In the Summer of 1999, The Associates (no longer in business) issued me a credit card with $300 limit. I made payments on time, but closed this account in 2001 when I left school and was unemployed.
In I made several attempts to settle this account with Associates (the amount showing owed was $500 after late payments and interest added to an already closed acct). Associates refused to even talk to me about any settlement so I gave up. Then The Associates closed/went out of business. I heard nothing else about this debt and knew that the statute of limitations would run out in August.
In May Midland Credit Management took over this debt and started vigorously trying to collect it, (threatening lawsuits, judgements, etc). (I'm in TX so a collection agcy is very limited on what they can actually do to collect a debt). I have ignored their threats until lately, because I figured it was their last ditch effort to collect a debt before it dropped off my credit report.
Then I checked my credit report and noticed that they had revised the date that the account had been opened to 2002 so that this collection will remain on my credit until 3! Not only that, but the $500 stated owed amount to The Associates is now $1472 and growing. I have disputed this entry to all 3 credit reporting agencies, but as long as Midland responds to the disputes it remains on my credit.
Any suggestions what else I can do to get them to leave me alone and get this off my credit (as it should have been removed in August '06)? I do not have any records from 1999 showing when it was opened.
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