ConsumerMan: Debt collectors more aggressive

FTC reports a 20 percent jump in complaints from hassled consumers Mariko Mudd knew the collectors would keep calling. They wanted her to pay off that $4,000 credit card debt she owed. But the 25-year-old who lives near Seattle was out of work and couldn’t agree to a repayment plan. “I didn’t have any money,” she says. One day the caller crossed the line from aggressive to threatening. He told her that if she didn’t pay by the end of the day, he’d have her arrested and thrown in jail. “How can you throw me in jail?” she asked him. “How am I supposed to pay off my debt if you throw me in jail?” He told her that’s the way the law worked. Mudd was shocked and confused. She started to cry. Then she panicked. Afraid the police were on their way, she left the house. The debt collector kept calling and finally reached her father,... [read full story]