<P> Some consumer groups argue that the FDCPA does not go far enough, and does not provide sufficient deterrence against unscrupulous collection agencies . Consumer groups have complained that the maximum statutory damages contained in the original 1977 version of the law has not kept up with inflation; $1,000 in 1977 dollars is worth $3952 today . </P> <P> Conversely, many in the credit industry and some courts have taken the stance that the FDCPA has often been used to file frivolous lawsuits and seek damages for minor technical violations and has, at times, seriously impeded their ability to collect valid debts . Given the strict liability nature of the FDCPA, the collections industry and the insurance companies who provide liability coverage for them have repeatedly lobbied Congress to relax provisions of the law to reduce their civil exposure for these "hyper - technical" violations . </P> <P> The accounts receivable management industry has also raised concerns that the FDCPA contains contradictions that often lead to liability on the part of collection agencies in civil cases, especially when dealing with technology that did not exist when the law was written . For example, the FDCPA requires a collection agency to identify itself as such in any communication with a consumer . At the same time, a collection agency cannot disclose the debt of a consumer to anyone else . These two requirements are at odds when a collector leaves a message on an answering machine or voicemail system . If the collector identifies himself and his company, a third party could hear the message, thus resulting in a third party disclosure violation . Case law has tackled this issue but has not yet resolved it . </P> <P> For its part, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) produces an annual report to Congress of its findings with respect to its FDCPA enforcement activities . This report details consumer complaints to the FTC about alleged debt collector violations of the FDCPA . The 2013 report indicated that the FTC received 125,136 consumer complaints about third party debt collectors in 2012, which is an decrease from the 144,451 received in 2011 . The FTC receives more complaints about debt collectors than about any other specific industry, though the number of complaints represents a small percentage of the overall number of contacts by debt collectors with consumers . </P>

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