The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) requires debt collectors to inform consumers of their rights in a collection letter (known as the validation notice), which should be provided within five days of the initial communication with the consumer, unless such rights were described to the consumer during the initial communication. The debt collector must provide its mailing address so consumers can communicate with the debt collector in writing and exercise their rights under the FDCPA.

Consumers have the right to dispute a debt or any portion of the debt at any time during the collection process. The debt collector must then mark the debt as disputed. Consumers also have the right to request in writing verification of a debt within 30 days of receiving the initial validation notice.