Hi all, I recently, out of the blue, received a call (at 9 p.m. last night lol) from Debt Collector (DC ?). They referred to me by maiden name from 11 years ago. I asked what it was and they said "it looks like a line of credit with BofA with remaining balance of 318.00" I asked WHEN this was from as didn't ring a bell, and she said 2000!? I told her I was totally clueless as to what this could be, especially given it is 13 years old. She said if I was saying it wasn't mine then she would send it to their dispute department. I asked for validation of the debt, and she said she would send something after I provided updated address. I am really foggy on how to handle, and I hope I didn't goof up. Any help please?... 1. I am in Florida, and the only other state(s) this could have occurred was Kentucky/Tennesse (I was on the stateline). SOL would play a crucial role in this I think, right? 2. How should I proceed? The DV should be on its way, but can they report this to my credit all these years later? 3. What exactly does the "dispute department" represent at a collection agency?
1. SOL plays a part -- yes. However, you're in Florida, and SOL ran out long ago. If I am reading your post right, you've lived in FL for a number of years? 2. You can send a DV LTR out immediately. I would not rely simply on your verbal request for it, you need it in writing and sent certified return receipt. No, they cannot report this to the CB's. Negative information must be removed 7.5 years from the date of first delinquency (some time back in 2000 as you said). If you monitor your credit reports continue to check for an account from them. If not, you may want to (at least until you can confirm in writing that this CA goes away) sign up for a monitoring service. Some people on the board like the 3-in-1 reporting from Equifax. It's $12.95 a month with a 30-day free trial. You get unlimited pulls on your Eq report, one time score from Eq, one time pull from the other bureaus and continuous monitoring of all 3 (meaning if something changes on your Experian report, you will be notified, but you won't be able to pull a fresh copy of that report). 3. Dispute department = the lunch room. As I said, I would not rely on anything said verbally. Get and put it all in writing.
Mindcrime crushed that. SOL are long gone, and you'll want to communicate your DV in writing versus the phone. And the Equifax 3-in-1 is a solid credit monitoring tool; don't forget your due one free credit report each year as well. Good luck and let us know!
