Publications

The Texas Coalition on Coerced Debt has released this online resource to help survivors of financial abuse address the impacts of identity theft in their lives. This toolkit, at www.FinancialAbuseHelp.org, contains five educational guides: understanding coerced debt, how to protect yourself from future financial abuse, discovering if you have coerced debt, how to dispute different kinds of coerced debt and block it from appearing on a credit report, and what to do if you are sued for a debt that isn't yours. Coerced debt is debt that an abusive partner has taken out in the victim's name without that person's knowledge or debt taken out by the victim but under force or threat of an abusive partner. It often exists where there is domestic violence but can occur outside of an intimate partner relationship, such as in certain caretaker or guardian roles for foster youth or vulnerable seniors.

My Debt Collection Rights is a new toolkit by Texas Appleseed. It helps inform Texans of their rights, help people learn more about debt collection, and help Texans spot scams and other deceptive practices. The toolkit encompasses “guidebooks” covering four areas: tips to determine if a debt collection call is real or a scam, common scare tactics used by debt collectors, what to do if you’re sued by a debt collector, and what it means to be judgment proof. Other key resources include four informational videos, which feature actual experiences of two Texans, and a form Texans can use to respond to a lawsuit. Texas Appleseed has also collaborated with SMU’s Dedman School of Law and Fish & Richardson on a related tool that will be housed on My Debt Collection Rights. If a debt collector has filed a lawsuit in court, then Texans should be sure to "answer" by filing a written Answer with the court before the deadline. The new Answer Writer Tool asks a series of questions that are then used to create a custom Answer for that person, which can then be provided to the court.