Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Virginia

Re: Out of the blue bills!

The collection agency has five days from the date of first contact with you (whether by mail, phone, fax, email, or whatever) in which to send you a statement of your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Be sure to keep a written log of each communication with the collection agency, including date, time, the name of the person you spoke with, the (full, true, and correct) name of the collection agency, and the substance of the conversation or nature of the contact. Make a folder to put all your from- and to- mail in, copy everything and put it in that folder.

The agency will probably try and fool you about what their name is, and where they're located: pin them down on a street address (not a p.o. box) and a name that includes words like, "co., company, corp., corporation, ltd., limited, inc., incorporated, llc, or limited liability company - without words like that, you're probably not getting a valid name. They don't want to be sued, so they try to avoid telling you who they really are.

If, as and when you receive anything in writing from them, you must immediately send them written notice of your demand for verification of the indebtedness. There are specific things you should ask for in the demand for verification, and it has to be sent to the correct address within a limited time OR YOU LOSE IMPORTANT RIGHTS.

Feel free to email me if you need further assistance. [email protected]