# Compliance & Your Rights

You have rights when a collector contacts you. So do the businesses we work with — but their rights are not the focus of this section. This section is for you, the debtor.

> All pages in this section are reviewed by an attorney. Information here is general and is **not legal advice**. For advice on your specific situation, talk to a lawyer. Each page is dated at the bottom showing the most recent legal review.

## What's covered

* [Debtor rights overview](/for-debtors/compliance-and-rights/debtor-rights-overview.md) — your rights in plain language.
* [Recording consent by state](/for-debtors/compliance-and-rights/recording-consent-by-state.md) — when we record calls and what we tell you about it.
* [AI disclosure](/for-debtors/compliance-and-rights/ai-disclosure.md) — when we tell you you're talking to AI and which states require it.
* [Data and privacy](/for-debtors/compliance-and-rights/data-and-privacy.md) — what we know about you and how it's used.
* [Frequency of contact](/for-debtors/compliance-and-rights/frequency-of-contact.md) — how often we'll reach out and when we'll stop.
* [How to stop contact](/for-debtors/compliance-and-rights/how-to-stop-contact.md) — what to say or do, and what it means.

## The short version

* We are a third-party collection agency. We collect on behalf of businesses, not for ourselves.
* We follow federal law (FDCPA where it applies) and state laws (including state mini-FDCPAs).
* We record calls, and the recording disclosure runs in every call our voice agent makes (the prompt at `config/prompts/recording_consent_v1.txt`). In all-party-consent states or mini-TCPA states, the disclosure asks for explicit consent; elsewhere it's a notice-only statement.
* We disclose that the caller is AI on every call our voice agent makes. The opening line includes "this is \[agent name], an AI assistant calling on behalf of \[creditor name]." If asked "are you a real person?", the agent must say no. The state-by-state legal layer adds extra requirements on top in CA, TX, and CO.
* You can ask us to stop contacting you. The system honors `unsubscribe` (email-only) and `cease_all_contact` (all-channel) requests received on a call, in an email reply, or in the portal.
* You can dispute the debt. The placement moves to `disputed` and outreach pauses.
* We don't harass, threaten, or lie. Period.

## What sets us apart

* **Built-in compliance.** Every call requires a fresh compliance decision (re-evaluated every 24 hours per `compliance_decision_ttl_hours`). The engine refuses outreach when the creditor isn't verified, when a state's rules are not satisfied, or when the placement is sandboxed.
* **Append-only audit trail.** Every interaction writes to an audit log that is never updated or deleted.
* **Self-serve resolution.** You can pay or dispute in the portal. A self-serve communication-preferences UI for cease/desist is planned but not yet available — for now, tell our agent on a call, reply to an email, or contact support to stop contact.

## If you think your rights were violated

Tell us first. We investigate every complaint. To file a complaint with us:

* [Contact support](/troubleshooting/contact-support.md).
* Email: `compliance@moderncollections.io`.
* Mail: ai-collect Compliance, \[address].

You can also contact regulators directly:

* **Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)** — `consumerfinance.gov/complaint/`.
* **Federal Trade Commission (FTC)** — `reportfraud.ftc.gov`.
* **Your state attorney general** — search for "\[state] consumer protection".

***

Last reviewed: 2026-05-12 by Compliance Lead. **TODO: external counsel review.**


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