What Are Debt Collection Laws? For Instance, Can a Debt Collector Call You at Work?

I had someone call me and say that I barrowed money from a cash advance in 2010 and it went to collections the woman said it came out of collections because I didn’t pay it now there company has it and its for 300$ but they said I have to pay 567$ and that they can take me to court and I could go to jail. Can something really come out of collections?

Got a bill from collection agency saying I owe $ from a auto ins. policy I cancelled Over a year ago. Auto Ins. co. never contacted me about this. I cancelled the policy and even got a refund, Co. has since been bought and new co. says I owe it. I told the collection agency all this and she says they will look into it. I even sent them a copy of payment history showing I got a refund.
What if anything can I do about this?

They may try to contact you but that doesn’t mean you have to pay. If the statute of limitations has expired, you may want to tell them not to contact you again. We just wrote about this scenario: What Happens If I Never Pay an Old Debt?

Clyde – I would suggest you either file a complaint about the collection agency with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or contact a consumer law attorney. They are supposed to respond to your dispute within 30 days.

As for why they haven’t taken action on the debt, it’s hard to tell what’s going on. They may have incorrect contact info for you, or this may not be a priority account.

A couple months ago, I took my son and daughter along with myself to a new dentist in town for a routine cleaning and x-rays. They had mailed out promotion post cards stating that they would give each new patient (over age of 18) a $50 Wal-Mart gift card. Only disclaimer was that the visit had to include a cleaning and full x-rays – all of which we did. My insurance company pays 100% of routine cleanings and x-rays. My daughter was not eligible for the promotion because she is not 18. However, my son and I were eligible and we both received a gift card.

A few weeks later, I get an invoice in the amount of $124 from the dentist. I called to ask what it was for, and they told me it was the amount that my insurance company did not cover for me and my son. Mind you, my daughter had the exact same procedures we did and they didn’t try to collect anything from her visit. I pulled my explanation of benefits from my insurance website and it showed that they paid 100% of the negotiated rate that the dentist had billed. My insurance company even went so far as to contact the dentist office for me to see what the fees were for. The dentist then told them it was because we took advantage of the promotion – something she never told me.

Shortly after this, I received another bill from the dentist now showing I only owed $64. Not sure why there was a difference in the amount owed.
Within the next few days, the dentist office called me and told me I only owed $43 and I needed to pay it over the phone immediately. I told her I wasn’t going to pay it unless she provided me an itemized bill showing why I would owe anything. She then threatened to send it to collections as well as add more fees to the balance. I told her I would be happy to fight it in court.
A week later, I received a collection letter from Transworld in the amount of $64. I sent them a dispute letter requesting validation. I sent it certified mail and received a copy of their signature of receipt on the 16th. A few days later, I get another letter from Transworld stating that they had attempted to contact me but couldn’t and again requested I pay $64.
Any tips on what I should do now?

You will want to look at your contract with the gym to find out what could happen if you don’t pay. Unfortunately, gyms often have contracts that are not very consumer-friendly. But if you are hoping that if you ignore it nothing will come of it, there is a good chance you are mistaken.

Here are some Credit.com resources that might be useful

• Will Your Gym Membership Ruin Your Credit?
• 6 Gym Membership Gotchas
• A Debt Collector Came After Me for $8.97

I owe lots of medical debts and applied for Medicaid in Florida and started my SSI application process if I researched right disability income is exempt from collections in the case of those kinds of debts. So am not that worried at this point the money will go on the government access card so its clear its only SSI money, so there will be nothing to collect on if I get SSI. Its actually sad if the state expanded Medicaid which I qualified for easily the providers would have gotten something for their work. But how am I supposed to pay $30,000+ in debt with no income and later $721 a month and my father since I live with him will get 60% of that.

I’m just notifying each debtor I cannot pay, my situation and let them decide if they want to go to collections but I’m a pauper.

A consumer law attorney who handles TCPA violations will be more than happy to help you. Sounds like you may have several.

I just received a notice that I had a account in collections. It was from a mess up from a hospital bill where they didn’t make me aware that I would need to pay a separate bill from the ER bill. I called the collector and apparently they have had it since 2010 but never once contacted me or sent me a notification, which the agent I spoke to even admitted they had not. I was a bit astonished that they could hold something over my head since 2010 without notifying me.

Also while I was on the phone with them they asked me about a family member, whether or not we were related. I wasn’t thinking and didn’t understand why they were asking so when they asked me if my number was a good one to reach them at I told them no and gave them the right number. Then they said it was because they also had a debt to be collected.

I know after reading this article that they’ve violated two of the things listed above, is this something worth bringing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and/or the Federal Trade Commission?

I have a woman posing as a “locator” and she calls my job continuously. I was on vacation and she spoke to my boss, who when i returned didn’t mention it to me. Well she called again and asked for him, I asked who she was and when she said her name i recognized it. I told her she was not permitted to call her and she kept insisting that she could. When I told her that I knew the whole thing was a scam she continued to say that she would be showing up at my place of employment or home to serve me with documents. Then something that she said clicked in my head, if she needed to serve me and she is a locator wouldn’t she know where I live already? Now it has just become to the point of nuisance and not sure what more to do.

Karen – Collection agencies must follow the law and that includes sending you written notice of the debt within 5 days of their initial contact. If the collection agency breaks the law they will have to pay your attorney’s fees and punitive damages, and possibly other damages. I’d suggest you talk with a consumer law attorney who regularly helps consumers with debt collection matters. Visit NACA.net to find one in your area. The first consultation should be free. Make sure you are taking good notes of all your interactions with them, including phone calls. And also make sure you are monitoring your credit scores so if this does hurt your credit you have proof. You can get a monthly free credit score at Credit.com.

It’s unlikely. Collection accounts may only be reported 7 years plus 180 days from the date you first fell behind with the original creditor. After that time they cannot be reported, regardless of whether they remain unpaid.

Jolanda – It does not sound legit on the face of it. In most states the statutes of limitations would have expired by now, and debt collectors can’t generally make threats about things like garnishing your bank account. What state did you live in when you took out this loan? Do you still live in that state now?

Dani – I wrote about these kinds of problems in the article below. I’d suggest you dispute this item by mail with all the credit reporting agencies that are reporting it. If it is not confirmed, it will be removed. You’ll find instructions for doing so here: Why Isn’t My Mortgage on My Credit Report?

And that other article I referenced is here: The Little-Known Moving Mistake That Will Cost You Big

I have tons of medical debts, am applying for Medicaid (Florida) and SSI and have only family supporting me due to disability. I have a basic cease contact letter for any collection agent noting:
1. I have no income and am disabled.
2. Medicaid is under appeal to get which is now unlikely to benefit the provider who likely can’t back bill.
3. IF I get SSI it will be my ONLY income and as a disability income it can only be garnished for Federal Tax Debts, Child Support or Educational Debt none of which applies in their case.
4. So they can move on the debt but since the only hope I have for income is SSI I don’t see the point in going to court but feel free to it seems rather pointless since they can’t collect on it.
5. Do not contact me accept where allowed by law further the legal part.
I can’t work, I can’t pay them so no use bothering to worry about these debts I have enough to worry about.

these are all good points but they deal with collection agencies and an indicated debt….how about a debt that is for services you didn’t receive? Now I realize this is a US site but I had issues with an internet/phone/cable provider where in 6 months I was with them, my services were intermittent at best….I called them numerous times to complain and they said to me “you have to pay your bill in full before we’ll look into repairing the issues”…..I said “I’m not about to pay for services I didn’t receive”…and on a subsequent call they made to me about the outstanding balance I said to the woman on the phone “do you know what it’s like to try and watch a hockey game and halfway through the cable cuts out and I can’t get it back”? know what she said to me? “well, at least you got to watch HALF the game”……

I have gone to an ER at a hospital and they did nothing to help me, but gave me two Tylenol and sent me home. The bill is 4600 plus. When I ask for an “itemized bill”, do you know how much the hospital charged me for one “tongue depressor”? It costs me $9.00 for a tongue depressor where with one dollar I can buy a whole bag at a dollar stores. This problem is really out of hand and the legislatures did nothing to monitor these hospitals.

Although I had faithfully and consistently paid a minimum of $100 a month for 19 straight months, the collection agency got a judgment against me. After the judgment, they wanted paycheck stubs (I am self employed) and insisted that I could afford $300 a month payments. (Original amount $6400 judgment amount $3800) I scraped and paid $300 for 3 months and on the 4th month I went on my planned vacation which was over 1500 miles from my home, I paid them $200 before leaving and told them I would return with the other $100 before months end. They ended up putting a freeze on my account while I was on vacation on the 22nd of the month and garnished my entire account. Was this legal?

My Husband and I have been married just over 2 years. Back in 2008 he took his kids to the doctor for pneumonia. The doctor prescribed a list of medications and accepted the insurance. Just 2 months ago we received a letter in the mail demanding payment for the services. I say we because my name is also on the letter. They have reported it to a collections agency and I am listed on the account. I am not the legal guardian of these children and I was not at the time the legal guardian. We were not married at the time of the services and I never signed anything saying I would be responsible.
How do I make them remove me from this debt?

I have a debt collector calling for someone of a different name and it’s a recording. I called back and the company said they were closed and to call during normal business hours. Their recording had JUST called me. I can’t get through and I left a message for them to remove my number immediately and got another call the next day. I have no idea what to do to make it stop. Their message is very threatening and nasty too and always says it’s the last notification before they file suit or start garnishment or something like that. I’m so incensed by the threatening tone that I stop listening to the message.

Yes, but only if those charges are from the original creditor. They cannot charge you fees or interest for their services.

Hi Moni —

Here’s a good guide to the current statutes of limitations state-by-state. Just click on your state on the map:

http://www.credit.com/debt/statutes-of-limitations/

And paid judgments can stay on your credit report for 7 years, while unpaid judgments can remain on your report until the statute of limitations expires. Here’s some more help in dealing with judgments:

http://blog.credit.com/2013/05/help-i-found-a-judgment-on-my-credit-report-66173/

Dee —
That’s a popular misconception, and it’s not true. We wrote about it here: Can I Pay a Creditor Less Than I Owe?.

For me, I live in NM, it was suddenly gone at the 10 year mark and I could finally qualify for a car loan.

Hospitals rarely report past due medical bills. In my experience they show up after they are sent to collections.

What if you don’t receive a notice within 5 days?

Can you tell us what state you are in?

Yikes. I am not sure what kind of notification is required in that situation. I’d suggest you talk with a consumer law attorney (TheStudentLoanLawyer.com can help or refer you to one who is familiar with student loan law issues). You can also try contacting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to file a complaint.

Lois – Anytime you get a bill for a debt collector and you aren’t sure you owe it, you have the right to request the collector verify the debt. Send them a written letter (via certified mail) explaining that you don’t believe you owe this debt and ask them to verify it. In the meantime, contact the hospital to see if you can find out what this is about. This isn’t the first time this kind of thing has happened to consumers. We wrote about it here:

Reader Stops Mysterious Medical Bill From Damaging Her Credit

If you can confirm the hospital never sent you the bill, I’d encourage you to try to do the same and get them to pull it back from collections. And please check your credit reports and scores to see if this is being reported. Here’s how to monitor your credit score for free.

No they can’t force you to do that. And you’re smart not to.

Thank you they act like they know all of our finances. What do they really see other than credit cards.

Can repo company or collection agency contact friends that are not used a refrence to discuss a debt if not what can I do about it if they did ?

Wow! That certainly sounds crazy – $660 to take his blood pressure? On the other hand, until they did they didn’t know what was wrong with him and they may have treated it like any other patient who would come into the ER – and with the ER just walking through the door is expensive.

I am not sure what to tell you. I do think your credit is at risk. You can dispute it but it’s challenging for the collection agency to take sides here. If it was placed in collections within the last 30 days you can send a certified letter stating you don’t believe you owe the debt and see what happens. I’ll ask some of our other medical billing experts to weigh in.

by law can a collection agency add an item to credit report without prior notification to the debtor ???

I was just contacted by a company called “pre-trial” telling me I have a summons for 2 counts of fraud stemming from a payday loan back in 2011. they were very aggressive and told me I was basically going to jail. I could pay $550 to keep it out of court or get served and take my chances. I asked for written documentation and proof of who they were then got told good luck and got hung up on. The number they called from is (406)5452100. Is this a scam?

T mobile mistakenly send my current acct to collections. It was only for 160. When I called T mobile they said they can’t change anything now since they have just sold it off. Being so naive about collections, I called them and they agreed that if i pay right now on phone, they will gladly waive the $15 fee. I gave them all my bank info and the next thing I know they withdraw 170 from my acct. I called and asked for a 10 refund. And they started verbally abusing me. Eventually after screaming at them, they said they will refund me 10 and I will see it in 2 weeks. Nothing was on paper and it was all verbal. I have asked them to send me a letter that say my acct is settled in full and will not be reported to credit bureau. (I made the payment within 30 days) but the guy said he will not do it now. He will wait 2 weeks before he send me a letter. I know now after researching online, that I will not see the refund and they might still keep my acct open and even send to credit bureau. What should I do? My credit is excellent and they are not helping me. They tricked me into giving them my bank info so they will take more money out.

I recently found out that a medical procedure wasn’t covered by my insurance, but the hospital sent the bill to a wrong address. I’ve only been informed through my credit report that I’m in collections for a bill I never received. Is there a way to dispute their claim as I was never given a chance to pay in good faith?

If you are making continuous monthly payments on a hospital bill can they still send you to collections and the collection company put something on your credit report. I was always told if you are at least making an effort to resolve the debt that they couldn’t do anything to your credit. Is this the case?

A collection agency for the debt of education is driving me insane. I am complying and sending in a money order each month, however, they are saying they can’t process the payment or give me credit until I fill out their paper work and send it back. On the paper work they are requesting copies of my check stubs. Why does this matter if I am paying them. DO I have to give them this information?

Yes, you can absolutely talk with a consumer law attorney because the debt collector may be breaking the law. If it is, you may be entitled to damages and the collector will have to pay your attorney’s fees. You can visit the website of the National Association of Consumer Advocates to find an attorney in your area. The other option is to file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act does not apply to creditors collecting their own debts. However, there may be state laws that do apply. You can do one of two things: talk with a consumer law attorney, or file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

I’m not aware of any law that requires the original creditor to accept the payment if the debt is been sold to a collection agency.

We wrote about that here: How to Figure Out Who Your Debt Collector Is

It gets confusing at best, but from what I can see, Sprint has put the same negative mark on my credit more than once. I see where 7 years have passed and it was removed, but maybe resold to another agency and put back on my report? Are they allowed to do that?

I cannot get to any illegal collection actions in your comment. They have made no collection efforts other than the credit reporting (based on what you shared), which is common.

Can you offer more information and details?

Ideally, you want to run your legal questions by an attorney. But not just someone you look up in your local phone book. Find an attorney who has a practice that focuses on debt collection violations.

Your concerns are valid in a general sense using a backward looking view of the collection industry nationally. But I see much less of what you describe in today’s debt collection practices. Mostly due to CFPB supervision of the larger collectors, and some state AG activity exposing the problem.

Are you receiving mail or calls from a collection attorney with offices in your state?

The Fair Credit Reporting Act does not make any special exceptions for debts that are settled due to catastrophic events. So unless the lender is willing to agree not to report it (and you get that in writing), you should probably expect a negative impact to your credit.

Have you spoken with your car insurance company? Depending on your policy, you may indeed have gap insurance. Or do you mean that the insurance was not enough to repay your loan? If that is the case, you would still owe the money. Finally, is the bank calling you, or has the account gone to a collection agency? If it’s a collection agency, you can ask them not to call and they must stop.

My husband had a court judgment (hospital bill that became a wage garnishment) and the only thing we could do was go to the court with the statement from the hospital stating that the garnishment was paid in full / released (whatever that specific terminology is) and then present the court with this. They then did something on their end and we then received a release from the courthouse. I then sent a copy of this release to the reporting bureaus which allowed the judgment to updated/removed from his report. That garnishment/judgment was a big factor when we were looking to do a mortgage so it was necessary to get that cleaned up.

The hospital couldn’t help in having the judgment taken off our report because they weren’t reporting it… the court was. So hence the leg work with the court house. Maybe if you haven’t sought an attorney as of present, you could contact the clerk of the court that the judgment was filed in and see how they can help you. If you live close, this is always best handled in person.

Debt collectors are only allowed to contact third parties to locate the debtor. Once they have found the debtor that contact must stop. That law only applies to third party collectors, however. If you suspect the loan company or collector is going too far, you can either talk with a consumer law attorney or file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Maybe. Judgments can often accrue interest but that doesn’t mean they are calculating it correctly. I suggest you talk with a consumer bankruptcy attorney to find out, and to discuss your options. Judgments can last a very very long time. You may need to consider filing for bankruptcy if you can’t pay this.

We wrote about this here: Can a Debt Collector Fax My Employer?

It will get paid off. The 18% is the annual percentage rate being charged. For simplicity’s sake, let’s say you owe $1,000. That means, that if you owe the money for a year (and make no payments), the balance would be $1,180 at the end of the year. That’s $1,000 plus 18% ($180). Now let’s say you make $2,000 per month. Fifteen percent of $2,000 is $300. So, in just four months, that would add up to $1,200 (four months times $300) — more than enough to pay the original debt. Hope that helps.

Have you checked your credit? And do you know for sure the debt collector is legitimate? Here are some Credit.com resources that may help:
How to Get Your Free Annual Credit Reports
The Ultimate Guide to Debt Collectors
Making Sense of Your Credit Score

Does the multiple call rule apply to phone messages or missed calls also? I have one debt collector that calls multiple times a day – sometimes leaves messages, sometimes does not. Some days they call every hour on the hour.

Yes, you may be able to. Visit the website of the National Association of Consumer Advocates to find an attorney in your area.

Why do you say “supposedly”? Can you check to see whether the payment went through? If it did not, it’s possible you can contact the original creditor and have it pulled from collections. If that is not an option, our advice would be to pay the debt quickly and move on. Be sure to keep any other lines of credit paid on time and as agreed. You can expect your credit score to suffer, but with positive history, over time, the effect will diminish. We also encourage you to check your free credit scores and to make sure the information on your credit reports is accurate. Here’s how to monitor your credit score for free. Sorry you’re going through this, and hopefully you will be able to put it behind you soon.

The collector isn’t obligated to accept what you can afford, It’s hard to say what is going on here. Perhaps they are just trying to see how much they can get from you. You say it’s old – how old? – if it’s quite old they probably bought it very cheaply and anything they collect is profit, Perhaps you should tell them you are consulting a bankruptcy attorney – and then do so. If they know you are serious about filing they may realize they may not get anything at all.

It is not a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, because that only applies to third party collectors. But depending on what state you live in, it may be a violation of state law. (California in particular has the Rosenthal Act which applies to creditors collecting their own debts.) However, even if there is no law specifically against it, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is looking into these practices so at least file a complaint there.

Even I paid off a collection agency still they keep on my credit report unpaid. I called them i sent them proof documents but still on my credit unpaid ! what else I can do ?

This article may help: Reader Stops Mysterious Medical Bill From Damaging Her Credit

@Maddie – provide the proof of the written agreement to your loan officer indicating the creditor will update the accounts to a ZERO balance. Very often within the mortgage process, credit supplements are commonly ordered by loan officers and loan processors to update the information on your credit report. This includes wrong information, duplicates, or information that hasn’t been updated (like paid off accounts).

I had an apartment in 2013 with a friend. We each paid half the rent. The lease was from january to january. The management changed and the new manager said the computer system crashed and they had no recors of us paying rent from april on. They notified us in october. Being a first time renter i stupidly didnt keep my money order reciepts to prove and we were evicted early december since we couldnt. Its been over a year and i personally have never been contacted by the aapartments, although my friend has. Suddenly theres a $12000 dollar collections debt on my credit report and ive NEVER been notified of anything. What can i do here?

I have a truck loan, I went into the dealer to pay off my loan which was around $6000. To my surprise they said I owe them over $4000 in late fees. I sent in a payment on the 4-5th of each month, and they told me because it did not get there by the 8th(which I highly doubt) I have accumulated 4k in late fees over the past 2 years. They have never contacted me nor did they send a letter informing me of the fees. I paid my loan on a monthly basis thinking everything is ok. What do I do?

You do not owe a debt collector any money ever. They are buying a debt that has been settled. Do not ever pay a debt collector. Your defense unjust enrichment. Validate the debt. Which mean they have to provide the ORIGINAL not a copy of the ORIGINAL agreement between you and the lender. Ask to see how much a debt collector paid for the debt. In most cases it is 2-4 cents on the dollar. yes if you owed 10,000$ they paid 200-400$ for it. You can if you wish settle with them for that amount. We are the only people in the world to supena and have Bank of America state they have been paid for the debt and sell their debt. A debt that is sold is paid in full. they have also been paid through selling it on Wall Street through securitization and they have an insurance policy to boot. plus they have written the debt off. Debt collector are operating outside of the law and DO NOT tolerate it.

I got a car loan in 2006. I refinanced a couple times and then my car got repo-ed. It has been negatively impacting my score for almost 10 years. I have tried disputing it with the credit bureaus, but every time I do, they just reopen the account and send it off to another collection agency. I am trying to buy a house and have paid off all of my other debt. When will this account ever fall off my report? Do they have the right to transfer it again and again? Also, when I just checked my credit report, they just sent it to another collection agency as of January 2015…the original debt is 9 years old. Please help me!!!!

Tim —
The debt can be reported for seven years and 180 days, but it should not have been reported as new again. Here’s a post that addresses the problem:
Credit Report Double Jeopardy Means Double Damage

I neglected to mention I worked with the Public Utilities Commission to help me interface with this phone/internet service provider who was able to negotiate the total billing down to the correct amount and they were successful in getting this provider to delete all billings for services not ordered and to correct billings for services where the actual cost was higher than advertised and quoted.

I just received collection notice for a debt I thought was paid two years ago for hospital. I have received no bills or phone calls regarding this from the creditor sonce 2013 either. Do I have any rights?

Do you know what this bill is for? Did you fall behind on it? If it went unpaid they don’t necessarily have to notify you specifically before they turn it over to collections. If there’s some kind of other underlying dispute then you may be able to get them to pull it back from collections so you can pay them directly.

I have been getting my wages garnished for a judgement through a debt collection agency. Once they were already garnishing they sent a letter demanding over 500X the amount they were awarded. Then I got a letter from the court stating that I satisfied the garnishment and the judgement was complete (after multiple attempts to get over payment resolved) and then 6 days later their attorney sent me a letter saying I owed additional money for the exact same account over twice the original amount. Is this legal?

I want to know if a person is filed for a debt collector and this person doesn’t have way to paid, the partner has to paid this debt

Hello I have a question. i went to a dental office to have a root canal done. Before we started the procedure i asked how much my out of pocket expenses would be.They told me that it was covered 100% by my insurance so there was nothing for me to pay for the procedure to be done. So i had my root canal done and a few months later i get a bill for $250. I called the dental office and all i got was that they made a mistake and that i owe this amount. I disputed the case and refuse to pay the $250 that they are seeking so they sent it to a collection agency at some law office place. I dont want to pay for this bill it was not my mistake if they would of said the amount needed at the time i could of add it on my flex spending account but now my funds are gone i live paycheck to paycheck and cant aford to pay that amount right now. Can anyone give me some advice as to how to dispute this with the collection agency.

I was wondering how to go about disputing medical bills that had already been paid off of my credit report. Some of which were before I was 18 and to my knowledge weren’t supposed to be added to my credit report anyways, but they were and I paid them. However, my credit score was pulled for a mortgage and it’s still showing the collections and it’s negatively impacting my score by over 60 points which is well over what I need for said mortgage at a good rate let alone not being approved. I just don’t know where to begin. Any ideas?

How is it legal for a company to buy “bad” debt that has already been charged off by the original debtor, years later, and then filing a lawsuit against you. There should be protection for consumers against that, there are a tremendous amount of people who have had hard times, and its not right that they can continue to harass people for years, for debt that is way older 7 years, and keep refreshing it on your credit report to look like new debt.

No, the report from the hospital stays until you contact the hospital and ask them to remove it. They can refuse to, so you send them a letter asking for a goodwill deletion. Google for examples of these letters. I have found them to work with some businesses/agencies.

NYS has this statute – however, the collection companies sell the debt over and over. The statute is from the original date of turn over I believe.

We’ve written about that: Will Settling a Collection Account Hurt My Credit?

Hello. I am concerned. I am upset with this situation I was in about GEgap Credit card that Midland Credit Management has been calling me many time. I dislike it at all. I finally catch a person from Midland after I tried to call after I suspect it was all scam. So The person has informed me that GeGap was changing a new company and said I still owe them after 4 years that I already made debt settlement and they closed the account. It upsets me more because what if that person is just playing games with me. Why is it has been 4 years later then they came back to hunt me down? The credit was already in the report. I don’t get it. I already settled for debt settlement and hold the papers in case for 3 years later then I shredded all the papers that I don’t need. I am so grateful that I have no debts to owe. Now it haunted me back. what can I do? The midland credit management want me to write a letter that I disagree. How can I do that if I don’t have paper to prove? helpless!

I recently was hit by a third party collection agency that told me he was collecting on an old account I still had a balance due on a credit card with. This guy kept calling me two or three times a week. And I kept asking him for the details of the Credit Card only because I could not remember and he finally said United Credit LLC and it was for somewhere around $5500.00 I almost fell off my chair. I haven’t owed that kind of money to a credit card in over 15 years. So I just yessed him to death and told him I would start paying $20.00 a month if I could afford it But I would get back to him. Never put anything in writing. Next thing I know, my checking account is empty. Two days later, I got a letter from People’s Bank telling me they were served with a some kind of Execution by a Marshall and they had court papers to relinquish my checking account. And there were papers for me to sign if I felt I had any reasons for them not to take the money out of the account and send it back to the court. Well, yeah…and so did People’s Bank. They had a copy of my Divorce Decree on file, stating my child support is in there and my Worker’s Comp check. And I am disabled and currently do not work. Yet they still allowed the money to be taken out. I was never served any legal papers by the Resolute Credit LLC. (the third party) I checked my credit report and sure enough there it was, they had already gone to court saying I missed 2 payments of $20.00 and they were suing me for the entire amount of what was claimed on the original amount owed to Unite Credit, LLC which was Never owed to them to begin with because the original amount was owed to Citibank, NA in the amount of $6,571.34 from 2001 and was refinanced into my 2nd mortgage in 2005 which is why it never showed up on my credit report. So, I’d really like to know what my rights are against this third party as well as the one who sold off a credit that was never charged off. It was refinanced. And now I have a Civil judgement against me on my credit report and I’m in a foreclosure and looking for a place to live.

I moved phone carriers in August of last year, They told me that they would pay the remaining balance on my account. I thought it was taken care of and hadn’t heard anything back from anyone, No bill from previous carrier, so I thought all was good. So now I am getting bill collectors calling me a few times a day @ 8AM! So i called the current service carrier, well as it goes the current carrier “should” have had me sign a form of the notice of change (Never given one). So instead of them contacting me of the change they just put me into collections. The collection agency also didn’t send me a formal letter outlining the reasons for the 500.00 charge that they will gladly accept in 2 payments. They are rude and annoying constantly calling me. Any suggestions?

What happens if the original creditor refuses to take your payment?

I need help. I’ve been contacted by an actual creditor not a debt collector and she has been calling my job. She called about 3 weeks ago and I told her not to call my job. Today she calls again and leave me a message stating she has called me numerous times and left me numerous messages, which is a lie. On the message she also talks about why she was calling and the debt. I was standing next to my coworker and the creditor calls again (about 10 minutes after she left me a message). I knew it was her because we have caller id and I recognized the number. The creditor proceeded to ask my coworker for my job address because she was a client of mine and wanted to come to the job so my coworker asked the creditor for her account number when the creditor told my coworker that she was not going to give her that info because she was actually calling me for a legal matter. My coworker told the creditor that I was in a meeting and she can leave me a message. The creditor tells my coworker that she already left me a message and she doesn’t want to leave another message but she really needs to talk to me because have not been making payments on my vehicle and the last payment I mad was more than 1 year ago (another lie) but how is she allowed to tell someone my business??? Is any of this illegal and what can I do. Oh and did I mention our calls are recorded at my job so I can pull the call up. Please help!!

Can a sanitary board issue a lien on our property because of my grandmothers previous unpaid bill? Note:our property was hers that we received after she pasted away, they didn’t send any official notification and the bill is over a year old, and we contacted them to notify the property was no longer in my mawmaws name(my mother is the owner) however they proceeded to put a lien on our property for her bill.

Does this also go for personal loans with an individual?

I apologize for length I want to be thorough.

Someone called my stepson and left a message saying they were from “Attorney Networks” and they were trying to reach me because I was involved in a judgement.
The next day they called my house with the same message.
My wife called the number they left.
Person explained he was from “Attorney Networks” and that they had
“acquired” a debt from XY (a quick loan company we felt forced to use in
2014). My wife explained we attempted to work with XY when I lost my
job in March but XY did not respond except to say they would pull the
payment amt due in May. Nothing was pulled in May and XY never
responded back to us when I wrote and requested an update on the amount
owed. He said it didn’t matter what agreements we had with XY. It
had gone to pre-legal at a company that had purchased the debt and we
needed to pay the full amount immediately. My wife asked for
a letter to be sent to our address. He said they couldn’t do that,
email was the only way they communicated. She asked if payments were
possible, he kept stating the full debt amount. When my wife kept asking for a letter, he said it could be emailed but they never send mail. She said she needed verification of debt by mail not email. He then put her on
hold. Second man was forceful and rude. Talked over top of my wife
every time she tried to speak. Loudly stating we owed we needed to pay
and that it could be sent email and nothing else. When she insisted we
needed it sent to us in writing, he stated that my wife was being
uncooperative and that if she didn’t cooperate they would send it
directly to legal. When my wife said, “I was told this was a legal
matter already.” He, over the top of her talking, said they had already
sent a letter by mail on July 17th. She told him we received
nothing from Attorney Networks and tried to ask, when both he & the
other man stated they don’t send mail how was something already sent.
He interrupted her and said he would send a copy of the letter sent on
July 17th by email. She again requested he send it by mail so we had a record.
He told her it was not their problem if we got it or not. If I didn’t agree to
payment, he would mark our account uncollectable and they would start
legal action. She told him we just wanted the information sent so we
had a copy. He kept interrupting her loudly stating she was being
uncooperative. She asked again to send the information by mail and he
talked over the top of her, yelling at this point, stating it was email or nothing.
She hung up. Less than a minute later a letter showed up by email. The
name on the letter does NOT match the name they gave me. The date does NOT match the date they stated they sent the letter.

My questions:
1. I sent them a letter to the company on the email stating I want them to
stop calling me, emailing me or any of my family. I provided my
address, which they already had, and stated I wanted all correspondence
to be done in that manner. I live in Idaho and this company is in New
York. Is this enough to force them to provide paperwork and quit
calling my home and family?

2. How does it work if they try to sue? I plan on suggesting payments but I know they are not required to accept. If they are in New York, am I bound by New York collection laws or Idaho? The original company, that they bought the debt from, was in Illinois. If it is in NY, how am I supposed to show up? I can’t
afford to pay off the full amount, I had to take a job paying less than I
made before and I have a special needs son. We have zero extra money.

3.
Is the way they treated my wife illegal? If so, what do we do? We
can’t afford a lawyer and, in Idaho, legal aid doesn’t deal with
collections.

So if I ask them to only contact me by mail they have to grant that

First party Bill collectors can contact you up to 8 times per day regarding a debt. Some are merciful and as a company policy may not try to reach their daily limit. (2-3 calls daily as opposed to the full 8). Also, if you politely identify yourself and make clear of inconvenient times, a request to cease contact or an intent to file bankrupt the collector should be able to cooperate. 2 out of every three cases where consumers are still being contacted after a request comes from someone not having identified themselves. Until you do identify yourself, even in cases where contact has been initiated by the creditor instead of you, you are considered a 3rd party and simply saying “don’t call me” and hanging up doesn’t help you at all. The collector can’t honor the request as they don’t know who they are speaking to.

I received a notice of legal action from a debt that I was unaware even existed. I went to the hearing in civil court and the judge ordered in my favor that the debt was not collectable and beyond statute of limitations. This was in January 2014. The collection agency did not appeal. I recently received a notification from the collection agency attempting to collect the debt! Is that even legal? I received a judgment in my favor over a year ago!