Legal Expert, Paralegal
Dena Standley, BA

Dena Standley is a seasoned paralegal with more than 20 years of experience in legal research and writing, having received a certification as a Legal Assistant/Paralegal from Southern Technical College.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: SoloSuit can help you defend yourself from Freedom Plus and their aggressive debt collection tactics.

Feeling like you work at a call center because your phone is ringing off the hook with calls from debt collectors really sucks.

If you genuinely owe them money, you're already stressed just trying to get your finances in order so that you can pay up in good time. If you don't recognize the debt, it gets even more frustrating. Sometimes, alleged debt collectors ask you to pay more than you owe or money you don't owe at all.

Unfortunately, these scenarios are becoming more and more common.. Many American consumers have to deal with persistent debt collectors contacting them to the point of harassment. If you're a victim of this, you know how much you'd appreciate some peace of mind.

Is Freedom Plus trying to take over your life? There's good news: they can't. Thanks to federal legislation called the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), It's illegal for Freedom Plus to:

Harrass you
Threaten you
Overcharge you
Make changes to contracts after you sign them

However, even with this knowledge, you may still struggle to free yourself from the shackles of Freedom Plus. Here are a few things you can do to fight back.

Know your rights

As already mentioned, Freedom Plus doesn't have absolute power over you simply because you owe them money. For example, they can't threaten you with arrests or call you as often as they want. They also can't ask you to pay more than you owe

Armed with this knowledge, you're able to take the following steps in protecting yourself from fraudulent or overly insistent debt collectors.

Protect your information

Not everyone who calls you about debt is a genuine debt collector. Some of these are fraudsters.

You need to ask for more information from any caller who claims to collect a debt. If the caller isn't willing to cooperate, hang up. Ask them for their:

Full names
Physical Address
Company's professional licensing number
Active phone number

Remember that just because someone is armed with a phone and some information about you doesn't mean they are legitimate.

Ask them to stop contacting you

Anyone who has experienced the persistent harassment of a debt collector knows how relieving it would be if the endless phone calls would stop. Most people don't realize that they have rights and can stop creditors from constantly contacting them.

It's simple—send a letter asking them to stop contacting you. To avoid any back and forth with the company, you'll need proof that they received your letter. Make sure to use certified mail and pay for a “return receipt” so you have evidence of sending the letter.

After receiving your letter, Freedom Plus can only call you to let you know that they either plan to take further legal action or that they will not be contacting you further. They cannot continue to contact you for debt collection purposes if you've explicitly requested them to stop.

Here's Freedom Plus' contact information:

Main Office: 1875 S Grant Street, Ste 400, San Mateo, California 94402

Branch Address: 2114 E Freedom Way, Tempe, AZ 85281

Mailing: PO Box 2340, Phoenix, AZ 85002-2340

You can also prevent further contact by directing Freedom Plus to your attorney instead. Under the FDCPA, debt collectors cannot directly communicate with debtors who are represented by an attorney. They must go through the attorney.

Send a Debt Validation Letter

Requesting a debt validation is one of the best ways to get Freedom Plus off your back. You can do this by sending a Debt Validation Letter requesting that they specify exactly how much you owe and information about the original creditor. You should also request a statement of notice declaring that you can dispute the debt within 30 days.

Debt validation is extremely beneficial because it:

Gives you time to dispute the debt
Potentially helps save thousands of dollars by confirming how much you owe
Confirms that the debt actually exists
Helps you know your creditor

Consumers often have no idea how to draft a Debt Validation Letter or what to include. Luckily, SoloSuit can help. Create your Debt Validation Letter here.

Dispute the debt

You shouldn't be bullied into paying money you don't owe. Whether that's a non-existent debt or excessive charges, you are legally allowed to dispute all unfair debts.

If you decide to dispute the debt's validity, start by contacting the credit bureaus. Contact SoloSuit for further support and information in disputing a debt.

All you'll have to do is answer a few questions about the said debt, and SoloSuit can generate the forms you need to start the dispute process.

Report fraud

Sometimes employees from debt collection companies use fraudulent means to make you pay more than you owe. Other times, it's strangers seeking to steal money or commit identity theft.

If you suspect that to be the case, report it immediately to the Consumer Financial Protection Board (CFPB), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). You have numerous options at your disposal. For instance, Freedom Plus has a BBB profile, which means you can report any misconduct to BBB.

Contact an attorney

You don't have to deal with the stress of debt collectors on your own. Talk to your lawyer or find one if you haven't already.

An attorney is better placed to advise you on what action to take to beat Freedom Plus. It's also easier for them to deal with calls from debt collectors, leaving you your precious peace of mind.

That being said, hiring an attorney may not be the best option for everyone.

Get help from SoloSuit

Finding an attorney can be difficult and expensive, but Solosuit is helping thousands save themselves from debt collectors by closing the justice gap. Save yourself the struggle and money of hiring an attorney and represent yourself with the help of SoloSuit!

Here's how it works: SoloSuit is a free service that allows you to generate an automatic Answer to a debt lawsuit. You can pay a small fee for SoloSuit to file your Answer for you, and you can even get an attorney to review the Answer before filing.

Fight back

Genuine debts eventually need to be paid. Still, even these don't give anyone permission to harass or bully you. You have so many avenues to protect and defend yourself.

So, always ask for more information from debt collectors, request Debt Validation, dispute the debt if you have reason to do so, and never fail to report fraudsters. Informed consumers who know their rights are a headache for debt collectors, so take a stand to protect your rights.

What is SoloSuit?

SoloSuit makes it easy to respond to a debt collection lawsuit.

How it works: SoloSuit is a step-by-step web-app that asks you all the necessary questions to complete your answer. Upon completion, you can either print the completed forms and mail in the hard copies to the courts or you can pay SoloSuit to file it for you and to have an attorney review the document.

Respond with SoloSuit

"First time getting sued by a debt collector and I was searching all over YouTube and ran across SoloSuit, so I decided to buy their services with their attorney reviewed documentation which cost extra but it was well worth it! SoloSuit sent the documentation to the parties and to the court which saved me time from having to go to court and in a few weeks the case got dismissed!" – James

Get Started

>>Read the FastCompany article: Debt Lawsuits Are Complicated: This Website Makes Them Simpler To Navigate

>>Read the NPR story on SoloSuit: A Student Solution To Give Utah Debtors A Fighting Chance

What if Freedom Plus sues me?

If Freedom Plus files a lawsuit against you in court, the first step is to respond. Filing an Answer with the court and sending it to the opposing attorney will help you avoid losing by default and having your wages garnished or property seized.

SoloSuit can help you file an Answer in all 50 states.