When a debtor asks to cease contact, what must a collector do?

• A. Continue contacting daily until the debt is paid
• B. Cease all contact and never inform of any action
• C. Cease all contact but do not inform about lawsuits
• D. Cease further contact except to inform of a specific action like filing a lawsuit or reporting to credit bureaus, per law

Answer: (D)

When a debtor asks to cease contact, the collector must stop contacting them about the debt. The allowed exception is that the collector may still communicate to inform the debtor that they intend to take a specific action that is permitted by law, such as filing a lawsuit or reporting the debt to credit bureaus. This ensures the debtor isn’t harassed, while still allowing legitimate collection steps to proceed if appropriate. Continuing everyday contact would violate the request to stop communication, and stopping all notice of any action would leave the debtor unaware of potential legal remedies. The correct approach is the limited communication that alerts the debtor to a permissible legal action, like filing suit or reporting to a credit bureau.