There are various regulations that govern the actions of the collection agency as a whole. Most of these laws apply to all types of debt collectors because they protect the rights of the debtor as a consumer. These laws are: the Federal Trade Commission for the United States, the Office of Fair Trading for the United Kingdom and Wales, the Office of Consumer Affairs and Consumer Protection BC for Canada, the Solicitors Regulations Authority for the United Kingdom and Wales, bankruptcy Abuse Prevention for the United States and the Consumer Protection Act (United Kingdom and Wales), the European Collectors Association, the Solicitors Order 1976 (for Northern Ireland), the European Small Claims Procedure and the European Collectors` Association (for international debt collection agencies) and many others. An experienced debt collection lawyer in your area can help you represent yourself in court and may be able to help you get damages related to the collection issue you are facing. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (CLTPA) is designed to protect consumer privacy, but it also applies to debt collection agencies. This means that they cannot call the debtor`s mobile phone with an automatic dialer or even call a mobile phone unless the collector has the debtor`s permission to call them on a mobile phone. Calls to mobile phones with automated calls or a pre-recorded voice without consent are also illegal. When collecting debts, a collection agency must keep well-kept records of the lender and borrower (debtor) in order to provide accurate and truthful accounting. A debt collection agency is a business used by lenders or creditors to recover overdue funds or defaulted accounts. Often, a creditor will hire a collection agency after making several unsuccessful attempts to collect their debts. A lender may outsource the collection activity to a third party (the debt collection agency), or it may have an in-house department or collection subsidiary that would do the work. (c) Non-abusive collection methods available Means other than misrepresentation or other abusive collection practices are available for the effective collection of debts. (8) Use of a language or symbol other than the address of the collection agency on an envelope when communicating with a consumer by mail or telegram, except that a collection agency may use the collection agency`s corporate name if the debt collection agency does not indicate that it is engaged in collection activities.