Turned in a collections agency, without notification

[slakessolace]

What is the name of your state? Resident of Ohio, attending college in WV

I have recently been applying for credit cards in an attempt to build up credit, and i have been getting rejected. So i checked my credit report and i have many positive reports, and only one negative. The negative is that I have been turned into a collections agency for an amount around $80. Now the problem with this is that the college i attend has turned me int the collections agency in 2002, but i was never informed i had an outstanding balance ever. Also I was never informed i was going to be turned into a collections agency. Plus, if i had an outstanding balance at the time, i would not be able to register for classes. My question is A. what is the best thing for me to do B. is it legal to turn me into a collections agency and ruin my credit, without informing me that i had an overdue balance, or that they were going to turn me into a collections agency.

Thanks for you time and help

 

[olgethorpe]

Validate...

You need to send a Certified Letter, Return Receipt Requested to the collection agency demanding that they validate that this debt is yours and that they have the right to collect it. (see www.creditinfocenter.com for more info on all this).

If it turns out this isn't yours you have the right to sue these folks under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.