Hi everyone and welcome back to Money Girls Quick and Dirty Tips for a richer life.

I'm Laura Adams. If you're a regular listener you know that April is Financial

Literacy Month. To celebrate I'm answering your most embarrassing questions

here's one from Scott in Phoenix, Arizona. I'm

embarrassed to say that I have passed two bills. I'm employed now but was out of work

last year and got behind. I'm trying to get caught up, but debt collectors are driving me crazy.

I've told them that I'm doing my best to pay as much as I can each month, but they keep calling.

Thanks for any advice you can give me.

Scott, I appreciate your email and I'm sorry about the financial difficulties you're having

right now.

I'll give you some tips for keeping the collectors at bay in this show.

Getting behind on bills and owing past due money is a terrible position to be in.

But the good news is that even if you owe money to a creditor, you still have rights.

In this show, I'll discuss the Fair Debt Collection Practice Act. That's the law that

debt collectors have to follow. It doesn't matter if the collector works for a

collection agency, a corporate collections department, a third party, or is an attorney.

The Fair Debt Collection Practice Act covers personal debts such as medical bills,

car loans, mortgages, and money owed on credit cards,

but it doesn't cover business debts.

When a debt collector starts the collections process,

they need to know where you live, your phone number,

and where you work, for instance.

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