what are our rights?

[leidyrosey]

Hi the reason i'm posting this is because my brother received a phone call saying he was sent to collections by a phone company. he doesnt have a cell phone by this company and he has never received any bills to indicate he has a contract with that company. when we called the company the phone company said he didnt owe anything. yet the collection company still calls him. we tried to get them to send us statements or proof that he owes something and they say no. could this be a scam? or do the collection companies reserve the right not to send us anything. please help we are very confused. thank you

State of California

[zippysgoddess]

No, they do not have the right to refuse to provide you with proof, you are entitled to validation of the debt, it is quite possible a mix-up with someone who has a similar name to his, an SSN number that is a digit or so off, or stolen identity.

They will ignore your requests over the phone though, you need to send them a letter demanding the debt information in writing, send it CMRRR and keep copies for yourself as proof you sent it and the proof that they received it.