I need some advice as to how to handle a situation that has presented itself again after 10 years. When I was in the service I had a citibank visa card. In 1990, I was deployed to the persian Gulf for Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield. I spent 6 months in Country and when I returned home my credit was severally damaged due to the fact that I had not received any nor was I able to remit payment on the credit card. I left the service shortly there after and I took a low paying job in order to make ends meet. As I felt obligated to settle the debt I had incurred, I contacted a Credit Counseling Service. i was told that with my present Debt and current income, there was no way for them to assist me as I did not earn enough to pay rent and utilities and their fee as well. I did not have the money to file Bankruptcy so my only alternitave was to allow the debt to be written off and suffer the consequences to my credit rating. For the most part I have repaired my credit, however the Citibank bill seems to rear it's ugly head every once in a while. My account has been transferred in a portfolio on two occassions. The first was to Capitol One. They contacted me once but never again. Now it has found it's way into some other collection agencies hands. What are my legal obligations to this "third party" who has begun a process of harrassing and threatening calls. I have read the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act but it indicates that the the document does not apply to any party who obtained the debt in a commercial credit transaction. (Sec 803, Paragraph 6F, item iv)