Where to start
Most people land here in one of a few situations. Pick the one closest to yours:
Something feels off about how they're treating you
Learn the specific tactics that are actually illegal — threats, harassment, lying about what you owe — and what law each one breaks.
You want to know your rights, generally
The core federal rights everyone has, regardless of state: validation requests, record-keeping, and how to escalate.
It's a medical bill
Medical debt has its own patterns and its own protections — including one Texas rule almost nobody knows about.
It's a credit card, car loan, utility bill, or student loan
Each debt type has its own common bad-faith patterns and the strongest evidence to gather for each.
You're in Texas
Texas has its own debt collection law, on top of federal protections — including a stronger statute of limitations rule than many states.
You just need a letter to send
Copyable templates for validation requests and cease-communication letters, with notes on what law each one invokes.
What this site is (and isn't)
Everything on this site is backed by an actual statute, regulation, or federal agency source — you can check every one of them yourself on the Sources page. Where I couldn't independently confirm something, I left it out rather than guess. That's a deliberate choice: a wrong citation in a letter to a collector can hurt your position more than no citation at all.
What this site can't do is know your specific situation. It's a map, not a lawyer. If things escalate — a lawsuit, a judgment, wage garnishment — please get a real one.