FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act)
The federal law that limits how third-party collectors can contact you — and what they may never do.
What "fdcpa (fair debt collection practices act)" means
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act governs third-party debt collectors (and the debt buyers who often hold charged-off tribal loans). It bars threatening arrest, pretending to be law enforcement, calling at unreasonable hours, contacting your employer after you say stop, and misrepresenting the amount or legal status of a debt.
It gives you concrete rights: to demand written validation of the debt, to tell a collector to stop contacting you, and to sue for violations. Threats of arrest over a tribal loan are a textbook FDCPA violation worth documenting and reporting.