{"data":{"id":"us-md/md.-code-commercial-law-14-202","jurisdiction":"us-md","citation":"Md. Code, Commercial Law § 14–202","heading":"","body":"In collecting or attempting to collect an alleged debt a collector may not:\n(1) Use or threaten force or violence;\n(2) Threaten criminal prosecution, unless the transaction involved the violation of a criminal statute;\n(3) Disclose or threaten to disclose information which affects the debtor’s reputation for credit worthiness with knowledge that the information is false;\n(4) Except as permitted by statute, contact a person’s employer with respect to a delinquent indebtedness before obtaining final judgment against the debtor;\n(5) Except as permitted by statute, disclose or threaten to disclose to a person other than the debtor or his spouse or, if the debtor is a minor, his parent, information which affects the debtor’s reputation, whether or not for credit worthiness, with knowledge that the other person does not have a legitimate business need for the information;\n(6) Communicate with the debtor or a person related to him with the frequency, at the unusual hours, or in any other manner as reasonably can be expected to abuse or harass the debtor;\n(7) Use obscene or grossly abusive language in communicating with the debtor or a person related to him;\n(8) Claim, attempt, or threaten to enforce a right with knowledge that the right does not exist;\n(9) Use a communication which simulates legal or judicial process or gives the appearance of being authorized, issued, or approved by a government, governmental agency, or lawyer when it is not;\n(10) Engage in unlicensed debt collection activity in violation of the Maryland Collection Agency Licensing Act; or\n(11) Engage in any conduct that violates §§ 804 through 812 of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.","path":["Article - Commercial Law"],"source_url":"https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gcl\u0026section=14-202","current_through":"2026-01-01","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T19:56:33Z","sha256":"df70e6dcc9ddb01de8d1110e87c81184a5d3728ff14b0c16e1603ee9d95c31c7","source_id":"us-md","stale":false,"prev":"us-md/md.-code-commercial-law-14-201","next":"us-md/md.-code-commercial-law-14-203"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}