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Help! I Think Someone’s Using My Social Security Number
Imagine going to your mailbox and getting a letter from a collection agency regarding a medical bill that you don’t recognize, and that was incurred in a state where you don’t live. Also troubling:...
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The Ultimate Guide to Debt Collectors
Your first reaction when hearing from a bill collector may be panic or avoidance, or perhaps a combination. But those reactions won’t help the situation and could make it a worse. Most collectors are...
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I Got a Debt Collection Notice. Now What?
It’s OK to freak out a little if you receive a debt collection notice. I read and write about debt every day, and even I went into panic mode when a letter from a collector came in the mail several...
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My Bank Called My Dad & Got Him to Pay My Mortgage
Think back to elementary school when you made a mistake and worried that the teacher would tell your parents, and how you dreaded it. A bit of privacy for personal missteps is one of the perks of...
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Can a Debt Collector See My Credit Score?
There’s a perception that only people with serious money problems have to deal with debt collectors. While people struggling to pay their bills may be more likely to have a collection account on their...
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How to Handle a Medical Debt You Don’t Owe
Recently released data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) found that one in five Americans was in a family having problems paying medical bills. And, one in 10 Americans was in a family...
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Debts You Don’t Owe Top Collector Complaints
Americans are tired of being hounded for debts they don’t owe (or at least debts they don’t think they owe), according to a new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Some of the other...
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Can a Debt Collector Publicly Shame You Into Paying?
People often prefer to keep their financial lives private, and that is particularly important if they’re in not-so-good situations like major debt. In many cases, you have a right to privacy, but some...
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Can Debt Collectors Call My Cellphone?
Getting calls from debt collectors is never fun, but when they keep calling you on your cellphone, it can really send you over the edge. After all, you probably carry your cellphone with you virtually...
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5 Scary Facts About Debt Collectors
Debt collectors have a bad reputation among consumers. Even debt collectors who are super friendly and do their jobs by the book are loathed or feared by many of the people on their call lists,...
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3 Things You Need When Negotiating With a Debt Collector
So you’re looking to negotiate a settlement or a payment plan with a debt collector? There are a few critical things you need to do to prepare for that. The most obvious thing you need before you make...
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How Can You Prove a Debt Isn’t Yours?
Getting a letter from a debt collector can be disconcerting, especially if you were not aware of having debt. Your initial communication from the collector, called a demand letter, should contain...
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How Do I Figure Out Where This 4-Year-Old Debt Came From?
It may be something you fear when checking your credit reports — discovering an item that’s been turned over to a debt collector. Especially if it’s an old item, and one you don’t even remember. Where...
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The New Debt Collection Scam: Calling Your Mom
Fraud-fighting organizations are reporting a new trend in debt-collection scams, in which fraudsters not only try to pressure people into forking over money they don’t owe but also harass targets’...
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Help! I Owe $3,600 in Parking Tickets
It’s amazing how something small, like a parking ticket, can quickly snowball into something overwhelming. People receive debt collection notices over little things all the time, and while it’s easy...
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One-Third of Americans Have Collection Accounts: Are You One of Them?
More than a third of Americans with credit files have a debt in collections, the Urban Institute reports in its new analysis of delinquent debt in America. Many of these consumers are unaware of the...
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Debt Collectors’ Jobs Just Got Harder
A new court ruling may be giving more power to consumers trying to figure out if a debt collector’s phone call means they actually owe that debt. A July 16 ruling by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals...
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Can a Friend Send a Debt Collector After Me?
A reader wrote to us, worried that a former friend of her daughter’s might take her daughter to collections over some manicures that had been done out of friendship — before the relationship soured....
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The $47 Cellphone Bill Nightmare
There are countless stories — some of which Credit.com has told — about how a small unpaid bill can make a mess of your credit standing. While there are some big balances that sometimes go to...
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Debt Collector Sentenced to Over 14 Years in Prison
How’s this for a nightmare scenario: A Minnesota man was busted and sentenced to prison for stealing identities while working as a legitimate debt collector. Khemall Jokhoo, 36, is the kind of guy who...
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