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McKenzie's conclusion is that "paying consumer debts is basically optional in the United States." If you stand on your rights (which requires that you know your rights), then you will quickly discover that debt collectors don't have - and can't get - the documentation needed to collect on whatever debts they think you owe (even if you really owe them).

Cory Doctorow 2y ago

The credit card companies are fully aware of this, and bank (literally) on the fact that "the vast majority of consumers, including those with the socioeconomic wherewithal to walk away from their debts, feel themselves morally bound and pay as agreed."

If you find yourself on the business end of a debt collector's harassment campaign, you can generally make it end simply by "carefully sending a series of letters invoking [your] rights under the FDCPA."

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Cory Doctorow 2y ago

The debt collector who receives these letters will have bought your debt at five cents on the dollar, and will simply write it off.

By contrast, the *mere act of paying anything* marks you out as substantially more likely to pay than nearly everyone else on their hit-list. Paying *anything* doesn't trigger forbearance, it invites a *flood* of harassing calls and letters, because you've demonstrated that you can be coerced into paying.