Some stranger called you and told you that you owe money for some debt?
If that happened to you, did you check your credit report to see if the debt actually exists? (You can get up to three free credit reports a year). Did your credit report show the debt was written off, or was the call from the original creditor?
If the debt was written off, that means the original creditor is trying to recover their tax liability, and they have sold your debt to some collector, for pennies on the dollar. This is usually called a "charge off" or a "write off".
You may still owe the debt! If you received a call from the collector, your next step is to assure the collector that called is the one who currently holds your debt. FDCPA rulings state that collectors MUST snailmail (USPS post) a "Validation Notice" to the debtor within 5 days of the original contact. If you do not get that Validation Notice, the phone call was probably NOT from the current legal holder of your debt.
By law, collectors must not make certain threats, such as sending you to jail (debt is a civil matter, not a criminal matter). The collector also must not promise to return your credit report to where it was before you stopped paying the debt (the "charge off" or "nonpay" statement will usually remain on your credit report for seven years).
If you owe (or owed) a debt, and if you have been called by a collector, you really need to take some time and read the information here:
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0149-debt-collection
You really should pay any outstanding debt ... but assure the payment goes to the legally authorized person or company!
Some stranger called you and told you that you owe money for some debt?
If that happened to you, did you check your credit report to see if the debt actually exists? (You can get up to three free credit reports a year). Did your credit report show the debt was written off, or was the call from the original creditor?
If the debt was written off, that means the original creditor is trying to recover their tax liability, and they have sold your debt to some collector, for pennies on the dollar. This is usually called a "charge off" or a "write off".
You may still owe the debt! If you received a call from the collector, your next step is to assure the collector that called is the one who currently holds your debt. FDCPA rulings state that collectors MUST snailmail (USPS post) a "Validation Notice" to the debtor within 5 days of the original contact. If you do not get that Validation Notice, the phone call was probably NOT from the current legal holder of your debt.
By law, collectors must not make certain threats, such as sending you to jail (debt is a civil matter, not a criminal matter). The collector also must not promise to return your credit report to where it was before you stopped paying the debt (the "charge off" or "nonpay" statement will usually remain on your credit report for seven years).
If you owe (or owed) a debt, and if you have been called by a collector, you really need to take some time and read the information here:
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0149-debt-collection
You really should pay any outstanding debt ... but assure the payment goes to the legally authorized person or company!
have gotten phone calls from this place several times.. says Hammond Mediation or something like that. Kyle Harris is the person that keeps calling. Leaves messages says he is referring my case to state attorney...once I commented that I had looked them up and they are listed as scammers, he got defensive saying that I should know what is going on and that I need to take care of my problems. Once I asked for him to give me the information to try to help clear "the situation" up, he wanted me to verify my ss# and attorney and bank info....
I told him I would not give him any of my information until he proved that I owed something and he got nasty and hung up!!! PEOPLE BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This number called me claiming I had a complaint filed on me that I owed a company from 2013 and that it had been so long that the amount had gone to $1300 but they couldn't tell me the original amount. They could not verify the company that I owed but they did have my email address, home address, and the last four of my social. These hackers are good! They need to use their intelligence to work and pay for things instead of preying on innocent people.
I received a call from 337-301-8003 claiming to be Hammond Mediate representing MyCashNow. The caller states I received a loan in 2011 from MyCashNow and never paid it back. This is totally bogus since I never, never use a cash advance company...I have family I can borrow from at anytime.