When an account on your credit report is inaccurate, erroneous, out of date, or unverified, it must be deleted.
When a third party collection company posts an overdue account on your credit report, you have the right to verification of the facts. Here’s what happened recently:
One of my book readers saw a collection account with a balance that she did not believe was accurate. She wrote a letter to the collection company asking for verification.
She waited 45 days (to allow for 30 days investigation and time for the USPS mail to go back and forth).
No response ever came.
She then wrote a letter to each credit bureau that showed the unverified collection, and SUCCESS! The collection was promptly deleted.
Here’s what the letter said:
“On <date> I sent a letter to <creditor> asking for verification of an account that I do not recognize: account #xxxx12345. It has been 45 days, and I have received no response whatsoever. Therefore, posting this account on my credit report is a violation (unverified) and must be deleted.”
Short and to-the-point. Factual. Real. No legalese gobbledygook.
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Thank you for reading and sharing. God bless your day.
I do not have any utilities in my name, what can I use in the place of a bill to request my credit report.
You can use any or all of the following for ID to request your credit report. Use at least two, and three is better.
1) Driver’s license, 2) State issued ID, 3) cell phone bill (you might have to go online and print it out) 4) school student card (not the best but if you’re short on ID, it’s better than not having two pieces), 5) Passport (again not the best but if you’re desperate for a second item), 6) rent agreement (only the page that shows your name and address) 7) social security card
Thank you so much!
Thank you for this. I’ve written 2 dispute letters to a collection agency on my daughter’s reports. 1st letter they didn’t send me the information I requested to prove she owed the debt. 2nd letter they ignored it.
Then it sounds like it’s time for you to use this strategy for her!
I sent a collection company a debt validation letter. I requested an explanation of what the account is for, a calculation of the balance, a document showing that I agreed to pay them, the agreement that gives them the authority to collect a debt and a copy of their state license and number. In their response they sent a copy of an old credit card statement (with a lower balance than that they say that I owe them), a letter stating that the debt was sold to them and a generic statement from them, with their name and original creditor on it. They did not send me a complete payment history, the agreement that gives them authority to collect or a copy of their state license or license number. They have also emailed me a new statement with an option of paying 50% of the balance. In the new statement letter they have said that upon payment, they will request the credit reporting agencies delete it from my credit report.
I have mailed the reporting agencies a letter requesting them to delete the collection because they did not provide all of the information that I requested. The reporting agencies have replied saying that it was a valid debt and it would not be deleted.
I am looking for some advice at this point. Should I negotiate an offer and pay a portion of the balance? Or, should I keep requesting the reporting agencies delete the account?
Congratulations Troy on receiving the perfect settlement offer! 50% off with the deletion is exactly what you want. I would take that immediately and feel very proud. (When the collector instructs the credit bureaus to delete the account, they do it without delay or question, so this is perfect.)