When enacting the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) statute, the U.S. Congress made a number of observations regarding abusive, deceptive, and unfair debt collection practices that it sought to address in this federal law:

• There is abundant evidence of the use of abusive, deceptive, and unfair debt collection practices by many debt collectors. Abusive debt collection practices contribute to the number of personal bankruptcies, to marital instability, to the loss of jobs, and to invasions of individual privacy.

• Existing laws and procedures for redressing these injuries are inadequate to protect consumers.

• Means other than misrepresentation or other abusive debt collection practices are available for the effective collection of debts.

• Abusive debt collection practices are carried on to a substantial extent in interstate commerce and through means and instrumentalities of such commerce. Even where abusive debt collection practices are purely intrastate in character, they nevertheless directly affect interstate commerce.

• It is the purpose of the FDCPA to eliminate abusive debt collection practices by debt collectors, to ensure that those debt collectors who refrain from using abusive debt collection practices are not competitively disadvantaged, and to promote consistent state action to protect consumers against debt collection abuses.

In addition to the FDCPA—which applies in all 50 states—many states have consumer protection laws that prohibit and penalize abusive, deceptive, and unfair debt collection practices. These laws are usually located in a state’s statutes.

In Missouri, as in all states, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is a federal law that aims to eliminate abusive, deceptive, and unfair debt collection practices. The FDCPA provides a set of guidelines that debt collectors must follow when collecting debts, such as prohibiting harassment, false statements, and unfair practices. It also provides consumers with rights to dispute and obtain validation of debt information, and to control the communications they receive from debt collectors. Missouri also has its own consumer protection laws that complement the FDCPA. These laws are designed to further protect consumers from abusive debt collection practices and may offer additional state-specific remedies. Together, the FDCPA and Missouri's consumer protection laws work to ensure that debt collection is conducted fairly, without abuse or deception, and with respect for consumers' rights and privacy.