How to make a debt collector prove the debt

When a debt collector first contacts you, federal law requires it to give you validation information: who it is collecting for, how much it says you owe, how that amount was reached, and the date your window to dispute closes. It usually arrives as a letter called a validation notice, either in the first contact or within five days of it.

The 30-day window

You have 30 days from receiving the validation notice to dispute the debt, all of it or part of it. The notice prints the exact end date, so you do not have to count. If you dispute in writing inside that window, the collector must stop collecting until it mails you verification of the debt, or a copy of a court judgment. You can also ask, in the same letter, for the name and address of the original creditor if it is different from the company now collecting.

If the window has passed, you can still dispute. The collector is no longer required to pause, but a disputed debt must not be reported to the credit bureaus without saying that you dispute it.

What to send

A short letter that names the reference number from the collector's notice and says that you dispute the debt and request verification. You do not have to explain why, and you should not admit the debt is yours if you are not sure it is. The letter builder writes one from the details on the notice, in your browser.

• Send it by certified mail with a return receipt, so you can prove the date it arrived.
• Keep a copy of the letter and of everything the collector sends you.
• Send copies of your documents, never originals.

If you already paid, or it is not yours

Say so, and send copies of what proves it: a canceled check, a statement, a settlement letter. If you do not recognize the debt at all, it may be a mix-up of names or identity theft; read the identity theft recovery steps before you pay anything.

What verification looks like

The law does not spell out a list of documents, and collectors differ. Expect at least the amount and the creditor, often an account statement. If what comes back does not match what you know, dispute it with the collector again and, if the debt is on your credit report, with the bureaus too (see how to dispute a credit report error).