topic Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help! in General Credit Topics

Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

cesmith64 — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 01:23:25 GMT

Out of the blue today I get a email form my USAA credit monitoring service that there was a change on my credit report that I needed to look into. I was upset to see that a collection from a place called Enhanced Recovery has reported that I have a past due bill with ATT!! WTH!! I have tv, internet and cell service with ATT and I am in perfect standing with them. I called ATT and they have no idea why a collection agency is saying that I owe them money and they have no record of any past due balances of any kind. I have disputed the charge already earlier today with the Experian online dispute center. I have received no past due bills of any kind in the mail, ever, and I have never been notified in any way, shape or form that I owe any past due amounts. The collection has had a huge impact on my credit report and it says this collection will stay on my report until 2015! There was a phone number and address fpr Enhanced Recovery. Do I call them or write them a letter? I have racked my brain if there could be something from my past that I could have inadvertently not paid but from 2002-2008 I lived out of the country in the UK and prior to that I didn't even use ATT! How do I get this off my report? Thanks in advance, I have been using these boards religiously to get my scores up and now this!! By the way, I live in Texas and this Enhanced Recovery says they are in Florida!

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 01:30:15 GMT

Send them a DV letter. Since you live in TX they have to respond within 30 days.

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

cesmith64 — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 01:58:24 GMT

Thank you for the reply, would I just send the letter to the address that is on my credit report? Any tips on righting a proper DV letter?

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

ptkdude — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 02:28:06 GMT

Keep the letter simple, and send it CMRRR (Certified mail, return recepit requested). Here's the letter I sent to Northland Credit when they popped up. I actually got their unable to validate/closing account response of before I got the green card back from the post office.

Dear Debt Collector:

This letter is sent in response to a letter received by me on January 12, 2011. I am requesting that you provide validation of this debt.

If you do not comply with this request, I will immediately file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and the Georgia Attorney General’s office.

Further, you are hereby instructed not to contact me via telephone.

Regards,

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

cesmith64 — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 02:31:44 GMT

Thank you for your help!

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:09:30 GMT

I really would not send that letter, not the first time.

There is absolutely no requirement for them to respond to a DV letter in any state but TX.

"I found this account on my credit report (xxxxxxxxx), please validate". Since they only have 30 days in TX to respond give them the time. Then if they don't send out a more aggressive letter.

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

payingoffdebt001 — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:51:59 GMT

They showed up on mine too, but i did actually talk to someone on the cell phone about 2weeks ago and asked them what was this collections call for, they said for an AT&T bill from 1993!!! I quickly told them I do not know anything about this and please do not call me again, next thing I notice, it showed up on my credit report and they listed the DATED OPENED as 02/2011. I have had cell phone service for years and never with AT&T so its not a new account, that I know for sure - plus what the person told me on the phone. I sent a dispute letter and also did an online dispute to the CRA and informed them the SOL has passed - and mentioned the phone call. I am willing to pay it just to get rid of it and to stop it from being purchased over and over if I must, but thought I would try this route first becuase it upset me that after so mnay yaers they would try and post as new on my credit report. The amount is $143.00.

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:35:12 GMT

@payingoffdebt001 wrote:
They showed up on mine too, but i did actually talk to someone on the cell phone about 2weeks ago and asked them what was this collections call for, they said for an AT&T bill from 1993!!! I quickly told them I do not know anything about this and please do not call me again, next thing I notice, it showed up on my credit report and they listed the DATED OPENED as 02/2011. I have had cell phone service for years and never with AT&T so its not a new account, that I know for sure - plus what the person told me on the phone. I sent a dispute letter and also did an online dispute to the CRA and informed them the SOL has passed - and mentioned the phone call. I am willing to pay it just to get rid of it and to stop it from being purchased over and over if I must, but thought I would try this route first becuase it upset me that after so mnay yaers they would try and post as new on my credit report. The amount is $143.00.

If this debt is from 1993 it is clearly beyond the CRTP. This is a violation of the FCRA. As for the date opened, that is the date it was opened with the CA, not the OC.

If they don't respond to your DV or don't remove it from your CR, the next thing I would do is send them an ITS.

As for now, I would file complaints with the FTC, BBB and your states AG office.

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

cesmith64 — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:55:02 GMT

The more I look into this the more annoyed I am. How is it legal for this company to be able to post a collection on my report with no notice or warning? I see that the collection on my report says the account was opened 02/2011 as well. This is more of a rant at this point as I am now off to right my letters to try and clear up this mess. Ugh.

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:04:17 GMT

Unfortunately, there is no law that says they must notify you first.

But, if they put it on your CR first, that is considered initial communications and they have to send a dunning letter within 5 days.

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

cesmith64 — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 21:57:54 GMT

I am just so frustrated, that is all. I have received no letter or correspondence from this company and if it hadn't been for my USAA credit monitoring I would have not caught this so quickly. I just can't see how it is legal for a collection agency to put an collection entry on my report for a debt that I know I do not owe. I do not owe ATT anything and it is just upsetting that I now have to somehow prove that by no fault of my own. Thanks everyone again for the replies.

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

Shogun — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 23:55:37 GMT

They prey on the uninformed. That's why they're called bottom feeders. Don't get me wrong, there are some reputable CAs out there, but there are many bottom feeders.

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

RobertEG — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:22:59 GMT

First of all, did the debt collector ever send you a formal, written collection (dunning) notice? By posting to your CR, that is considered an "initial communication with the consumer" that triggered their requriement under FDCPA 809(a) to send you a dunning notice withing 5-days thereafter, specifiying the original creditor, the amount of the alleged debt they are collectiong, and advisement of your debt validation rights. It appears that the debt collector might be in violaton of FDCPA 809(a).

I would DV them immediately, regardless of whether they have sent you dunning notice. You can DV without first receiving dunning notice, as long as you have their correspondence address.

However, I would not necessarity stop at just a DV letter. All you will probably get from them in response to your DV is an asserted affirmation of the debt,the name of the OC, and a statement of the amount of the debt.

You can also send the debt collector a direct dispute under FCRA 623(a)(8), disputing the owing of any debt. That will also compel them to conduct an investigation of the disputed information, and report the results back to you in appox. 30-days. Send, as supporting documentation for your dispute, the statements by the OC that they have no record of collection referral, or of any delinquencies on their account.

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

cesmith64 — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:53:09 GMT

I have received nothing in the mail or otherwise from this Enhanced Recovery outfit, only was notified by my USAA credit monitoring service that a potential adverse activity had posted to my credit report. I logged in and found this collection. It says date opened 2/2011 and date of last report as 4/2011, account open for 1 month. I don't know what any of these items mean, I just know that my credit has plummeted almost 100 points from this and I am sick about. Worked so hard to get into the 700's and keep everything in order and just like that it is taking away, I just feel robbed. I have my DV letter all ready and will mail it tomorrow. I have been told since I am in Texas that by law that have to respond to me in 30 days. I guess I will call AT T back as well to see if I can get something in writing from them stating that both of my accounts with them are in good standing and always have been. Thanks.

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

RobertEG — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:58:04 GMT

If you have letters from the OC stating that the account is not now, nor never was delinquent, that is all you would need to file a direct dispute with the debt collector.

That is definative supporting documentation for dispute of their collection on a non-existent debt delinquency.

Maybe you will get lucky, and they will just delete faced with the imminent need to provide validation, and wont have to even disptue.

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

cesmith64 — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:30:32 GMT

DV letter mailed and off to call AT-T again. Now to play the 30 day (hopefully less!) waiting game. Thanks again for everyones replies/help.

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:35:13 GMT

@Shogun wrote:
They prey on the uninformed. That's why they're called bottom feeders. Don't get me wrong, there are some reputable CAs out there, but there are many bottom feeders.

They hope we are uniformed. I guess many of them have not heard about this site.

I wonder how many frequent the boards.

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

cesmith64 — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 02:33:12 GMT

Update : Ok, yesterday I received the "green" card back from CA that someone had signed for and received my DV letter. Checked my credit report today and the collection is gone!! Fako score is back to exactly what it was before this mess. I don't know if the CA took the collection off or the CRA dispute worked but either way I am glad it is gone. Huge relief and hope no more surprises anytime soon! Thanks again for all the good advice I get from these boards.

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

payingoffdebt001 — Sun, 01 May 2011 02:40:51 GMT

AWESOME!!! I hope it goes that smoothly for me as well! I just sent off my DV letter a couple days ago (cant wait to get the green card!) and that online dispute & Letter I sent to Experian is still pending. Its listed on my other two reports but I havent written or done the online dispute with them yet so I I hope the DV letter does the trick and they remove themseleves from all 3 CRA's so my score can go back up because of this looking like a NEW collection it really hurt my score too.

Glad it worked out for you!

Re: Collection showed up on my credit report today!! Advice needed, please help!

cesmith64 — Sun, 01 May 2011 16:35:58 GMT

Good luck to you as well, payingoffdebt001! I was lucky that this collection was only put on my Experian report and I didn't have to dispute with the other two CRA. I only did an online dispute with Experian, not a letter, but I think the CA must have just removed the collection themselves as I never heard from Experian. It just a shame that CA have the power to report false info in the first place.