I requested verification of debt from a ceditor several weeks ago. I received their response today. In the response they state that in order to properly fulfill my request of verification they need me to call them. Should I call?
Is this a CA? Had they contacted you by mail, or had you requested validation due to a TL on your CR? What type of debt? How did you identify the debt you were requesting validation of? Did you dispute the debt, and did you state a reason for disputing, such as "not my account"?
The OC is not a "debt collector" under FDCPA. As such, they do not have to "validate", however they do have to report accurately under FCRA/FACTA. They also have to respond to timely disputes under FCBA. Is this your account? What statements do you have on the account? Is it in default, and if so, for how long? Is there an issue of a disputed charge, and was it ever resolved?
You need to remember that there are a whole lot of rules which pop up. CAs are governed by the FDCPA. CAs and OCs who report to the CRAs are governed by the FCRA. Certain OCs are governed by the FCBA (Fair Credit Billing Act) Knowing which laws apply to which company helps you to know which processes apply to those companies. Believe it or not there are a lot more laws in play than those three, but those are the three biggies. Learn those like the back of your hands and you're mostly set.
