Collector Verified Debt for a Lower Amount than the Collection

[Anonymous]

I live in Florida. I recently received letters from the Office of the Ohio Attorney General Collections Enforcement Section from an accident that took place two years ago when I drove into a guard rail in Ohio. This is the first time I've ever received any notice that I owe them any money in the year and a half since the accident happened, their letter said I owe them $750.

I asked them to validate the debt, and just received an invoice from the Ohio Department of Transportation from 2 years ago for $490, along with the traffic crash report and motorist info. 

Why should I pay them $750 if they could only validate $490? What should I do from here? All my correspondence with them as been written, no phone calls. Should I send them a money order or cashier's check for $490 and indicate that satisfies the debt and that I don't expect to hear from them again? 

In their first letter they said something to the effect that they were moving my case up for court, and the subject line of their letter validating the debt is "Ohio Department of Transportation -v- 'First name last name'. But I can find no record of me being sued. There is also no record of this debt on any of my credit reports. 

[Anonymous]

Youd better sort this fast.

Pay the 490 now.  If you have to pay the other 260 later, whatever, but if this thing goes to court, and you are unable to appear or dont appear, this debt is going to haunt you for seven years from the judgement, minimum.

Government debt is not a joke, they can even levy your bank accounts and real property.

[RobertEG]

Perhaps the verification was for the original amount of the debt, and additional interest/fees are applicable due to the lengthy period of delinquency.