I HOPE THIS IS NOT TOO LATE. 3 YEARS AGO MIDLAND SENT ME A LETTER STATING THE AMOUNT I OWED THEM ($1036).I CALLED THE NUMBER ON THE LETTER AND THE CUSTOMER REP TOLD ME THIS DEBT WAS FROM VERIZON BUT SHE DID NOT KNOW HOW LONG IT HAD BEEN IN THERE OFFICE. AFTER THAT PHONE CALL MIDLAND CALLED ME EVERYDAY FOR ABOUT 6 WEEKS...SO I CALLED VERIZON TO CONFIRM THIS DEBT WAS SOLD TO MIDLAND CREDIT MANAGEMENT. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT VALIDATE THIS DEBT ANYMORE DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE ACCOUNT HAS BEEN PAST DUE OVER 4 YEARS. HOWEVER AS FAR AS VERIZON WAS CONCERNED I DID NOT OWE THEM ANY MONEY BUT THEY WERE REPORTING IT AS A CHARGEOFF... WOW! A MONTH AFTER I RECEIVED THE MIDLAND LETTER... I FILED 2 COMPLAINTS AGAINST VERIZON AND MIDLAND TO THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSIOM/ UNFAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES... 3 MONTHS LATER WHEN I CHECKED MY CREDIT REPORTS... NO VERIZON OR MIDLAND ON ANY OF THEM. I HAVE'NT HEARD FROM THEM SINCE...MY TIP FOR YOU WOULD BE TO WORK THEM HARD. FILE A COMPLAINT TO THE FTC/FAIR DEBT COLLECTION. THEN THEY WILL LEAVE YOU ALONE.
I've been where you are trying to go and I don't wanna go back.