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Steven Katz with a framed copy of a $1,000 check he said was his first damage award for fighting a bogus collection effort.

Mr. Katz, a 58-year-old accountant in suburban Tucson, spends his free time schooling debtors on the finer points of consumer protection law to help them turn the tables on debt collectors. On occasion, he thumbs his own nose at them too.

“How many times can I sue you? Let me count the ways,” he wrote under his pseudonym, Dr. Tax, in a March posting ...
Link to the complete NYT article

Steve Katz, author of a book on fighting bill collectors, says, "The idea that consumers have a moral obligationto pay their creditors is a myth created by lenders." Katz, [is] a former New York debt collector turned consumer advocate... In 2005, Katz founded a message board called "Debtorboards," with the slogan "Sue your creditor and win!"

"Katz doesn't believe that people are morally obligated to pay back their debts. That notion was invented by debt collectors as a way to beat people into submission, he says. "Bill collectors would love for you to send them a check and then explain to your kids because you have the moral obligation to pay your debt they're not eating this week," he says. "But they don't see the moral obligation to feed your children or yourself.

"People are brainwashed to think that paying a credit card is more important than paying for the necessities of life," Katz says. "If you're in a position where you have to make a choice, my argument is food, clothing and shelter come first... Nobody ever went to hell for not paying a debt."

"Fight back" is the take-away message ... if a debt collector is only bothering you, you could send them a letter or sue them. However, if you're so far in debt that you see no way out but bankruptcy, then you can check out ... 'frustrating the skip tracer' technique. There, you'll find tips on how to run and hide from a collector.
See the complete Dallas Observer feature:

Steve Katz
on the Bill Handel Show

Bill Handel inteviews Steve Katz:

KFI, Los Angeles and syndicated. 1/26/10, 12:30 PM

Full hour with Katz on the Bill Handel Show Feb. 3, 2010

The Bill Handel Show, KFI
Podcast

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Samantha Sais for The New York Times

Samantha Sais for The New York Times