Debt Collection (Your Rights) Click on the question to see the answer.

What do I do if I keep getting letters from third-party collectors?
I have several credit card debts that third-party collectors are trying to collect. Nothing has been paid on them for many years. Now the third-party collectors are calling and saying they'll take legal action. When I asked for information to verify their claims, they refused. They even refused to give me an address so I could dispute this in writing. What recourse do I have?
I recently received a letter of reconciliation from a debt collection agency asking me to repay an outstanding debt. The letter only states a balance and that the collection agency is negotiating a settlement offer. I do not believe the debt is valid. I requested my credit report and there is no mention of this debt. I also have copies of my credit reports going back five years and there is no mention of the debt there either. If I contact this collector, will the calendar restart on the debt?
How old can a debt be and still be legally collectable by a debt collector?
How can I know that a debt collector is legitimate? I sent several payments to a debt collector to pay off a debt. However, none of the payments have gone toward my debt. A second agency has contacted me to pay off that same debt, plus additional fees. I am willing to pay on the debt, but I don't want to get caught paying an organization that is not really collecting the debt.
A collection agency deducted money from my checking account without my authorization. They had my account information from previously authorized payments. I haven’t received a Writ of Garnishment; can they continue to deduct money from my account without authorization?
Can my dentist charge a pre-collection fee and then add a collection fee to my outstanding balance? I did sign a form at their office that said they could charge fees, but are these fees legal?
Does United States federal law supersede any state laws concerning collections and the validation period?
A collection agency has been calling me. They haven't sent a letter yet and they refuse to give their address. Can they do this?
When a debt collector contacts me for the first time, what are the rules he or she must abide by?
How do I stop collection calls?
How do I get debt collectors to stop calling me about a bill I paid (or settled) years ago?
How do I get debt collectors to stop calling when I'm not the one they want; they're looking for my former roommate?
Can debt collectors discuss my debt with my spouse?
Can debt collectors discuss my debt with my children?
What rights do I have when a debt collector demands a post-dated check payment?
Can debt collectors refuse to accept a reasonable payment plan?
If I incurred debt in one state and then moved to another, which state's law applies?
What can I do if I believe a debt collector has broken the law?
How do I report a violation or file a complaint against a debt collector?
How can I find out which debt collectors have my accounts so I can start to pay off the accounts?
Can collection agencies report a debt to a consumer reporting agency without notifying you?
Is it legal for a collector to contact a neighbor?
I paid my credit card balance in full at 7:30am yesterday. I received a call around noon from agency, told them I had already paid and to stop calling me. They called twice again last night and three times today. Doesn't this fit under Fair Debt? I asked twice not to be called.
Can a collector call me on my cell phone for my business if I specifically ask them not to call my business cell?
I have a business account in collections. Its in the name of my company. I have been told by the collection agency FDCPA does not apply. Is this true?
What is the penalty for calling the wrong person?
Can I remove my name from the collector's call list?
I received a letter today and don't understand it. I don't have any back accounts or debt cards. What is this about?
How do I dispute a bill that has been sold to a collection agency?
A debt collector called me and said he sent a letter to my last known address but it was the wrong address. He said that legally he could not send another letter to my new address as he is limited on the number of letters he can send. I asked him to read my credit card number back to me. He got the first eight (8) digits right and the last eight (8) wrong. He said that for privacy, when the debt was sold the they scrambled the last digits. Is any of this true? Why can't he send a letter or
Do you have to be licensed to collect debt in the state of Tennessee?
Every month or so I get a call for someone I do not know. I tell them they have the wrong number and after a few times they stop. The problem is a month later a new agency starts calling. How can I stop them from passing my number to other agencies?
If a debt collection agency offers a much lower amount than original debt, should you take the offer and what should you do to protect your self from future liability?
I received a call from a collection agency recently. The caller wanted me to confirm the last four digists of my Social Security number. And the caller told me that I had an outstanding debt on a phone number that I closed seven years ago. What is my recourse on some debt that allegedly occurred in 2003?
I keep getting calls from a collection agency that refuses to send me a letter to verify the debt. How do I know that I am dealing with a legitmate company?
I have an erroneous ding on credit report. I paid all my payments on-time and even paid off the entire balance two months early. Who do I contact and how do I get this struck from my credit record?
I incurred a debt that was turned over to a collection agency. Is it legal for the collection agency to report the date opened as the date they received the account from the creditor? I thought the date opened would have to reflect the date the account was opened with he original creditor.
Can I provide a relative's correct contact information to keep his creditors from calling me? Is there somewhere I can send this information that will be distributed to skip trace vendors? How is it fair that I pay my bills on time and get phone calls that are meant for someone else who doesn't?
A collection agency never sent me an initial validation notice but filed a collection notice with two credit reporting agencies. This resulted in a credit card company reducing my line of credit by half. Do I have legal recourse against this collection agency?
A debt was turned over to a collection agency. It was appropriately disputed within 30 days. Will the collection agency ask the creditor again, before reporting to the credit agencies, whether the creditor wants this reported or do they have any new information?
I was laid off two years ago and my unemployment benefits just ended. I filed for and am now receiving early Social Security benefits. There is still nothing for paying off the credit card debt. The collection agencies are making me crazy and threatening to take me to court. What can I do?
Can a debt collector ask a consumer's place of employment for the consumer's date of hire?
Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), what kind of debt collection is regulated? What kind is not?
How do I stop getting calls for another person by a debt collector who refuses to identify themself or the company?
Does the restriction on calling residents of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Rhode Island and Utah on holidays apply to collection calls or is the restriction aimed solely at telemarketing calls? In reading the alerts as well as each state’s Do Not Call legislation, it appears to be aimed more at telemarketing calls.
Does medical debt come under the FDCPA ? If so must Foti and mini Miranda be observed?
If one collection agency fails to collect a debt and its reported on credit report, and they then sell the account to another collection agency, can the second agency report to the credit place and the seven years start all over again?
I have someone who owes me and I have a confessed judgment in Maryland. How can I find out where his bank account is or where he works to file for my money?
How can a credit agency call me 8 years after the debt has already been settled? I cannot provide a 10 year old receipt, and know I have already paid this bill, Thats why it was not on my credit, Can they still report it to the credit bureau as unpaid because its their word against mine and I cannot obtain my old receipt?
Can a collection company that is an attorneys office call and threaten to put a lien on your house or worse as the guy said?
How can I stop creditors who call me to find another person?
Can I have dialogue with debt collector via email or text?
How do I find out the date of prior services that now have been turned over to collection agency?
How do I check an account from a debt collector online? To my knowledge I do not owe this and want to check it online.
Can I make a payment plan after I go to court?
What serves as the notice that the debtor has been contacted about a bad debt?
If my name is on an account with someone else and I never used the card and asked the credit card company a couple of times to take my name off the account with the person was in good standing am I responsible for the payment? The primary person is now unemployed.
I broke my neck about 6 years ago that caused me to incur a large amount of debt. I live on a VA widows salary and may never work again. How can I clear this debt? I don't have any money!
When writing a bad check and its forward to collection agency, how long am I given to redeem the check before it sent to district attorney under Wisconsin bad check law?
Does a creditor have to let a consumer know the debt is being turned over to a collection agency?
How can I stop a collector from calling my house about debts I do not know about, and about 10 or more different names, about 15 times a day?
How many times a day can a credit card collector call me? I am receiving over 30 calls a day between my home phone and cell phone and its making me crazy.
How do you know if the company that is calling but has not sent you anything in the mail is a legitimate collection company? If they are not how do you deal with them?
What do I do if a collection agency refuses to provide verify the debt?
How can I stop collectors from calling me when the person of interest doesn’t live at my residence? Despite repeatedly informing the collectors of the wrong number, they still call us trying to reach this third party. We don’t want a new phone number and the potential for this to start all over again. How can we get these calls to stop?
Why do collection companies still try to collect on debt that’s old, like say 10 years old? I was contacted by a collection agency 7.5 years after a supposed debt. In this state, the statute of limitations is 6 years. Is this collection agency operating legally?
Several times a year we receive a string of calls from one agency or another based on incorrect identification. The debts are not ours, and we’ve never heard of the person they’re trying to contact. When we explain that, we are sometimes challenged to provide personal information to prove that we are not the person sought. What should we do?
I bought a new cellular service almost two years ago. My assigned number must have been previously used by someone with possible bad debt as I have received collection calls almost every day for the last 18 months. How can I get these calls to cease?
Are debt collectors currently prohibited from using Predictive Dialers or AutoDialers in an effort to contact debtors for collection? From where does this limitation stem?
How can a debt collector call a homeowner not at all related to a debtor and request information related to the debtor? When told the person in question does not live there, has never, and will never be available at the number, they continue to call back. How do you prevent such abuses?
I have been working with a creditor and he insists that I pay a higher amount. Do I have to accept the amount he requests?
If I send email to a debtor collector asking him to stop calling, is this the same under FDCPA ? After I disputed the debt within the 30 days, then I received the document, how long after that he can start calling me?
My father got a call from a collection agency saying he owes money. How can I find proof that this is real and not a scam or that someone stole my father’s identity?
Collector is trying to collect from an individual who had my cell phone number before me. I have explained this to them several times but they continue to call. I do not know the person who is the debtor. Do I have a remedy?
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