Under the CFPB’s Debt Collection Rule, debt collectors who adopt and follow certain procedures can obtain a bona fide error defense from civil liability for unintentional violations of the prohibition against third-party communications when communicating by email or text message.  For text message communications, one element of those procedures includes using a “complete and accurate database” to confirm that the consumer’s telephone number has not been re-assigned to another user. 

The Rule’s commentary identifies the FCC’s Reassigned Numbers Database as a “complete and accurate database.”  The FCC has now published that database. 

You can access the Reassigned Numbers Database here: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDAsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTExMTguNDkwMzc3MjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnJlYXNzaWduZWQudXMvIn0.JXVLZQ5syPOBDjq6sAKWietoVx31SfT4-tmC7w91q9w/s/462285624/br/121231213758-l&source=gmail&ust=1637679623749000&usg=AOvVaw0RfvVI2Pbc2JrrAjzHpQrg">www.reassigned.us/. 

More information about the Reassigned Numbers Database is available here: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTExMTguNDkwMzc3MjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vd3d3LmZjYy5nb3YvcmVhc3NpZ25lZC1udW1iZXJzLWRhdGFiYXNlIn0.fyVrMBss7P8am6iXsOet59r9xi0FRJ5CRn4eE9VMc4E/s/462285624/br/121231213758-l&source=gmail&ust=1637679623749000&usg=AOvVaw3Ejn3uKVoyNVvOq1xgY16a">www.fcc.gov/reassigned-numbers-database.