We just got a collection notice for an 11 year old bill, how do I dispute it?

Question

We have not heard anything about a bill for at least 10 to 11 years and now all of a sudden they say we owe money. How can that be when our credit report has not shown the debt and how do I keep them from messing up my good credit rating?

Answer 1

This is a collection agency who bought your account for pennies on the dollar and hope you'll be dumb enough to pay them.
It doesn't matter in what state you live, 11 years old makes the debt uncollectable. in most states the statute of limitations is 5 or 6 years. Send them a certified letter with the following information:

(Date)

Company nane
Company Address
City & State Zip Code

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.)

If they contact you again... sue them

Here's a P.S. If they contect you again and threaten to ding your credit, write them again using the same letter form and at the bottom add the additional threat that if they do ding your credit you will sue them. This won't happen however.

Answer 2

This is an old collection account that a "junk" collection agency purchases to try and collect.
If it is indeed over 11 years old then it's too late to collect. However if it is a court judgment, then it will remain until taken care of. They will often re-date the debt and it can wind up on your credit report.
First off, get your credit reports and review them. You can go to this site for free yearly reports from all 3 agencies on line.
https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

If it's for some account you know nothing about then there are rules and regulations on how to request verification of debt, how to stop them bothering you and how to remove it from the credit reporting agcys.
I have enclosed links for this information. They are NOT those that want $$$ for information they are ones the FTC provides.

I invite you to join the following Yahoo group where you may find information to help you with this situation.
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/dontgetrippedoff/

Answer 3

Just because the bill is 11 years old doesn't mean you don't have t pay. It does mean that they can't legally put it on your credit report. Nevertheless, the could still file suit against you and win eventHough it's 5 or 6 years pass the S O L. If you receive any paperwork telling you to go to court by not showing up you will lose by default. That's what these crooks do. They buy old out of statue debts for pennies on the dollars and never serve you with court papers in hopes to get default judgement. They will get one for certain if you don't go to court and give the out of statue of limitations defense. Im speaking from experience, the snakes got me like that.

Answer 4

Check the rules in the your jurisdiction, maybe start at an information source there, to find out how long such debts are viable in your area. Some debts may be cancelled due to a statute of limitations, which varies from area to area.

If you have a list of contact points with family, friends, etc. that's fairly simply activated, e.g. by email, send out a message to everyone asking whether they or someone that they know has had such expereince, what they did, and what the results were (plus in what jurisdiction they lived, so that you can assess whether that action might translate to your situation).

Ask the agency that contacted you for more information - but do not even hint at making any commitments with regard to whether you have any obligation and certainly none with regard to payment. If you have a means of taping the exchange, I'd suggest that you do so - if such is legal in your area.

Some agencies just send out broadcast letters to anyone with similar name, and if they sound serious enough, maybe they'll find a sucker who'll get scared and pay.

This issue was discussed recently at a discussion board which I frequent.

Contact me if you wish and I may be able to find some further information - or refer you to a source.

old joyful

Answer 5

Pull your free credit report https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp and see if the bill is on your credit report. If it is, fill out the dispute form for each report it appears on. The creditor will then be responsible for proving the validity of such. You should additionally notify the collection agency, in writing, that you dispute the accuracy of such. Save a copy of all the communications.

Answer 6

A collection agency/creditor has every right to collect any debt that is not paid for, regardless of how old it is. The SOL simply mean they cant sue you in court for the bill. If the bill is unpaid, it's still valid debt.

Answer 7

You are not responsible for any notice of collections or a bill over 7 years old.

I went through the same thing. I checked my credit score and shortly after, I got notice from a collection agency about a bill I forgot about that was 8 years old. It was never noted on my credit report. They had no right to collect or ding my credit score.

Answer 8

You should be able to dispute it on the credit bureau's website. You may also want to call the credit agency as it may be a mistake, or you can pay it before it affects your credit

Answer 9

Tell them it is past the statute of limitations and cannot be collected upon. And if not removed from you credit rating will be filing suit for violation of federal laws

Answer 10

is the bill familiar? do you remember the purchase (or service, or whatever?) If it is legitimate, there is no time limit on their collecting. Not all debts are shown on a credit report (such as back due rent).