Hello all, I am a newbie to this site and was hoping I could get some help. I think my first post was in the wrong area :{ I want to send a validation letter and Unauthorized credit inquiry letters . My questions are this: Do I send them to the 3 credit agencies or to the actually collector? I would save a shit load of postage if I sent it to the credit agencies, but I am not totally sure how well that would help me. Do I also send a copy of my credit report or can I just cut and paste off the report and give them what they need? One more thing. If a had a credit card that I paid on for like 1 year and then stopped making payments and now itâ??s is past due like 1 year. Should I send a validation letter to this company and hope they take it off? Or do I want to keep it because it did show I paid on time for a year? Or is this just bad all together? Also after reading on here I seen somewhere that I should not sign my name on any letters I send to the CA? Is this true?
Letters requesting validation go to debt collectors. I would first dispute any and all adverse tradeline through the credit reporting agencies. Do so by data fields that are actually inaccurate and or incomplete; i.e., date of status/last activity, account type, pay status, balance history, etc. These letters should be simple and serve to request verification. Whatever remains should be addressed by 1) asking the credit reporting agencies for a second re-investigation and 2) contacting the furnishers. If it's a debt collector, simply ask for validation of the debt and point out anything that the verified which they should not have. If it's an original creditor, ask for verification under the FACTA amendments to the FCRA. Also, point out to them anything that was erroneously verified. You need not sign anything you send and I wouldn't go to the trouble of sending in paperwork.
so, let me make sure I am understanding this right . I dont need to send in a copy of my report to the collectors? Wont they need to pull my report up again to see it if I dont mail them one? so just put the account number and date it was open and all that other stuff? Wouldnt it be easier if all the info was infront of them and more likely they will just delete it? Thanks for your help
No, if you send them the report then the will have information that they would not otherwise have. You'd be surprised how little information these companies have. The less they have the better chance for deletion. That's why I suggest disputing them through the credit reporting agencies first. You may not even be on their radar but, you will be if you send them a bunch of paper. Again, for the items that are verified, just send a simple letter to the furnisher asking for either validation or verification and point out any errors. Just put your name, address, and the account number. If they can find the account by those means, it's their problem and they shouldn't be verifing your disputes.
That makes sense. Everything I sent should be cert/ return Receipt? even the Unauthorized credit inquiry letters i send? This is alot of postage. My credit is ugly. is there a time frame of when the Unauthorized credit inquiry letters should be taken care of? Should I write 14 days or something, and hope they do it in that frame? Oh ya another thing. If my husband has a Unauthorized credit inquiry on his report that is the same as mine, can I write just one letter and mail it to them with both account numbers and both are inforamtion? or should they be sent Separate ?
I'd just sent them Certified Article to save some money. You can put a timeframe on it but, they may not abide to it or at all. I'd just say within a reasonable amount of time or you'll invoke your rights under the FCRA via a civil action. Your husband's letter should probably be separate to avoid confusion.
Im sorry, I didnt realize I needed that info. I dont have it all infront of me right now but I will later.
It's a bad debt that is valid and within the reporting SOL? Given that you claim it is only a year or so after charge off, there are worse things than having a bad credit report. Furthermore, keep in mind that validation isn't a high hurdle according to Chaudhry, which claims that all the CA has to do is confirm that the amount is correct according to the original creditor: "Verification of a debt involves nothing more than the debt collector confirming in writing that the amount being demanded is what the creditor is claiming is owed; the debt collector is not required to keep detailed files of the alleged debt."
