What can I do if a debt collector contacts me about a debt I already paid or don't think I owe? | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2024)

FAQs

What can I do if a debt collector contacts me about a debt I already paid or don't think I owe? | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? ›

What can I do if a debt collector contacts me about a debt I already paid or don't think I owe? If you believe you already paid the debt, do not owe the debt, the amount is incorrect, or that it's not even your debt, you may send a written request to the debt collector to dispute the debt or receive more information.

Some accounts go to “pre-collections” when they're only one or two months past due. During this period, you may get calls or letters about the debt even though it's not on your credit report yet.

Can you dispute a debt if it was sold to a collection agency? Your rights are the same as if you were dealing with the original creditor. If you do not believe you should pay the debt, for example, if a debt is stature barred or prescribed, then you can dispute the debt.

Dispute in writing, and include any evidence that supports your claims (such as copies of cancelled checks showing you paid the debt or a police report in the case of identity theft). If the debt collector knows that you don't owe the money, it should not try to collect the debt.

The 7-in-7 rule explained

Collectors are permitted to place a call to the consumer about a particular debt seven (7) times within a period of seven (7) consecutive days, so long as no contact is made with the consumer in any of the attempts.

What can I do if a debt collector contacts me about a debt I already paid or don't think I owe? If you believe you already paid the debt, do not owe the debt, the amount is incorrect, or that it's not even your debt, you may send a written request to the debt collector to dispute the debt or receive more information.

Check Your Credit Report

Since the debt collector's calling you about a paid debt, it's a good idea to check whether they've incorrectly reported the debt to the credit bureaus. Dispute with the credit bureaus if the collector is reporting an unpaid balance on your credit report.

Unpaid debt doesn't go away. Until the debt is either paid or forgiven, you still owe the money. This is true even if it's a credit card debt that is sold to a collection agency and even if you think it's unfair.

How to fight a false debt collection? ›

Once the collection company gets the letter, it must stop trying to collect the debt until it sends you written verification of the debt, like a copy of the original bill for the amount you owe.

Debt collectors cannot harass or abuse you. They cannot swear, threaten to illegally harm you or your property, threaten you with illegal actions, or falsely threaten you with actions they do not intend to take. They also cannot make repeated calls over a short period to annoy or harass you.

Debt collectors are not permitted to try to publicly shame you into paying money that you may or may not owe. In fact, they're not even allowed to contact you by postcard. They cannot publish the names of people who owe money. They can't even discuss the matter with anyone other than you, your spouse, or your attorney.

Don't provide personal or sensitive financial information

Never give out or confirm personal or sensitive financial information – such as your bank account, credit card, or full Social Security number – unless you know the company or person you are talking with is a real debt collector.

Your creditor may not have reported the information. Creditors are not required to report information to the credit reporting companies. In addition, most negative information is not reported after seven years.

It is not uncommon today for people to be pursued by debt collectors for money they don't owe. This occurs for several reasons: the original creditor may have made an accounting error, you may be a victim of identity theft, or the creditor may have found the wrong person with a similar name.

Although the collection agency may not report the unpaid debt to the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies—Equifax, TransUnion and Experian — it is a good idea to check your credit reports.

Effective November 30, 2021, an amendment to Regulation F, which implements the FDCPA, says that a debt collector can't report a debt to the three major credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, before first contacting the consumer.