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You cannot be arrested or go to jail if you don’t pay your credit cards

Many clients ask me if they can get arrested or go to jail if they stop paying their credit cards. The simple answer is NO. It is not a crime to stop paying your credit cards. When you don’t pay your credit cards, debt collectors can call you on the phone and they can also file a civil lawsuit against you. However, a civil lawsuit from a credit card company results in a civil judgment for money. You cannot be arrested or charged with any crime as a result of a civil judgment. Unfortunately, debt collectors use scare tactics to get people to pay, even when they can barely afford food or rent. If a debt collector threatens to have you arrested for not paying your credit cards, that is a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and you may pursue damages against that debt collector. Remember, if a credit card debt collector tells you that you will be arrested if you don’t pay them, get their company name, their name and telephone number. Then hang up the phone. Never give a debt collector permission to take money from your checking account.

If you are being harassed or even sued by creditors, Attorney Pletter can stop that harassment and stop the lawsuits. Don’t let debt collectors bully you into spending your rent money on old credit card debt! Call Attorney Pletter for a free consultation in Stratford, CT at 203-502-7436