So I just got a collection letter....from an account I had in 2003!

[NaturalBornHustler]

So I get this letter about a week ago and I am like WTF is this from and when??

It was from Sprint (who I currently have cell service with, and have for God Knows how long) original creditor, I called the collection place up and told them I am disputing this shit because I have no idea where this came from. They said they were "taking me out of their system" or some shit and left it at that.

It is only $445 but I am not paying that and don't want it going on my good credit. So what should I do from here forward? It sounded like the guy just wanted to get me off the phone. Should I call sprint or is it out of "their" hands.

Oh yeah and first thing this guy asks me to give him last 4 of my SSN and I told him I wasn't giving him shit because I didn't know who he was. he said well we have to verify and I told him the same thing a 2nd time, I wasn't giving him anything like that. Then he says well can we verify the birthdate at least and I gave him that. Then at the end of the call he says "ok so just to verify this is the person with the SSN ending in XXXX and I confirmed because he obv had that info but it was odd how he threw that in there at the end like he needed that to confirm the "debt" or something.

[Crowe Diddly]

So I get this letter about a week ago and I am like WTF is this from and when??

It was from Sprint (who I currently have cell service with, and have for God Knows how long) original creditor, I called the collection place up and told them I am disputing this shit because I have no idea where this came from. They said they were "taking me out of their system" or some shit and left it at that.

It is only $445 but I am not paying that and don't want it going on my good credit. So what should I do from here forward? It sounded like the guy just wanted to get me off the phone. Should I call sprint or is it out of "their" hands.

Oh yeah and first thing this guy asks me to give him last 4 of my SSN and I told him I wasn't giving him shit because I didn't know who he was. he said well we have to verify and I told him the same thing a 2nd time, I wasn't giving him anything like that. Then he says well can we verify the birthdate at least and I gave him that. Then at the end of the call he says "ok so just to verify this is the person with the SSN ending in XXXX and I confirmed because he obv had that info but it was odd how he threw that in there at the end like he needed that to confirm the "debt" or something.

The phone call means nothing, legally. You'll want to write a letter within 30 days asking them to prove the debt. If they can't do that, they gotta leave you alone. Read this http://nedap.org/hotline/fdcpa-disputing.html , find a good sample letter somewhere online and use that as a template, then send it registered mail. You will likely never hear from them again. If they don't prove the debt and continue trying to collect, they're breaking the law, and you are free to bring suit against the fucks. At that point, all you gotta do is prove they got your letter, and that they're still bothering you, and they're fuct.

[shortbuspoker]

Like Crowe said, have them verify the debt. Then you can pay it if you feel compelled to. I'm not 100% but I'm pretty sure that according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a debt that is more than 7 years from the original delinquency debt must be removed from your credit report if you request it whether the debt is paid off or not.

[sonatine]

Like Crowe said, have them verify the debt. Then you can pay it if you feel compelled to. I'm not 100% but I'm pretty sure that according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a debt that is more than 7 years from the original delinquency debt must be removed from your credit report if you request it whether the debt is paid off or not.

This gets murky as fuck. For example, Im starting to suspect this refers to the date the debt got on the credit report, not the date the debt was incurred.

Which gets real hairy when you have 3 or 4 agencies trying to collect on the same (paid) debt over the years.

[shortbuspoker]

Like Crowe said, have them verify the debt. Then you can pay it if you feel compelled to. I'm not 100% but I'm pretty sure that according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a debt that is more than 7 years from the original delinquency debt must be removed from your credit report if you request it whether the debt is paid off or not.

This gets murky as fuck. For example, Im starting to suspect this refers to the date the debt got on the credit report, not the date the debt was incurred.

Which gets real hairy when you have 3 or 4 agencies trying to collect on the same (paid) debt over the years.

That's a good point given how often the debt collectors trade off and sell debts between one another. The best is when the debt collection agency tries to bill itself as a law office.

[BeerAndPoker]

Tell them to fuck themselves right in their pussies.

[Hockey Guy]

I had a little fender bender last year in Vegas with my rental car. I never take their stupid insurance & because they took so long to get me the info I couldn't get my CC coverage to pay because it was after 60 days so i just put it through my own insurance. It took awhile but the matter was settled between my insurance & National last November & my adjuster even told me it wouldn't affect my standing with them since they do this all the time.

Fast forward a couple months & I'm planning my April trip to Vegas & try to get a price for a car when lo & behold I've been banned. I just laugh & rent from someone else(Thrifty) when I get a call from a collection agency telling me I owe them money for this. I explain to them that this was settled by my insurance company & they tell me I still owe them the deductible. I laugh & tell them that my insurance doesn't have a deductible for rental car coverage, something I was very sure to confirm when my insurance got involved. They kept insisting that I owe the deductible & I then ask them how they know how much my deductible is or if I even have one? I explain that in Canada you can get insurance with almost any deductible you wanted, including 0, & that's when I realize they think I'm from California & not Canada. I also found out that it wasn't really a collection agency but was National's own collections department.

I told them I had all the documentation saying the matter was closed from my insurance & gave them the # to call if they wanted more info. I also told them never to call me again since it was in the hands of insurance. I emailed my adjustor to tell her what had happened & to expect a call from them but it's been over 2 months & they've yet to contact her. I'm pretty sure they just contact everybody who's had a loss damage claim & try to get money out of them this way & even if 1% fall for it they're ahead of the game.

[rum dick]

9/10 junk debt buyers literally buy spreadsheets containing debt info (ie name, address, social, amount of debt, default date, etc). As such they almost never can verify the debt. Also they pay between 3 to 9 cents on the dollar for the debt (so, if you are gonna settle it, don't pay anywhere near face value). And paying old asst debts can sometimes hurt your credit because it can restart the 7 year mark on your credit report (sure it will say you paid but the fact you once defaulted will be on there). Anyhow these are just some nuggets of info that might be helpful. Pm me if you have any questions. I know the junk debt game inside and out.

Ps if you ever get sued....always answer the complaint. Otherwise they will get a default judgment for the full amount plus interest. If you answer it and fight it then there's a good chance they will have to dismiss the lawsuit because they don't have proof to support their claim other than a stupid spreadsheet