Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Georgia

You leave out important details -- such as your relationship to the collector, original creditor, or the debt. Why do you need to prove to them who you are? While there may be very limited times when this information is necessary to resolve an issue, you have not provided enough information to conclude this is one of them. The one certainty - if this is not your debt, don't give it to them.

NO! NO ! NO!

You never give your social, account number, birthday or anything else by phone. Not ever.

At best you are harming your case. At worst you are actually giving info to a criminal that will steal your identity.

Get a lawyer before you talk to garbage collection agencies.

You made a mistake by not contacting a lawyer instantly. Do so now.

I echo the above advice. I deal with debt collectors and they do ask for date of birth and social security numbers and letters of representation to make sure that they are dealing with the correct client and to make sure that I am indeed authorized to act on behalf of the client.

However, I just wouldn't be giving out my social security number without more details. Are you financially responsible for this debt? When was the debt last paid? Have you received anything in writing about the debt? Has the statute of limitations expired (its 6 years as per caselaw if this is a Georgia debt)? How much is owed?

If this is your debt and you have no defenses, get any proposed repayment terms in writing BEFORE you pay them a dime and make sure that the letter from them says that if you pay as outlined that the debt will be considered settled in full. Never give them a check by phone or access to your bank account. Pay by money order or western union but keep a copy of the payment forever.

I don't know about the last four of an account number. I have had one scummy debt collector demand the whole thing claiming that only the last 4 digits are meaningless.

If you absolutely have to give the social security number as you think this is your debt, ask them if you can give the first or last four digits of your social security number only.

I also would agree with Attorney Malekabadi. You should not do this alone and should get an attorney. While you are free to use any of the attorneys or none of the attorneys here, if you are interested in discussing the specifics of your case, I give free consults via email. If you want me to settle your debt (if you have the funds), I can do that too for a reasonable fee.