Yes they certainly can, especially if you do not dispute their claim that you owe the alleged debt by writing them a debt validation letter. Their practice is crooked as they sent me nothing in regard to a debt validation letter I sent them requesting PROPER information validating the debt. They sent me a letter, which was written to look like a legal affidavit that said nothing more than I owe the debt without any proof of this whatsoever. They will be getting a nice surprise from me here soon but it won't be in the form of a payment, as they obviously REFUSE to honestly validate their claim.