Why and how to record phone calls with debt collectors.
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Why You Should Tape Record Collection Calls
1. To keep a record of any agreements or promises made by you or the debt collector. If the collector does not confirm the agreement in writing, you should have a recording to prove the original agreement. Without a recording, the agreement will be difficult, if not impossible, to prove.
2. To protect your legal rights. If a debt collector violates the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act during a call, you need to be able to prove what they said or did to violate the FDCPA.
2
Read This Before Recording Any Collection Calls
* Before you record any calls, refer to the RCFP guide to recording phone calls in all 50 states. You should also verify this information with a competent attorney before you record.
* You can always record phone calls if you get the consent of everyone on the call. It never hurts to ask.
* It is a federal crime to record anyone other people’s conversations without their permission. This is known as wiretapping and the civil and criminal penalties for such conduct are severe. Don’t ever do it.
Whether or not you can tape, use Pete Barry’s collection communications log to help you track your phone calls. Accurate records are critical when dealing with debt collectors. The call log is available in DOC & PDF.
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Get a Recording Device
* The Olympus TP-7 Telephone Recording Device plus a voice recorder is probably the easiest way to record phone calls from any kind of phone.
* Some MP3 players will also record. If you already own one, check to see if you can use it to record from a microphone.
* Digital voice recorders make it easy to record phone calls and transfer those calls to a computer, but they also have limited storage and it can be easier to accidentally delete your recordings.
* If you get a microcassette voice recorder, you will need this inexpensive stereo patch cable to transfer the recordings to your computer.
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Transfer Your Recordings to Your Computer via Digital Voice Recorder
* If you have a digital voice recorder transfer your recordings to a computer so you can email them or post them on the web.
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Transfer Your Recordings to Your Computer via Microcassette Voice Recorder
* If you have a microcassette voice recorder, follow these instructions to digitize your recordings:
1. You may already have sound recording software on your computer. If you do not, or if you do not know, download and install Audacity, a free audio editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
2. Connect the stereo patch cable to the headphone jack on your recorder and the microphone or line-in jack on your computer.
3. Turn the volume on the recorder down low.
4. Record using your sound recorder or follow this tutorial on recording in Audacity.
5. You may have to experiment a little with the volume on both ends to get the best digital recording.
6. Save your digital recordings of the tapes as MP3 files using at least 44.1 kHz, joint stereo quality.
7. Make sure you play back the recordings after you have made them to ensure they are good quality.
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