Other LanguagesAs we’ve mentioned before on All Consuming, there are legitimate and bogus debt collectors. KIRO TV interviewed Consumer Protection Chief Doug Walsh for a story about debt collectors who try to collect money you don’t actually owe. Walsh said:
"You get a lot of direct mail pitches about 'you owe us this money' with an urgent notice and all sorts of threatening language in there. They create apprehension in the consumer. They just do anything they can to get rid of it, but they may not owe the debt at all. I think we're talking about scammers when we're talking about seeking to enforce a debt that's stale, or was discharged in bankruptcy, or you don't owe it. They're shaking you down for money that they can't collect. So those are pure scam artists and some of them are criminals."
Collectors cannot pursue a debt once you've proven that it's not yours. So if you don’t owe it, you need to act. Ask your bank or creditors to give you written proof, then send a copy of that proof to the collection agency.
With many consumers in financial crisis these days, legitimate debt collection companies are also working overtime. Remember, if you truly owe the debt, you have legal rights.