors call

Federal Law No. 230-FZ "On Protecting the Rights and Legal Interests of Individuals Carrying out Activities to Repay Overdue Debts" defines the time limits during which debt collectors may disturb a debtor. It states that calls and text messages of any kind are permitted from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM on weekdays. On weekends (Saturday, Sunday) and public holidays, debt collectors may call from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Since the debt collector and the debtor may live in different time zones, the law includes an amendment stating that the time must correspond to the debtor's region of residence.

How often can debt collectors call 

Federal Law No. 230-FZ regulates the rights and obligations of creditors and debtors. It took effect at the beginning of 2017 and outlines all permitted interaction methods and communication times for both parties. This law is frequently ignored by collection agency employees, infringing upon the debtor's rights.

The law states that debt collectors may call a debtor:

• only once a day;
• no more than 2 times a week;
• no more than 8 times a month.

Please note that it is not the number of outgoing calls from the debt collector to the borrower that is recorded, but the number of direct conversations. 

Restrictions also apply to sending messages and other correspondence via the internet:

• no more than 2 times a day;
• no more than 4 times a week;
• up to 16 messages a month.

Additionally, debt collectors have no right to call or send messages from hidden or unknown numbers. If these rules are violated, a person with a debt to a credit organization can redirect received messages and calls to their lawyer. This can be done 120 days after the debt to the creditor is incurred. Debt collectors must be notified that communication with the client will go through a lawyer. Upon receiving official notification, debt collectors have no right to disturb the debtor, and all matters regarding their loans are handled through the lawyer.

Furthermore, debt collectors cannot call individuals from the following categories:

• debtors undergoing inpatient treatment;
• incapacitated and partially incapacitated citizens;
• Group I disabled individuals;
• individuals who have declared themselves financially insolvent and against whom bankruptcy proceedings have been initiated.

In such cases, the debtor is obligated to provide the debt collectors with documents confirming their membership in a specific category.

How debt collectors violate Federal Law No. 230

In most cases, debt collectors violate the current federal law. At the beginning of the conversation, agency employees must introduce themselves to the borrower, state which agency they work for, and represent the interests of which credit organization. The same rules apply to emails and SMS messages.

Debt collectors are also prohibited from calling the debtor's relatives, colleagues, friends, acquaintances, or contacting them at their workplace or place of service. This is additionally noted in the Personal Data Protection Act. Telephone communication is possible exclusively between the debtor and the debt collector, without any intermediaries. However, this restriction applies unless additional agreements have been signed.

Psychological pressure and any kind of threats against the borrower, their family members, or relatives are punishable by law. 

There is another violation indirectly related to debt collectors. The fact is that collection agencies and bureaus do not begin the debt recovery process on their own initiative. It is initiated by microfinance organizations or banks. They transfer or sell a specific person's debt obligations to such agencies. Initially, the client must receive a notice from the bank or MFO where they took out the money stating that a third-party organization will handle the debt recovery.

What to do in case of abuse of authority

If collection agency employees do not respond to requests and ignore legal regulations, a citizen can file a written complaint and submit it:

• for review by the agency head;
• to law enforcement agencies or the prosecutor's office;
• to the bailiff service department.

If debt collectors call at night and violate the rules specified in the federal law in any way, the first thing to do is contact the head of the collection agency. Most of the time, this step is enough to penalize a person who has exceeded their granted authority. If you cannot resolve the issue with the collector through direct management, you should contact law enforcement agencies and provide evidence of the violations; you can use call recordings, message screenshots, duplicate threatening letters, and witness testimony (if pressure was put on relatives or they received calls).