trying to pay off past debt

by kathy
(kansas)

Have some bounced checks. They supposedly went to a Law Office. I contacted the Law office and asked them for a statement. They said they did not give out the statement until the debt was zeroed out. Then they would send me a statement saying I have paid it off. Can I insist on a statement before payment?

I have a credit card on my credit report. I got it and activated it. I never used it and can not recall ever receiving a statement. On my credit report it shows a $987 debt on it. I contacted the Law Office and they told me that it is all interest over many years on a service fee. Am I liable for this debt?

Reply from DebtCollectionAnswers.com:

Under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you have the right to request verification of a debt before you pay it. That law applies to third party collection agencies (which can include law firms) that regularly collect debts.

We would recommend you do two things at this point. First, at least read the first chapter of our ebook Debt Collection Answers - you can read or download it for free. It should give you at least a broad understanding of some of the debt collection laws that may help here.

Next, we encourage you to talk with a consumer law attorney to find out whether the collection agencies you are dealing with may be breaking the law. Find out here how to get debt collection legal help, free or low-cost.