Service members are ideal targets for consumer fraud and abusive lending practices.  They have a steady income from the government, often with little to spare, at an average of $1,200 per month for new recruits.  With the need for transportation to meet their family needs they are incredibly vulnerable to auto fraud.  At deployment time, when military families are faced with extra expenses at home and abroad, they are perfect targets for the awful payday lending industry.  Recently laws have been passed that protect military personnel from small loan abuses, but much more needs to be done.  Many people believe that military families deserve better consumer rights than their non-enlisted counterparts.

It's widely believed that military families should get a break from the harassment creditors provide due to the fact that they are off serving their country and cannot always pay the bills they owe.  Others, namely the financial institutions and other organizations believe that the money needs to be paid regardless if a family member has been called to duty.  Though the jury might be out on this topic, military families do have laws that protect them from harassment and many organizations give military families special treatment on their own – without any outside coercion. 

If you think about it, it's only right that the families of the military enlisted should get a reprieve from creditors, banks, businesses and financial institutions while a member is off serving their country.  It can be hard enough for families to adapt to not having that member at home with them and on top of that, they have to worry about how they're going to pay the bills while they're gone.

This is never an easy time for a military family.  Everyone involved goes through a hard time.  Though there is a law protecting Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Air Force and Cost Guard personnel, not all businesses adhere to it.  In fact, many of those enlisted will tell you that they have come home only to find that their house was foreclosed, their car repossessed and their credit rating irreparable.  It's unfortunate that any business or financial institution would do someone like this, but it has happened time and time again. For this reason, military families have to try extra hard and take advantage of every opportunity available to them.

There is a lot of material that details the consumer rights of military families and it pays to educate yourself on the laws.  When a family is being harassed despite the laws that protect them, a lawsuit is very possible.  In most cases, the family will win due to the fact that no institutions should be hounding them when they are enlisted.  There are some attorneys that specialize in this area and many others that would be glad to take on a case that dealt with this matter.

Generally, the public is very supportive of those enlisted and their families and cases like this seem to go in favor of the military family.  The internet is another great source of material for military family members.  It will have countless articles on the rights that you have and the action you can take if your rights were overlooked.  It's important to stand up for yourself and your family if you are being harassed by creditors because the government does not seem to be regulating this problem.

The more you know the better because knowledge is power.  Knowing that your rights are being violated and knowing exactly when and where the line was crossed will give you the upper hand.  Don't become a victim, stand up for yourself and your family and learn more about your rights!