@Anonymous wrote:I was reading this blog site and they recommended that if I had old debt, I could contact new debt collectors within 30 days and send them a debt validation letter?
Has anyone tried this debt validation letter process and had any success?
I haven't tried it but it sounds like an idea worth trying.
I did something like this a year and a half ago, using the FDCPA/HIPAA approach. The situation involved a small medical debt that had been acquired by a Junk Debt Buyer. The JDB was unable to validate the claim, and so I was able to have the claim removed from the bureau report. Here are the threads:
https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Rebuilding-Your-Credit/pay-collection-or-wait-it-out/m-p/5060041
I have used debt validation letters with great success on old medical collections. They were usually cases where the bill was 3-5 years old and I had no idea whether they were valid or not. So I found a template of a debt validation letter and mailed it before even attempting any phone conversation with the collectors (who were calling several times a week). The amounts ranged from $92 to $2500, and some didn't even show the medical facility that created the original bill.
The first benefit to mailing the letter is that the phone calls stop right away - since you specify in the letter that all further communication must be done in writing, as per the FDCPA. Some removed the item from my credit report within a month without replying to the letter. Others required follow up letters. I found one thing surprising - at least in my case (YMMV), not one collector responded in writing. They just stopped communicating after the first letter.
So there were 2 who did nothing after 3 letters, so I sent a letter to each of the CRAs with copies of the letters I mailed to the CA, along with dates of mailing, and requested the debt be removed from my report. The CRAs removed those last 2 items (the last one was removed from TU last month). So now I show no collection items on my reports - which seriously contributed to boosting my FICO8 score 50-60 points.
I recommend you give it a shot and be persistent. Good luck!
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