6 illegal (but common) debt collection tactics to watch for.

[ 24/06/2025 16:37 ] Read on cbsnews.com

Report Overview: The article provides a detailed overview of illegal debt collection tactics and offers advice on how to handle them. It largely avoids manipulative techniques, focusing on factual information and legal guidelines. However, there are instances of sensationalism and appeal to emotion, which slightly reduce the objectivity score.

Sides Objectivity Scores

Debt Collectors (80)

Consumers (90)

Sides Representation Balance

Favored Side

Consumers

Caution! Due to inherent human biases, it may seem that reports on articles aligning with our views are crafted by opponents. Conversely, reports about articles that contradict our beliefs might seem to be authored by allies. However, such perceptions are likely to be incorrect. These impressions can be caused by the fact that in both scenarios, articles are subjected to critical evaluation. This report is the product of an AI model that is significantly less biased than human analyses and has been explicitly instructed to strictly maintain 100% neutrality.

Nevertheless, HonestyMeter is in the experimental stage and is continuously improving through user feedback. If the report seems inaccurate, we encourage you to submit feedback , helping us enhance the accuracy and reliability of HonestyMeter and contributing to media transparency.

Detected Manipulations & Suggested Changes

Sensationalism

Exaggerating or sensationalizing information to provoke strong emotional responses.

The article states, 'The problem has gotten so bad, in fact, that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) receives more complaints about debt collection than almost any other financial issue.' This statement could be seen as sensationalizing the issue without providing specific data.

Provide specific data or statistics to support the claim about the volume of complaints received by the CFPB.

Use more measured language to describe the prevalence of the issue.

Appeal to Emotion

Using emotional language to persuade the audience.

Phrases like 'harassment, threats and violations' and 'many rely on fear, confusion or ignorance' are designed to evoke strong emotional reactions.

Use neutral language to describe the actions of debt collectors.

Focus on factual descriptions of illegal practices without emotional language.

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- This is an EXPERIMENTAL DEMO version that is not intended to be used for any other purpose than to showcase the technology's potential. We are in the process of developing more sophisticated algorithms to significantly enhance the reliability and consistency of evaluations. Nevertheless, even in its current state, HonestyMeter frequently offers valuable insights that are challenging for humans to detect.