§ 46B-4-4 — Threats or coercion

West Virginia § 46B-4-4

• Jurisdiction: West Virginia
• Ch. 46B: REGULATION OF THE RENTAL OF CONSUMER GOODS UNDER RENT-TO-OWN AGREEMENTS
• Art. 4: PROHIBITED CONDUCT

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No debt collector shall collect or attempt to collect any money alleged to be due and owing by means of any threat, coercion or attempt to coerce. Without limiting the general application of the foregoing, the following conduct is deemed to violate this section:

(1) The use, or express or implicit threat of use, of violence or other criminal means to cause harm to the person, reputation or property of any person;

(2) The accusation or threat to accuse any person of fraud, any crime or any conduct which, if true, would tend to disgrace such other person or in any way subject him to ridicule or any conduct which, if true, would tend to disgrace such other person or in any way subject him to ridicule or contempt of society;

(3) False accusations made to another person, including any credit reporting agency, that a consumer is willfully refusing to pay a just debt or the threat to so make false accusations;

(4) The threat to sell or assign to another the obligation of the consumer with an attending representation or implication that the result of such sale or assignment would be that the consumer would lose any defense to the claim or would be subjected to harsh, vindictive or abusive collection attempts;

(5) The threat that nonpayment of an alleged claim will result in the:

(A) Arrest of any person; or

(B) Garnishment of any wages of any person or the taking of other action requiring judicial sanction, without informing the consumer that there must be in effect a judicial order permitting such garnishment or such other action before it can be taken; and

(6) The threat to take any action prohibited by this chapter or other law regulating the debt collector's conduct.

Legislative History

1993 Reg. Sess., SB108