--- title: Debt Collection Calls Are Skyrocketing in These States and Cities description: Unknown calls on the rise? Debt collector complaints hit record highs in 2025. Learn what’s driving the surge — and your rights. authors: - name: Liliana Hall role: Reporter url: https://money.com/author/liliana-hall/ bio: Liliana Hall joined Money in 2025. She is an Austin-based reporter for Money, where she covers a range of topics, including financial news, policy, banking, investing, passive income, financial planning and student loan debt. education: University of Texas at Austin at_money_since: 2025 articles: 134 covers: - Credit - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://x.com/lilihallllllll - https://www.linkedin.com/in/liliana-hall/ editors: - name: Katherine Peach role: Associate Editor url: https://money.com/author/katherine-peach/ bio: Katherine Peach is an associate editor with a focus on news and email at Money. She didn’t always intend to write about money. She’s a classically trained pianist who dreamed of becoming an archaeologist. However, in 2007 Katherine began working in financial publishing as an editor for Agora Inc. (Apparently, unearthing ideas about improving your personal finances isn’t such a bad career alternative!) Katherine’s writing and editing work has been featured in Investing Daily, Clever, Investor Junkie, The Palm Beach Letter, Truth & Plenty, Independence Monthly, NICHE, AmericanStyle, AntiqueWeek, Millennial Money, Money Done Right, TheStreet, Sure Dividend and many others. Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient Studies with concentrations in Archaeology and Ancient Languages and a minor in Literature from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. education: University of Maryland, Baltimore County at_money_since: 2025 articles: 14 covers: - Credit - Banking - Career Advice - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Federal Reserve Rate Cuts - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes published: '2025-06-13T19:44:41.000Z' modified: '2025-12-10T18:36:18.000Z' section: Credit tags: - News word_count: 588 canonical: https://money.com/debt-collector-call-complaints-surge/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![A man looks concerned as he is being called on the phone by debt collectors!](https://img.money.com/2025/06/News-Debt-Collection-Calls-Surging-These-States.jpg?crop=0px%2C118px%2C2880px%2C1620px&quality=85) Are you getting more unknown calls than usual? It might be a [debt collector](https://money.com/debt-collector-directory/). In the first quarter of 2025, Americans filed more than 112,000 complaints with the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC. That's a 150% increase from the same time last year, according to an [analysis](https://www.numberbarn.com/blog/debt-collection-calls-are-surging-in-2025-these-states-and-cities-report-the-most/) from NumberBarn based on FTC data. At the state level, Georgia led the nation with the most complaints per capita — about 80 complaints per 100,000 residents — followed by Texas, Florida and Delaware. Among major metro areas (adjusted for population), Atlanta tops the list with nearly 6,500 complaints per 100,000 residents, followed by Dallas and Miami. However, when looking at total complaint volume, Dallas comes out on top, with more than 7,000 complaints filed so far this year. ## Regain financial stability with the help of Freedom Debt Relief ### Freedom can start you on the path to resolve your debt, especially if you owe over $20,000. Why wait? Select your state to get started today! [Get Started](https://money.com/pr/l67257dab4e3?ap_referrer=%2Fdebt-collector-call-complaints-surge%2F) The largest share of complaints came from Americans aged 30 to 39 — a group that holds [more than half of the nation's student loan debt](https://educationdata.org/student-loan-debt-by-age-group), which can expose them to legitimate collection efforts and fraudulent schemes. Debt collection complaints have steadily risen since the start of the decade, averaging between 35,000 and 45,000 complaints per quarter. But this year’s spike is significant because reports more than doubled year over year, from 44,999 reports in the first quarter of 2024 to 112,583 in the first quarter of 2025. It’s not entirely clear what’s driving the spike, but one expert points to a combination of two factors: traditional collectors ramping up efforts to recover funds in a shaky economy, and scammers exploiting the same environment to impersonate collectors. "When it comes to debt collection, we’re seeing a perfect storm right now," Michael Boggiano, managing partner at Wealthcare Financial, wrote in an email to Money. "The surge in complaints against collectors reflects both a rise in legitimate frustration and a rise in fraud.” The uptick in complaints mirrors a growing debt burden on U.S. households. Total Household debt hit a [record high](https://www.newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/hhdc) of $18.20 trillion this year and [delinquencies](https://www.newyorkfed.org/newsevents/news/research/2025/20250213) have been rising — trends that often coincide with increased collection activity, Boggiano added. ## What debt collectors can legally do Nearly half of the complaints (47%) described the calls as “abusive, threatening or harassing” — roughly four times the volume seen in early 2024. The spike could reflect a rise in scam activity or suggest that some collectors are violating the [Fair Debt Collection Practices Act](https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/fair-debt-collection-practices-act-text), or FDCPA. Under the FDCPA, debt collectors are legally required to follow strict guidelines when contacting consumers. The law, enforced by the FTC and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, prohibits abusive, deceptive and unfair collection practices. For example, [debt collectors are not allowed to](https://money.com/things-debt-collectors-legally-cannot-do/): - Use threats or profanity - Call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. - Publicly disclose the amount you owe - Impersonate government agencies or law enforcement - Attempt to collect debts you don’t actually owe Keep in mind that debt collectors are required to identify themselves, and if asked, they must also disclose their employer. If you’re contacted by someone claiming to be a debt collector, ask for their full name, company name, business address and license number. Legitimate collectors should provide this information without hesitation. If something feels off, you can report it to the FTC, CFPB or your state’s attorney general office. You also have the right to submit a written request asking the debt collector to stop contacting you. Once received, they are legally required to comply. ## Debt holding you back? ### If you owe over $20,000, learn how Freedom Debt Relief can help you reduce or eliminate it. Act now! [Visit Site](https://money.com/pr/nd3b95dcb6af?ap_referrer=%2Fdebt-collector-call-complaints-surge%2F) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/25289/medium_2e7b27ce-b30d-40a3-beef-0139ecba6b47.png) If you owe over $20,000 or more, Freedom Debt Relief can help you get back on your feet! [Get Started](https://money.com/pr/u5c2defb44d4?ap_referrer=%2Fdebt-collector-call-complaints-surge%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/debt-collector-call-complaints-surge/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Credit", "item": "https://money.com/credit/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Collections", "item": "https://money.com/collections/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Debt Collection Calls Are Skyrocketing in These States and Cities" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/debt-collector-call-complaints-surge/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/debt-collector-call-complaints-surge/", "name": "Debt Collection Calls Are Skyrocketing in These States and Cities", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2025-06-13T19:44:41.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/debt-collector-call-complaints-surge/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/debt-collector-call-complaints-surge/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2025-12-10T18:36:18.000Z" }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "Debt Collection Calls Are Skyrocketing in These States and Cities", "articleSection": "Credit", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2025/06/News-Debt-Collection-Calls-Surging-These-States.jpg?crop=0px%2C118px%2C2880px%2C1620px&quality=85", "width": 1012, "height": 569, "caption": "News-Debt-Collection-Calls-Surging-These-States" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Liliana Hall", "url": "https://money.com/author/liliana-hall/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/liliana-hall/#author", "description": "Liliana Hall joined Money in 2025. 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