The phone rings for the 1,000th time and it's a debt collector again. Do you have any rights? What are they?

When a debt collector harasses the wrong person, the law is not written to protect you. That's because it never occurred to the members of the U.S. Congress that bill collectors would be slimy enough to try to intimidate those who don't owe the debt.

However, under the law, if you do have a debt, you also have the right to send what's called a drop dead letter. This letter will prevent the collector from contacting you again about a debt. Collectors can't call at work once you say they can't. Though you can still be sued against the debt you legitimately owe.

I've advised people to get a Google Voice phone number and give that when you apply for service to a company. So you're not creating a situation where a debt collector could potentially get your real cell or home phone number down the road.

Of course, if you owe a debt and have the money, pay the debt! But know that if you pay even so much as one penny against an old debt that's not legally active anymore, the entire debt comes back to life even if it had been outside of the statute of limitation.

Most often, though, people can't afford to pay. In that case, collectors may say horrible things. They may tell your kids you're going to jail if they get them on the phone. Or they may call your neighbors to try to use them to humiliate you into paying.

Remember this: If a collector is harassing you, you can shut down their harassment by certified mail using my drop dead letter. And know that they can't threaten to kill you or physically harm you. Mainly they want to create intimidation and fear.

You have rights. Use them.