Have you been contacted by a collection agency regarding an old debt you're not sure is yours? If so, you have the right to receive more detailed information before cutting a check to anyone.
In fact, under the FDCPA, you have the right to dispute the validity of the alleged debt and even request that the collector send written proof of what you owe. This process, commonly referred to as "Debt Validation", requires you to send a written validation request to the debt collector within 30 days of the first written notice regarding the debt.
And while the FDCPA doesn't exactly spell out what constitutes a proper validation response from the debt collector, receiving some kind of documentation is better than nothing at all, right? Furthermore, debt collectors must stop all collection activities on the debt and refrain from listing it on your credit reports until they respond appropriately to the debt validation request.
