Debt collection calls have increased by over 200% in the past year, with over 194,000 of them being reported as fraudulent or abusive and threatening, according to data from the Federal Trade Commission.
Thomas Nitzsche, a financial educator at Money Management International, said the increase in reports of harassment from debt collectors could be linked to the new administration, which has tried to gut the federal government’s consumer watchdog agency since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025.
“Debt collectors may feel that the current administration is softer on regulations,” he said. “The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been virtually eliminated, so third-party debt collectors might feel…