Debt Collection Calls Surge 150%

DAVENPORT, Fla. – Debt collection calls are reaching new highs across the U.S. in 2025, with a significant number of those calls flagged as abusive or threatening.

“We’re going to arrest you. We’re going to kill you. We’re going to burn down your house if you don’t pay.”

Those are some examples of actual debt collection calls from clients of Tampa attorney Billy Howard, founder of The Consumer Protection Firm. “But most of the time when somebody says something like that to you, it’s a scam.” Howard explained.

In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Americans reported over 112,000 debt collection calls to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), that’s a surge of more than 150% year-over-year, rising from about 45,000 in the first quarter of 2024. Florida received the third largest amount of those calls, according to NumberBarn analysis of the FTC data.

Of the reports filed this year, nearly 47% were flagged as abusive, threatening, or harassing, which is a fourfold increase from 2024.

Harassing calls from debt collectors (real or imposters) violates the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act (FCCPA). Those two laws make it illegal for debt collectors to harass Floridians.

“If you think you’re being harassed, then you probably are,” said Howard. “If they’re not nice to you, then there’s an argument that they’re harassing you.”

Howard’s law firm has helped clients recover more than $67 million from bad debt collectors and robocallers over the years.

“Debt collectors know if they harass somebody in Florida, then there’s a chance that they could get sued,” Howard said.

On the flip side, the majority of reported debt collection calls are from companies trying to recover a legitimate debt.

The average personal debt in the U.S. is now $61,660, which is a $970 year-over-year increase. For Floridians the average is slightly lower, coming in at $59,800 per person. (Those numbers reflect the average debt per person with a credit report.)

The large per person average debt balance combined with the surge in debt collection calls could reflect a deeper financial strain affecting many Americans.

“When I see these types of increases, it points to financial distress at the consumer level,” said Emanuel Rivero, vice president of operations at Money Management International (MMI), a nonprofit that helps people pay down debt.

“The average consumer is struggling,” Rivero said. “We’re having to put groceries on a credit card. We’re having to put gas a lot of times on a credit card.”

MMI reports a significant uptick in the number of Floridians reaching out for help with mounting debt.

“You can’t sleep; you can’t eat. You start to get all stressed,” said Davenport resident Jamie Schaab, a server at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resort.

Schaab found herself facing roughly $19,000 in credit card debt after paying an unexpected air conditioning replacement with credit cards. The debt spiral soon led to debt collection calls.

“You know, people calling you almost harassing you for payments due.” Schaab said. “You just feel like you’re sinking and you can’t get on top of it,” she added.

Through MMI, Schaab was able to consolidate her payments and reduce her interest rates.

“It’s a weight lifted off your shoulders, you know,” she said. “At the end of it, it really is.”

MMI also provides tips on knowing your rights when dealing with collection agencies, for example asking for written verification of the debt. Under federal law, you have the right to get a verification of the debt if you send the letter within 30 days of receiving the first notice from the debt collector.

See more tips here.