Can I do a debt validation for a CA that hasn't sent me a letter in 2 years or do I have to do it once I receive a dunning letter? I want it off my CR so I want to DV or PFD.
You can request validation at any time, but it only provides certain protections under the FDCPA if sent within 30 days after receipt of your notice from the CA. If they haven't sent you anything in two years AND it's still on your credit report, you might wake them up so they start bothering you all over again. In which case, a DV at this point will not prevent them from doing that. You could dispute it through the CRA(s) to see if the CA still has it. If they do, it'll come back verified and you can then start negotiating with them. If they don't it'll be removed from your credit reports and you can forget about it until the next CA calls.
That's what I'm worried about. What reason would I choose to dispute it through CRA? Not mine, account balance?
