Do not admit to owning the debt
Document everything
If you receive a collection letter from CBCS and you do not believe that it is valid then you need to do a few things:
1. Check your credit score.
This can be obtained for free from
https://www.annualcreditreport.com
2. If there is any invalid info on you Credit Report report it immediately.
3. If you feel it necessary to contact CBCS, then provide them as little info as possible. Do not give them your home phone number, cell phone number, work number, full Social Security #, or other personal info. Make sure you get as much info from them as possible, such as when the debt was incurred, who the original owner of the debt was, and any pertinent contact info. They are very reluctant to provide info.
Whatever you do DO NOT ADMIT TO OWNING THE DEBT. After you obtain this information you need to do a few more things.
4. Contact the company that owned the initial debt.
In my situation, I do not believe that the account ever existed so I bypassed, but it is still a good idea.
5. Check to see what the statute of limitations on debt collection is in your state.in my state this is 6 yrs and the debt that they are trying to collect is 7 yrs old. So even if the debt was valid at some point, the statute of limitations has run out so they should not be trying to collect the debt.
Http://www.fair-debt-collection.com/SOL-by-State.html#23
6. Send a Initial Debt Collection Dispute Letter to the company that sent the collection letter. Make sure to send this "official mail - return receipt requested."
Here is a link to the letters that that can be used.
Http://www.fair-debt-collection.com/disputing-debt-collections.html
7. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
This may seem like overkill, but I personally want to see this behavior stopped.
If the FTC receives enough complaints, then they will launch an investigation.
Http://www.ftc. Gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18. Shtm
1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357)
Personally I called and spoke with an operator. After navigating through the phone prompts the operator was very friendly and helpful. I think the whole call only took me 10 - 15 mins.
8. If necessary, consult a lawyer.
I hope this information comes in handy for someone.
I am not a lawyer, I am not trying to slander or defame any company, and all material contained herein is based upon personal experience. I am by no means an expert and do not claim to as much. The information I have provided is factual to the best of my knowledge, but it is always a good idea to check with legal counsel for professional advice.
Just remember, provide little info to the collection company.
Do not admit to the debt.
Document everything.
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