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§ 14-202. Certain acts prohibited

West's Annotated Code of MarylandCommercial LawEffective: October 1, 2018

West's Annotated Code of Maryland
Commercial Law
Title 14. Miscellaneous Consumer Protection Provisions
Subtitle 2. Consumer Debt Collection (Refs & Annos)
Effective: October 1, 2018
MD Code, Commercial Law, § 14-202
§ 14-202. Certain acts prohibited
In collecting or attempting to collect an alleged debt a collector may not:
(1) Use or threaten force or violence;
(2) Threaten criminal prosecution, unless the transaction involved the violation of a criminal statute;
(3) Disclose or threaten to disclose information which affects the debtor's reputation for credit worthiness with knowledge that the information is false;
(4) Except as permitted by statute, contact a person's employer with respect to a delinquent indebtedness before obtaining final judgment against the debtor;
(5) Except as permitted by statute, disclose or threaten to disclose to a person other than the debtor or his spouse or, if the debtor is a minor, his parent, information which affects the debtor's reputation, whether or not for credit worthiness, with knowledge that the other person does not have a legitimate business need for the information;
(6) Communicate with the debtor or a person related to him with the frequency, at the unusual hours, or in any other manner as reasonably can be expected to abuse or harass the debtor;
(7) Use obscene or grossly abusive language in communicating with the debtor or a person related to him;
(8) Claim, attempt, or threaten to enforce a right with knowledge that the right does not exist;
(9) Use a communication which simulates legal or judicial process or gives the appearance of being authorized, issued, or approved by a government, governmental agency, or lawyer when it is not;
(10) Engage in unlicensed debt collection activity in violation of the Maryland Collection Agency Licensing Act; or
(11) Engage in any conduct that violates §§ 804 through 812 of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Credits

Added by Acts 1975, c. 49, § 3, eff. July 1, 1975. Amended by Acts 2018, c. 731, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 2018; Acts 2018, c. 732, § 3, eff. Oct. 1, 2018.
Formerly Art. 83, § 167.
MD Code, Commercial Law, § 14-202, MD COML § 14-202
Current with all legislation from the 2023 Regular Session of the General Assembly. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
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