Consumer complaints filed against debt collection agencies that use threatening tactics and endless phone calls to try to entice people to make payments rose sharply this year. Unfortunately, despite the influx of creditor harassment complaints, the federal government will not likely ramp-up its efforts to bring it to an end.

From the beginning of 2011 to date, the Federal Trade Commission received 164,361 complaints about the debt collection industry. With 140,036 similar complaints filed last year, this was a 17 percent increase.

To some, it might not seem like the FTC is heeding these complaints. Through all of this year, the FTC has taken action in just four cases. The FTC acts on an average of two cases a year according to stats compiled from 2005 to 2010. This number is deceiving, because when the FTC does take action, it generally does so against companies that are the source of thousands of complaints. The FTC usually takes action by suing the agencies in federal court, fining them, or making them return all money obtained illegally.

Officials with the FTC assure that they are making an effort to crack down on collection agencies that are abusing their rights or violating them completely. This was shown in March when Nebraska-based debt collector West Asset Management paid $2.8 million to settle a lawsuit that claimed it threatened to arrest consumers that owed money. Still, some say the FTC could do more with the resources it has. Many point to the fact that the FTC uses so much money creating tools that help collect complaints and information, but then do little to follow through and act on those complaints.

One official said the FTC is looking into the debt collection industry to examine the reliability of the information the agencies introduce in court. Officials around the country have long since complained that debt collectors buy a boatload of old debt - some of it no longer good - and submit cryptic information about the debts in court so they can earn clearance to collect on it.

With overdue nationwide debt shrinking, it is somewhat of a wonder why complaints about debt collection agencies have gone up. Consumer debt that was at least 60 days past due dropped by 19 percent as of November 30, 2011.

Source: Wall Street Journal, "Consumers cry foul over debt collectors," Jessica Silver-Greenberg, Dec. 15, 2011