Debt Collectors
G.S. 75-56 — $500 to $4,000 for each violation
- Using or threatening violence or illegal means to harm a person, their reputation or property.
- Falsely accusing or threatening to accuse someone of fraud or a crime.
- Making or threatening false accusations to others, including a credit reporting agency, that the consumer has not paid or willfully refused to pay a just debt.
- Saying nonpayment may lead to someone's arrest.
- Saying nonpayment may lead to seizure, garnishment or sale of property or wages unless that is actually contemplated.
In North Carolina, those are among the unfair threats and coercion a debt collector may not use. Nor may a collector use fraudulent, deceptive or misleading representations: hiding its name or the creditor's, failing to disclose in every collection communication that its purpose is to collect a debt, misstating the amount or status of the debt, or claiming a connection to a government agency.
Actual damages, plus $500 to $4,000 a violation. A debt collector who violates the article is liable in a private action for any actual damages, plus civil penalties the court allows of not less than $500 nor more than $4,000 for each violation.
Sources for this section (3)
- G.S. 75-51 — Debt collection: threats and coercion
- G.S. 75-54 — Debt collection: deceptive representation
- G.S. 75-56 — Debt collection: application and penalties
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed North Carolina attorney.