Is robo-calling crossing the line?

Palisades Collection, a subsidiary of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey-based Asta Funding, is in hot water after being the subject of multiple lawsuits for violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Record reports. In one example, the collection service called Connecticut resident Bradley Kimball during late-night hours, with an automated message about debt owed. Kimball had difficulties getting in touch with an actual human being to explain the nature of the debt. "It seemed like a scam to me," Kimball told the news source. "You're harassing me and giving me no outlet?" Robo-calling from collection agencies gets a bad rap - although Bankruptcy Law Network notes that President Barack Obama had called for the legalization of the tactic, as a way to contact debtors via cellphone. To counter the rise in questionable collection practices, watchdog group the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was granted increased power to supervise and regulate debt collection companies, the Record notes.  "I probably would have [paid] if they would have talked to me humanly and explained it," Kimball added, as quoted by the news source. "But at this point, I think they owe me more restitution than I owe them."