Debt Collection: Information About Your Rights

If you think that they have the wrong person or that the debt is incorrect:

Contact the collection agency and explain. They must take reasonable steps to make sure you are the right person to contact about the debt.

If you are not the right person, they can’t keep contacting you.
If you are the right person, but the debt is incorrect, you can take the following steps:
- If you already paid the debt, contact the collection agency and, if applicable, original creditor to correct the error. Provide supporting documentation if available.
- Check your credit report to see if the amount is correct and write to the credit reporting agency and provide the correct information.

A collection agency cannot do any of the following to you, or anyone else:

phone on holidays, Sundays (except between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.), or on any other days between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., unless you request it;
use threatening, profane, intimidating or coercive language;
use undue, excessive or unreasonable pressure; or harass you;
contact you more than three times in seven days on behalf of the same creditor, subject to certain exceptions;
give false or misleading information to any person;
contact you in a way you told them to stop using because it cost you money; or
charge you any fees, other than for non-sufficient funds on cheques.

A collection agency can contact the following people but only in limited circumstances:

A. Your employer

once only to confirm your employment, business title or business address;
if your employer has guaranteed the debt and the contact is about that guarantee;
if it’s about a court order or an automatic salary deduction (wage assignment); or
if you have given the collection agency written permission.

B. Your spouse, family or household member, relative, neighbour, friend or acquaintance:

To learn more please contact the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services at:
ontario.ca/ConsumerProtection | consumer@ontario.ca | 1-800-889-9768 | TTY: 1-877-666-6545