Coerced debt occurs when an abuser either fraudulently opens accounts—like credit cards or loans—in the victim’s name or coerces the victim into taking on debt they would not have otherwise obtained. This can be done by using threats, manipulation, or even physical force. As part of comments submitted to the CFPB in support of expanding the definitions of “identity theft” and “identity theft report” in the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to cover debt that is coerced, NCLC and others in the Coerced Debt Working Group conducted a nationwide survey of direct service providers regarding the barriers faced by victims of coerced debt when trying to address coerced debt on their credit reports. This report provides a summary of the survey results and highlights the greatest barriers victims of coerced debt face is getting relief.
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