Got a Letter from a Debt Collector?

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A letter from a debt collector or collection agency can be stressful. Mail is one of the primary means debt collectors use to collect debt. The others are phone calls, emails, and credit reporting. Some of the largest debt collectors include Midland Credit Management, Portfolio Recovery Associates, Allied Interstate, IC Systems, and Frontline Asset Strategies.

If you have questions on how to deal with debt collectors or how to respond to a debt collection letter, call us for help. We review all cases for free. And, if there is something we can do to help, we won’t charge you any money. To get a free case review, call us or fill out our free case review form.

Let us answer your questions:

Why did I receive a letter from a debt collector?

"[S]ave all debt collection letters, either in hard copy or electronically."

Most debt collectors use mail as their primary collection tool. So, you got a letter from a collection agency because it thinks you owe a debt and it’s try to collect the debt from you.

Read each debt collection letter you receive carefully. Also save all debt collection letters, either in hard copy or electronically.

Know that the debt collector that sent you a letter may not be the company that owns your debt. Banks, creditors, and debt buyers often hire collector agencies to send letters to collect debt. If you received a collection letter from a debt collector, it may not own the debt it is seeking to collect. 

What if I received a collection letter from an attorney?

Collection letters may come from attorneys or law firms, in addition to collection agencies, debt buyers, or banks and lenders. Generally, debts are handed to attorneys so they can take some sort of legal action. In other words, it may be likely that you’ll get sued if you receive a collection letter from a law firm or an attorney. 

If you’re getting collection letters from attorneys or law firms, or if you believe you may get sued, visit our debt defense page to see how we can help.

Should I respond to a debt collection letter?

We suggest responding to collection letters only if you know you owe a debt, you know the debt is accurate, and you can pay the debt. Otherwise, there isn’t much benefit to responding to a letter from a debt collector. If you can’t pay, responding to debt collection letters generally won’t buy you time or prevent a lawsuit from being filed.

You also may want to respond to a debt collection letter to request verification or to cease communications. You have the right to verify that a debt is owed or accurate. You also have the right to tell debt collectors to stop contacting you.

Are threatening debt collection letters unlawful?

Just because you received a letter from a collection agency does not mean the debt collector broke the law. That said, debt collection letters sometimes contain

 Unlawful threats may include:

Collection letters also may contain false or misleading statements, which themselves may be unlawful. 

Common unlawful statements include:

If you’re getting aggressive letters from debt collectors, or if collection agencies send letters that make unlawful threats or have false statements, visit our debt harassment page to see how we can help.

Got a debt collection letter for the wrong person?

If the wrong name is on a debt collection letter, if a debt is in your name but not yours, or if a debt collection letter went to the wrong person, a collection agency may be contacting you in error. It’s unfortunately, but falsely accused of owing money.

The good news is you can dispute debt that is not yours. You have the right to dispute debts, whether you received a collection letter from a debt collector, whether a debt appears on your credit report, or whether collection agencies are calling you.

Hire us to help!

If you’re getting letters from collection agencies, debt collectors, lawyers, or law firms, please contact us for help. To get a free case review, please call us or complete our our free case review form.

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