Get All Access for $5/mo

Debt Collectors Can Now Text, Email, and Send Direct Messages to Borrowers on Social Media New rules approved by the CFPB clarify how debt collectors can use email, text messages, social media, and other contemporary methods to communicate with consumers.

By The Epoch Times Edited by Charles Muselli

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Debt collectors can now text, email, and send direct messages to borrowers on social media after new rules approved by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) took effect on Tuesday.

The new rules clarify how debt collectors can use email, text messages, social media, and other contemporary methods to communicate with consumers. It also enables borrowers to limit the ability of debt collectors to contact them through such communication methods.

While debt collectors are able to contact borrowers via an array of communication methods, the 1977 Fair Debt Collection Practices Act prohibits harassing, abusive, and unfair debt collection practices as well as false and misleading representations by debt collectors.

Under the new rules, debt collectors who contact borrowers on social media have to identify themselves as such and give consumers the option to opt of out being contacted online.

That option needs to be "a reasonable and simple method to opt-out of such communications at a specific email address or telephone number."

Any messages they send must be done so privately, meaning they cannot post on the borrower's public page, however, debt collectors are able to send a friend request or follow the consumer, as long as they provide identifying information.

A debt collector is presumed to violate federal law if they "place telephone calls to a particular person in connection with the collection of a particular debt more than seven times within seven consecutive days or within seven consecutive days of having had a telephone conversation about the debt," as per the new rules.

Debt collectors are also prohibited from using or threatening to sue consumers on time-barred debt and are required to take "specific steps" to disclose the existence of a debt to consumers before reporting information about the debt to a consumer reporting agency.

Specifically, debt collectors must speak with the consumer in person or wait at least 14 days after sending a letter or virtual communication before reporting them to a credit rating agency.

If a consumer believes that the collector is breaking the rules, they can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

However, the CFPB rules do not explicitly state how often a debt collector can contact a consumer via text, email, or private messages.

"The rule is the result of a deliberative, thoughtful process spanning more than seven years and reflects engagement with consumer advocates, debt collectors, and other stakeholders," the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said.

The CFPB has proposed extending the planned start date of the new rules to Jan. 29, 2022, but later determined that the extension was "unnecessary" and set the planned start date of Nov. 30, 2021.

CFPB praised the move as a welcome change to the outdated methods currently used by debt collectors to reach out to consumers.

"With the vast changes in communications since the FDCPA was passed more than four decades ago, it is important to provide clear rules of the road," said CFPB Director Kathleen Kraninger. "Our debt collection rulemaking provides limits on debt collectors and provides clear rights for consumers. With this modernized debt collection rule, consumers will have greater control when communicating with debt collectors."

However, some critics have expressed concerns that the new rules will negatively impact consumers who don't have access to regular internet or don't check social media regularly, resulting in them missing any communications from debt collectors.

April Kraninger, a staff attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, told NPR, that the new rules "are really disappointing and concerning in a number of ways."

Kraninger said that the new rules may also give rise to more criminals taking advantage of the newer methods of communication and attempting to unlawfully contact consumers by posing as legitimate debt collectors.

"I have actually already gotten my first spam debt collection email even before the new rules took effect," she said. "So certainly we should anticipate more bad actors who are trying to scam people into paying them money on alleged debts."

By Katabella Roberts

Katabella Roberts is a reporter currently based in Turkey. She covers news and business for The Epoch Times, focusing primarily on the United States.

The Epoch Times, founded in 2000, is headquartered in Manhattan, New York, with a mission to provide independent and accurate information free of political bias or corporate influence. The organization was established in response to censorship within China and a lack of global awareness regarding the Chinese regime's repression of the spiritual practice Falun Gong.

The Epoch Times is a widely read newspaper that is distributed in 33 countries and is available in 21 languages. The publication has been critical in providing balanced and detailed reporting on major global events such as the 2003 SARS pandemic and the 2008 financial crisis. Notably, the organization has played a key role in exposing corruption inside China.

Aside from its human rights coverage, The Epoch Times has made significant contributions in a variety of fields. It has received praise for its in-depth analysis and expert perspectives on business, the economy and U.S. politics. The newspaper has also received praise for its broad coverage of these topics.

A series of editorials titled "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" appeared in The Epoch Times in 2004. It asserts that freedom and prosperity in China can only be achieved by eliminating the Communist Party, which violated China's cultural and spiritual values. In addition, the organization led the Tuidang movement, which resulted in over 400 million Chinese citizens quitting the Communist Party. In spite of this, 90% of websites referring to the "Nine Commentaries" were blocked by the Chinese regime.

The Epoch Times has been at the forefront of investigating high-level corruption cases within the Chinese regime, with its reporters taking significant risks to uncover these stories. The organization has received several awards for its investigative journalism.

The organization has received several awards for its investigative journalism. For more, visit www.theepochtimes.com.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Side Hustle

This 20-Year-Old Student Started a Side Hustle With $400 — and It Earned $150,000 Over the Summer

Jacob Shaidle launched his barbecue cleaning business Shaidle Cleaning in 2021 when he was just 15.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg Is Now the World's Second Richest Person, Behind Elon Musk

Meta's CEO jumped ahead of Jeff Bezos in Bloomberg's rankings this week.

Business News

Meta Says Its New Movie Gen AI Is an Industry First — But a Demo Shows It Isn't Perfect

Movie Gen is too expensive to be released to the public yet, according to Meta's chief product officer.

Marketing

Ad Fatigue is Real — Why Trust and Influencers Are Shaping the Future of Cybersecurity Marketing

With the rapid evolution of cyber threats, businesses are becoming increasingly careful when choosing cybersecurity providers. Therefore, cybersecurity companies must center their marketing strategies around trust, not ads.