Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Maine
Limit to collect on a debt
My husband and I spent many years trying to clean up his poor credit history. We finally had it all clean in 2004! We purchased a home in 2006 and our mortgage broker said we had no issues on his credit report. His credit score was in the 700's. We just got a letter from a collection agency stating we owe $4252.48 on a credit card we know we paid already. This card is no longer even on his credit report. I don't have proof that we paid this. I don't want to pay it twice! What do we do?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Limit to collect on a debt
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act allows you to request, in writing, that the debt collector provide proof to you of the account, who owns the debt, the origin of the debt, etc. You should write to them, dispute that you owe it, explain that it was paid in full by you and when, and request a full accounting of the debt to protect your rights. Chances are that the collector will confirm that the account was paid off as you state.
If they persist, hiring a lawyer, even for the limited purpose of fighting this debt, should be considered by you before the collector goes too far.