Heather
Murphy,#2Consumer Suggestion
Fri, April 28, 2006
John: There is help and justice available to you. They're called the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Read up on both, but in a nutshell, a collector has to prove that you owe the alleged debt in order to collect on it or report it to the credit bureau. There are TONS of debt collection discussion forums on the net - pick one and start reading. First thing is first though...immediately send a letter to Palisades disputing the debt. Send it via certified mail, return receipt (and keep the receipt and letter copy in your files). They either have to send you proof of the debt, or stop all collection attempts. Check your 3 credit reports to make sure they're not reporting a derogatory collection account. If they are, dispute the accounts with the credit reporting agencies. You have legal recourses should this thing not go away. Inform yourself and others about your rights as a consumer. Don't fall for collection tricks!