Lawmakers and consumer advocacy groups in Florida have expressed concern about the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) outsourcing tax debt collection to private debt collectors. During the past year, this practice has caused numerous problems. These issues include increased risks of fraud and identity theft for Florida consumers. Putting tax debt in the hands of independent debt collectors also exposes consumers to potential harassment. Now, new reports show that this outsourcing has cost the IRS millions of dollars and inflicted harm upon impoverished consumers in Florida.
Specific Issues Concerning the Outsourcing of Tax Debt Collection by the Internal Revenue Service
In Florida, scammers frequently masquerade as debt collectors in order to steal money and personal information from consumers. In the past, though, many consumers knew that the IRS didn’t typically call about past-due tax debt. Instead, they sent very official-looking notices in the mail. Therefore, in an individual called, claiming they were collecting debt for the IRS, Florida residents knew they were bogus.
Now, however, those who receive such calls in Florida aren’t always so sure. For the past year, regular, legitimate debt collectors have called Florida consumers about tax debt. So, consumers, not sure how to distinguish real agents from fraudsters, have fallen victim to fraud and identity theft.
Speaking of victims, low income Florida residents have probably suffered the most from this ill-conceived plan. This is because private debt collectors don’t follow the same rules as the IRS. For example, historically, the IRS never garnished the wages of consumers who fell below the poverty line. Yet, it was reported that debt collection agencies working for the IRS garnished the wages of Florida consumers making as little as $6,000 annually.
Perhaps most surprising is the fact that, in the past year, the IRS has spent about $20 million on tax debt outsourcing, while only netting $6.7 million in revenue. This means that, even if the program harmed no consumers in Florida and other states, it is not at all fiscally responsible. It is even worse because the consumers affected are also taxpayers wasting money on a plan that is clearly causing the federal government to hemorrhage money.
How Florida Consumers Should Deal with Abusive Debt Collectors of Any Type
When debt collectors contact Florida consumers about tax debt or any other type of debt, they should remember that they have rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). According to this federal statute, there are boundaries that debt collection agents may not cross. For example, debt collectors are prohibited from calling consumers at inconvenient times. In addition, they may not belittle you, use foul language with you, or threaten you with arrest or jail time.
If, however, a debt collector does any of these things to you, or makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, contact Credit Repair Lawyers of America in Florida. When it comes to abusive debt collectors, our firm stands up for consumer rights. So, we’ll immediately connect you with an experienced FDCPA lawyer who will make debt collector harassment stop for FREE. Also, in some cases, when we file successful actions against FDCPA violating debt collectors, our clients may receive damage payments. Just remember that, no matter what kind of work we do, you never pay anything for our services.
The Free and Legal way to End Debt Collector Harassment in Florida
Being harassed by debt collectors is bad enough, but when incorrect collections make it on to your credit reports and bring your credit score down, that’s even worse. At Credit Repair Lawyers of America, we’ve been cleaning up credit reports for consumers since 2008 for free. How do we do it? All of our fees come from the defendants in settled cases. This is why our clients pay nothing for the work we do.
Let’s start the conversation about what we can do for your credit. Set up your free consultation today by calling Attorney Gary Nitzkin at (855) 956-2089 or sending him a message through our contact page.
For more information about how to Stop Debt Collector Harassment for Free, please visit https://creditrepairlawyersam.com/florida/stop-debt-collector/.
