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

[cesmith64]

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. 

[Shogun]

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.

[RobertEG]

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.

[cesmith64]

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.

[RobertEG]

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.

[cesmith64]

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. 

[Anonymous]

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@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.

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

I wonder how many frequent the boards.

[cesmith64]

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. 

[payingoffdebt001]

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!

[cesmith64]

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.