Can we stop a creditor from calling an employee at work?

If an employee is getting calls from a debt collection agency and informs the agency that company policy prohibits taking such calls at work, the agency is required by law to stop calling the person at work. This provision appears in Section 1692c of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. However, the Act primarily applies to third-party collection agencies, not to organizations attempting to collect their own debts.

For example, the law does not apply to a property manager who is attempting to collect a tenant’s overdue rent, or to a utility company attempting to collect an overdue electric bill. Those entities are not subject to the Act, and could decide to continue calling a place of employment. Once the matter has been turned over to a debt collection agency, however, that agency is bound by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.