I also learned the Texas law is actually stricter than the federal one because it covers original creditors too, not just third party collectors. The statute of limitations here is 4 years for most debts, and apparently threatening to sue on a debt older than that can be its own violation.

Here's the breakdown I found that explained all of this pretty clearly: https://protectionforconsumers.com/texas-fair-debt-collection-practices-act-explained/

If a collector has pulled any of this on you, you may be entitled to damages. Has anyone here actually filed a complaint or gotten compensation for this kind of thing?