Received letter from debt collector that I owe money. No idea about this. How should I proceed?

Answer 1

Check your credit report. http://www.annualcreditreport.com is the government's site. You can check your credit reports once per year for free as well as when you are denied credit or employment. (Some states allow for further free reports.)

If you owed money, it would be listed on there. If it isn't listed on any of your credit reports (check all 3), send the debt collector a letter contesting the debt. You can find these online if you search for them.




(Date)

To Whom it may concern:

I have been contacted by your company about a debt you allege I owe. I am instructing you not to contact me further in connection with this debt. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, a federal law, you may not contact me further once I have notified you not to do so.

Sincerely,

(Name)

(Account No.)

Answer 2

DO NOT use the letter that was posted. It is a full cease and desist. If you use it you run a very high risk of being sued since you are telling the collection agency not to contact you at all.

You would probably want to include a limited cease and desist in your debt validation letter. Which would be along the lines of:
I am requesting that no telephone calls from your company be made to my home or place of business as it is inconvenient to me. Please send all future correspondence by USPS.

While you can request validation at any time, if you request validation within the first 30 days after receiving a first contact from them, they must cease ALL collection activity until they properly validate.

You should also check the statute of limitations in your state, see if you are still within SOL or out of it for that debt.

I would suggest going to my profile and clicking on the links I have listed - to the FDCPA, FCRA, etc.

Learn your rights and learn how to use them.

Answer 3

Under the fair credit reporting act you have the right to go back to the debt collector and ask for written proof of who they are trying to collect a debt for and that the debt is yours. I would not consider talking to a lawyer until you find out this information, then determine how to proceed after you determine if it really is your debt.

Answer 4

You have 30 days to ask the collection agency to verify the debt.
1. ask them if they are licensed and bonded to collect in your state.
2. ask them for a signed contract between you and the original creditor.
3. ask them for a complete payment history beginning with the original creditor.
4. ask them to prove that they are authorized to collect this debt.
5. If they own the debt, ask them to prove it.
6. If they own the debt, ask them how much they paid for it.
7. Ask them if the debt is within your state's statute of limitation. (It can vary from as little as 3 years in some states to as long as 15 years in other).
8. If the debt is outside of the statute of limitation, they have no legal way to collect from you.

Answer 5

First go see a lawyer and tell him or her its not yours then or you can talk to them somebody stole your identy you have do a police report Wish you all the best