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It outlines lawful actions such as suing, foreclosure, wage or bank account garnishment, and utility shutoff with conditions, and it lists prohibited conduct including threats, abusive language, unreasonable calls, misrepresentation, and taking protected benefits. 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If you cannot afford the full amount, send what you can each month, and if you want them to stop contacting you when you can’t pay anything, send a letter telling them to stop.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":121,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":123,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":125,"site_id":56},280887,1790211769,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":128},{"doc_id":125,"user_id":129,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":130,"doc_module":9,"category_id":40,"category_name":41,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":131,"file_id":132,"file_url":133,"file_type":134,"file_size":135,"view_count":101,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":73,"language":136,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":137,"faqs":138,"seo_title":139,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":140,"read_time":9},549768064622,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","Debt collectors CAN:  \n• Call your employer to make sure you work there or to get your contact information.  \n• Sue you in court.  \n• Evict you (if they are your landlord and you don’t pay your rent).  \n• Take your house by foreclosure if you don’t pay your mortgage.  \n• Repossess (or take back) an item you bought from them, such as your car.  \n• Shut off your utility service unless you pay the minimum amount due each month. But there are exceptions if you have a life-threatening health condition.  \n• Take money from your paycheck.  \nDebt collectors CANNOT:  \n• Use abusive or bad language or threaten you in any way.  \n• Call you an unreasonable number of times or call you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.  \n• Call you at work after you asked them not to.  \n• Talk to others about your debt without your permission (except for your spouse or lawyer).  \n• Lie about who they are or pretend to be a lawyer or the government.  \n• Suggest that you have committed a crime, that you will be arrested, or that you will go to jail if you don’t pay.  \n• Lie and say that the papers they sent you are legal papers from the court.  \n• Take all of your take-home wages.  \n• Say they can take your benefits money (such as Social Security disability, pension, retirement, child support, alimony, or other protected funds).  \n• Ask you to pay more than you owe.  \nFor more info, goto:  \nwww.CTLaw.Help/debt  \nNeed legal help? Are you 60 or over?  \nIf yes, free legal assistance is available. If you have a debt collection or other consumer problem, please call:  \nConsumer Law Project for Elders  \n1-800-296-1467  \nIf you are under age 60, call:  \nStatewide Legal Services  \n1-800-453-3320 or 860-344-0380 [www.slsct.org](www.slsct.org)  \nSLS provides free advice to low-income people who have legal problems in Connecticut.  \nHow to contact your local legal aid office:  \nNew Haven Legal  \nAssistance Association  \n203-946-4811  \nGreater Hartford Legal Aid  \n860-541-5000  \nConnecticut Legal Services  \nBridgeport  \n203-336-3851  \nNew London  \n860-447-0323  \nWaterbury  \n203-756-8074  \nNew Britain  \n860-225-8678  \nStamford  \n203-348-9216  \nWillimantic  \n860-456-1761  \nThis booklet was produced by Connecticut Legal Services, Greater Hartford Legal Aid, New Haven Legal Assistance Association, and Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut. It is not intended as legal advice. For advice on your situation, call Statewide Legal Services or contact a lawyer.© 2/2026  \nDebt Collection  \nKnow Your Rights  \nFebruary 2026  \nStatewide Legal Services  \n1-800-453-3320  \nI’ve been contacted about a debt. What do I need to know?  \nYou may be contacted by a creditor or by a collection agency.  \n• A creditor is a company you owe money to, like a credit card company.  \n• A collection agency is a company that is in the business of collecting debts.  \nDebt collectors will try to collect money from you even if you don’t have the money or you think you don’t owe anything.  \nWhat if I think I don’t owe the debt?  \nYou should not be billed for something you didn’t buy or you already paid for. First, find out if it is a creditor or collection agency that is billing you.  \nIf it is a creditor: You can dispute the charge and there should be instructions to do so on the back of your monthly statement.  \nIf it is a collection agency: Write a letter telling them that you don’t owe the debt. The agency must stop contacting you until they send you proof of your debt. If they don’t send proof that you owe the debt, they must stop contacting you.  \nWhat if I owe the debt but I cannot afford to pay it?  \nDebt collectors will try to pressure you into agreeing to pay more than you can afford.  \nIf you cannot pay the full amount, send what you can afford every month, even if they say it is not enough. If you make a payment each month, it may stop them from suing you for the full amount of the debt.  \nIf you cannot afford to pay anything and you want them to stop contacting you, send them a letter telling them to ","cbCaijv9M2SmAKOl","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaijv9M2SmAKOl","pdf",229401,"English","# Debt collectors CAN\n## Debt collectors CANNOT\n# I’ve been contacted about a debt: what to know\n## If you think you don’t owe the debt\n## If you owe the debt but cannot afford to pay\n## If a debt collector sues you\n## What if they win in court\n# Creditor threats to take money from your paycheck\n# Protected money in your bank account\n# Legal help and contacts","[{\"question\":\"What can debt collectors do to collect a debt?\",\"answer\":\"Debt collectors may contact you, sue you in court, evict you if you don’t pay rent, pursue foreclosure for unpaid mortgages, repossess certain purchased items, shut off utilities with exceptions, and take money from your paycheck (subject to limits).\"},{\"question\":\"What actions are debt collectors prohibited from taking?\",\"answer\":\"Debt collectors cannot use abusive language, threaten you, call at unreasonable times or excessively, call your workplace after you ask them not to, discuss your debt with others without permission (except spouse or lawyer), lie about who they are, threaten arrest or jail for nonpayment, misrepresent documents as court papers, take all take-home wages, claim they can take protected benefits, or ask you to pay more than you owe.\"},{\"question\":\"What should you do if you think you don’t owe the debt or you can’t afford to pay?\",\"answer\":\"If you don’t owe the debt, dispute charges if billed by a creditor, or write a letter to a collection agency stating you don’t owe it and requiring proof; they must stop contacting you without proof. If you cannot afford the full amount, send what you can each month, and if you want them to stop contacting you when you can’t pay anything, send a letter telling them to stop.\"}]","Debt Collection - Know Your Rights | PDF",1789560974]