How to Stop Debt Collector Calls

Four calls yesterday. Two this morning. One at work. If that's where you are with a debt collector, you have more control than you think. Federal law lets you limit when and how a collector contacts you — or make them stop entirely.

Option 1: Limit the contact

You don't always have to shut off contact completely. These limits work without a formal cease letter:

• No calls at work. Once a collector knows or has reason to know your employer doesn't allow these calls, it can't call you there (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(a)(3)). Saying so on the phone counts. Write down the date you told them.
• No calls at inconvenient times. Calls before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. your time are presumed inconvenient. If another time doesn't work for you, tell them (§ 1692c(a)(1)).
• Mail only (or no texts, no email). Under Regulation F, you can tell a collector not to use a particular channel, like phone calls, and it can't contact you that way (12 CFR § 1006.14(h)). Every text and email also has to include a simple way to opt out.

This is often the best move if you still want answers from the collector — for example, verification of a debt you don't recognize.

Know the call limits: the 7-in-7 rule

Under Regulation F, a collector is presumed to be harassing you if it calls about a particular debt more than seven times in seven days, or calls again within seven days after actually talking to you about it (12 CFR § 1006.14(b)). Missed calls count. It's a presumption the collector can try to rebut, and it's counted per debt — but it gives you a concrete line to document against.

Free toolCollector Call LogA printable log for documenting every contact.

Option 2: Tell them in writing to stop

If you tell a debt collector in writing that you want it to stop communicating with you, or that you refuse to pay, it has to stop (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(c)). That covers calls, letters, texts, and emails. After receiving your letter, it can contact you only to:

1. Tell you it's ending collection efforts,
2. Tell you it or the creditor may use a remedy it normally uses, like a lawsuit, or
3. Tell you it intends to use a specific remedy.

A call asking when you can make a payment isn't on that list.

The protection starts when the collector receives your letter, not when you mail it. That's why you send it certified mail with a return receipt. Sample cease and desist letter and how to send it.

What stopping the calls won't do

Should you validate first?

If you're still within the dispute window on the collector's validation notice and aren't sure the debt is yours or the amount is right, consider sending a debt validation letter first. Cutting off contact also cuts off the conversation that gets you answers. You can ask for verification and limit contact to mail only in the same letter. Which to send first.

Who this works on

These rules apply to debt collectors: collection agencies, many debt buyers, and law firms that regularly collect debts. They usually don't apply to the original lender collecting its own account. Some states, including California, cover original creditors too. Original creditor vs. debt collector.

If they keep calling

If a collector keeps contacting you after receiving your letter — for anything outside those three exceptions — or ignores a limit you set, that may be a violation. Write down the date, time, number, name, and what was said, and save voicemails. If you want to record calls, check your state's law first; some states, including California, require everyone on the call to agree.

The FDCPA lets you sue for actual damages, up to $1,000 in statutory damages, and attorney's fees, generally within one year of the violation (§ 1692k). You can also file a free complaint at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. How to document violations.