Has a debt collector made debt collector threats about your job, your licence, or even your passport? They’re lying. A debt collector has zero authority over any of these things — and the Federal Court has ruled that making such threats is unlawful intimidation.

What the ACCC/ASIC Guidelines Actually Say

Under the ACCC/ASIC Debt Collection Guideline, a debt collector cannot state or imply that non-payment will have consequences relating to your employment or ability to earn an income. They cannot threaten your job. They also cannot threaten consequences they have no legal power to deliver.

This means a debt collector cannot revoke your licence. They cannot cancel your passport. They cannot get you fired. They have no authority over these things whatsoever. Threatening them isn’t just bluffing — it’s been found by the Federal Court to be unlawful.

The Federal Court Case That Proved It

In ASIC v Accounts Control Management Services, a collector threatened to issue a warrant for a debtor’s arrest, threatened to have his taxi licence revoked, and threatened to stop him travelling overseas — implying his passport was at risk. The Federal Court found these threats were “calculated to intimidate” and amounted to undue harassment.

They tried to make this man believe he’d lose his livelihood, lose his freedom, and lose his ability to leave the country. Over a debt. The OAIC and ASIC both enforce strict rules about how collectors can contact you — and threatening consequences they can’t deliver is a clear breach.

If someone threatens your job, your licence, or your passport over a debt — they are lying. You don’t have to tolerate it. A law firm with 16 years of experience fighting unlawful debt collection knows exactly how to hold them accountable.