A debt collector is calling?
Their letter is missing a validation notice?
Federal law sets strict rules for what debt collectors can do — when they can call, what they must put in the first letter, and how they must respond to a written dispute. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. §§ 1692–1692p) authorizes up to $1,000 in statutory damages per action plus actual damages and attorney's fees when collectors violate those rules. ClaimGap organizes your documents into a §1692g(b) dispute letter and, where violations are detected, a separate notice letter citing the specific subsections breached — with your state mini-FDCPA overlay (California Rosenthal Act, New York GBL §601, Texas Finance Code §392, Massachusetts 93A).
The four moves collectors make that the FDCPA forbids
- 1
Missing validation notice
§1692g(a) requires every initial letter to state the amount, the original creditor, your 30-day dispute right, and your verification right. CFPB Regulation F (2021) added an itemization date requirement. We read your letter against the statutory checklist and pull out anything missing, with the verbatim quote from the relevant subsection.
- 2
Calls before 8 AM or after 9 PM · 7-in-7 violations
§1692c(a)(1) forbids contact at unusual times in your local time zone, and Reg F caps contact at 7 calls in a 7-day window on the same debt. We run the math on your phone log so every qualifying call is cited with the timestamp and the subsection it breached.
- 3
False threats and misrepresentations
§1692e prohibits threats of action the collector can't or won't take — arrest threats, false credit-report threats, “attorney letters” with no attorney review. We flag each such statement with the verbatim quote and the matching subsection, which carries statutory damages of up to $1,000 per violation.
- 4
Third-party disclosure
§1692c(b) allows only narrow “locator” inquiries to employers or family. A collector who discusses your debt with anyone other than you, your spouse, or your attorney is per-call actionable — and unusually careless collectors leave a message on a family voicemail that hands you the violation.
ClaimGap is not a law firm. Our debt-dispute package is informational — you are the sender, and the outcome is determined by the debt collector and, if you file, the court or the CFPB under the applicable federal and state law. We do not represent you in any dispute or proceeding.