Debt Collector

According to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, a "debt collector" means any person who uses any instrumentality of interstate commerce or the mails in any business the principal purpose of which is the collection of any debts, or who regularly collects or attempts to collect, directly or indirectly, debts owed or due or asserted to be owed or due another.

The term includes any creditor who, in the process of collecting his own debts, uses any name other than his own which would indicate that a third person is collecting or attempting to collect such debts. The term also includes any person who uses any instrumentality of interstate commerce or the mails in any business the principal purpose of which is the enforcement of security interests.

The term "debt collector" does not include the company or person who would be defined as the creditor. In other words, if you owe money to a credid card company, they are not considered a debt collector, but they may hire a separate company to perform the duty of collecting outstanding payments owed.

For more exclusions, read the entire FDCPA