National Attorney Collection Services, Inc.

Business Consumer Alliance urges caution! Never give your bank account credit card numbers or other personal information to unidentified callers for any reason. If you are contacted by a debt collector about an unfamiliar debt don't allow the collector to intimidate you into paying a debt you do not owe. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act FDCPA gives you the right to verify debts from debt collectors. Within 35 days of being contacted by a debt collector you can send a letter requesting the collector validate your debt. This validation needs to include some documents from the original creditor proving you owe the debt the amount you owe is valid and the agency is allowed to collect the debt from you. Your request for validation must be made in writing and should be sent via certified mail with return receipt requested. Within five days of its first communication to you the debt collector is responsible for sending you a debt validation notice. This notice should be in writing letter letting you know you have the right to dispute the validity of the debt within 30 days. The FDCPA allows the collector to include the debt validation notice in the initial communication. So if the debt collector's first communication with you is by phone you should receive a debt validation letter from them within five days. If the first communication is by letter that letter might already include the debt validation notice; otherwise you should soon get another letter including the notice. The written notice must also tell you the amount to the debt the name of the creditor what you must do to dispute the debt how to contact the creditor and that unless you dispute the validity of the debt or some part of it within 30 days after you receive the notice they will assume it is valid. During the 30 day period the collector can continue attempts to collect the debt from you until it receives your validation request. Keep in mind that federal and state consumer protection laws do not permit debt collectors to collect or attempt to collect a consumer debt by use or threat of use of physical force or violence by any criminal means to cause harm to the person or the reputation or the property of any person; or the threat to any person that nonpayment of the consumer debt will result in the arrest of the debtor or the seizure garnishment or attachment of wages unless such action is in fact contemplated by the debt collector and permitted by the law. The law also prohibits the practice of using obscene or profane language; placing telephone calls without disclosure of the caller's identity misrepresenting the purpose of the telephone call or communication; or by repeated calls or contacts to annoy or harass.If you have been contacted by a collection agency for a debt which seems unfamiliar to you carefully check your records to verify the the origin and amount before paying. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act protects consumers from unfair collection tactics including threats harassment and collection of fictitious debts. This law also requires debt collectors to supply documentation to substantiate the debt upon request of the debtor. If they are unable to present the requested documentation you are not required to pay the debt.