Capital One/Collections Question

[Anonymous]

Hello,

So I woke up this morning to see a BIG dip in my credit score because of a collections account that was added onto my report. The thing is I literally don't know what it's for other than the creditor is Capital One. Long story short, I used to have two Capital One cards when I first turned 18 (around 2012?). Went a little crazy, ended up paying them off, and closed the accounts...which are reporting correctly on my report to this day. Maybe 5 months after I closed those two accounts, I opened up another credit card with Capital One. That one ended up going to collections. I just recently paid that one off and it's no longer reporting. Now I get some thing from Protfolio Recovery over ANOTHER Capital One account. I have no idea what this is. I only remmebr having three cards with them. Two when I turned 18 and one that went to collections. My question is how do I go about figuring out when this was opened? Maybe even a statement of some sort? I hate talking to collections agencies cause all they want you do to is just shut up and pay them and I'm not going to pay on something that I know is not mine. Should I call Capital One? 

[Anonymous]

Send a letter to portfolio recovery and ask for a debt verification to prove the debt is still valid. If you have paid the original creditor like you stated they may not know that the debt was paid and to cease collection efforts. They will call the original creditor to verify the debt is still either owed or not and report back to you with their findings.

[RobertEG]

Send them a formal request for debt validation under FDCPA 809(b).

That will impose an automatic cease collection bar on them until such time as they have sent the requested validation.

In the meantime, I would suggest calling Cap One and inquiring as to whether they have referred or sold the debt to the named debt collector.

If Cap One states that you have no delinquent debt with them and they did not authorize collection by a debt collector, that could be basis to then support an additional dispute filed with the CRA of the accuracy of the reporting of a collection.