At the Federal level, it is primarily governed by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
[2] Many state laws track the language of the FDCPA, so that they are sometimes referred to as mini-FDCPAs.
[3] Laws regulating telemarketing and phone solicitation can also apply to debt collection practices, including the Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA).
[4] U.S. state laws on fair debt collection generally fall into two categories: laws which require persons who are collecting debts from consumers to be licensed, registered or bonded in order to collect from consumers in their states, and laws that protect consumers from specific unfair practices by debt collectors, which may include collection agencies and sometimes original creditors.
[5] Examples of prohibitions of unfair practices by collectors include contacting employers after having been given notice not to do so, pretending to be a government agency, pretending to be an attorney or falsely threatening a debtor with a lawsuit.