What Ohio Consumers Should Do When Debt Collectors Call About Debt that They Don’t Owe

Often, Ohio consumers receive phone calls from debt collectors about debt that they don’t actually owe. In fact, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reports that about 41% of the complaints they receive about debt collectors concern pursuit of debt not owed. Sometimes, scammers are the cause of these mysterious debt collection calls. Frequently, though, the debt collector making the call is just misinformed. Either they have the wrong person entirely or their information isn’t updated to show that you paid the debt. Regardless of the mix-up, Ohio consumers falsely accused of owing debts have rights. Fortunately, the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), protects the rights of all Ohio consumers contacted by debt collectors.

Actions Ohio Consumers Should Take When Wrongfully Pursued by Debt Collectors

If called about a paid or unrecognizable debt, Ohio consumers should take action. It is tempting to simply ignore the calls, but doing this is no guarantee that they will go away. Instead, do these four things, in this order.

1 – Gather as much information as possible from the debt collector.

First, ask for the name of the debt collection agency, as well as the address and phone number. The FDCPA requires debt collectors to provide this information. Next, request a letter of validation to prove that the debt is actually yours. Ohio consumers called about debts should remember to keep their own information safe. Never give out your Social Security number or bank account information to a potential scammer. Or, even if the debt collector is legitimate, there is no guarantee that they won’t violate the FDCPA by siphoning funds from your account. Always get proof first.

2 – Ask the debt collector to stop calling with a written request.

Under the FDCPA, debt collectors must stop calling when Ohio consumers ask them to in writing. Of course, this doesn’t mean that they won’t pursue the debt through other means. Yet, the annoying phone calls should stop while you figure everything out.

3 – If necessary, gather supporting evidence.

Ohio consumers pursued for a debt they’ve already paid should gather documents supporting their claim. Send whatever you have to the debt collection agency, and make sure to use certified mail. It is also a good idea to check your credit reports at this point. Just go to www.annualcreditreport.com to request free copies of your credit reports from TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. Once you have them, look over all three credit reports and verify that the debt in question is marked “paid.” If it is not, this is a credit report error, and you can request its removal.

4 – Call the Law Offices of Gary D. Nitzkin, P.C.

If a debt collector ignores your request to stop calling, or if they harass you in any way, we can help. You don’t have to put up with the hassle and frustration caused by abusive debt collectors. Instead, you can get an experienced FDCPA lawyer to make them stop – for free. Also, if a paid debt still shows as “unpaid” in your credit reports, we can take care of that too. In fact, we can force creditors and the credit bureaus to remove all types of credit report inaccuracies.

Stop Debt Collector Harassment in Ohio

Don’t put up with abusive debt collectors. At the Law Offices of Gary D. Nitzkin in Ohio, we’ve been ending debt collector harassment and cleaning up credit reports for consumers since 2008 for free. How do we do it? All of our fees come from the defendants in settled cases. This is why our clients pay nothing for the work we do.

Let’s start the conversation about what we can do for your credit. Set up your free consultation today by calling Attorney Gary D. Nitzkin, P.C. at (216) 358-0591 or sending him a message through our contact page.

For more information about Stopping Debt Collector Harassment, please visit https://creditrepairlawyersam.com/ohio/ohio-debt-collectors/.