§443B-15  Threats or coercion.  No collection agency shall collect or attempt to collect any money or other forms of indebtedness alleged to be due and owing by means of any threat, coercion, or attempt to coerce, including any conduct which is described as follows:

     (1)  The use, or express or implicit threat of use, of violence or other criminal means to cause harm to the person, reputation, or property of any person;

     (2)  The accusation or threat to falsely accuse any person of fraud or any crime or any conduct which, if true, would tend to disgrace the other person or in any way subject a person to ridicule or any conduct which, if true, would tend to disgrace the other person or in any way subject a person to the ridicule or contempt of society;

     (3)  False accusations made to another person, including any credit reporting agency that a debtor or an alleged debtor has not paid a just debt, or threat to so make false accusations;

     (4)  The threat to sell or assign to another the obligation of a debtor or an alleged debtor with an attending representation or implication that the result of the sale or assignment would be that the debtor or alleged debtor would lose any defense to the claim or would be subjected to harsh, vindictive, or abusive collection attempts; and

     (5)  The threat that nonpayment of an alleged claim will result in the arrest of any person. [L 1987, c 191, pt of §1; am L 1990, c 246, §11]