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I just got a call from a collections agency saying I had a debt for a little less than $200 from some medical equipment from back in 2007. This is the first time I hear about it and when I tried to ask the collector for more information, she wouldn't answer, she just kept asking how I was planning to pay. The usual stuff one hears from collectors.
I had insurance back then and as far as I know I had paid all my medical bills up to now. How long will this stay on collections and/or credit report and why would I hear about this until now?
Have you checked your credit report already? Is the item listed on your credit report? Send a debt validation letter via CMRRR to the CA asap. If the debt is not validated or you're sure you don't owe the bill, then dispute the listing with the credit bureau.
I haven't checked lately, but a few months ago I checked and printed a huge report and didn't really see this on it. I wasn't looking for this in particular, but I'm sure I would have noticed it if it was there. There was one that showed up, but it had nothing to do with this and I had that resolved.
I'll check again. However, I saw that report on 60 minutes, I think, where they showed that the credit bureaus don't really do much to help you in disputes and when one makes a dispute, the bureau what really does is asks the company charging you if you really owe this money. Of course they will say say, so the bureau will come back and tell you it couldn't resolve the issue. I had something similar, with the issues I had mentioned above and the only way that I could resolve it was to call the company directly, several times and showed them paper work that I didn't owe them anything. It was AT&T charging me for equipment I had returned. When faxed them the paperwork from UPS saying I had returned the item they (AT&T) said they had received it, but hadn't logged it in.
Anyway, that was just a little venting. I'll check my report again though.
Yes, do check your credit report once again. If the item is not listed on your credit report, then you can very well ignore the call without any hesitation.
The very first step you should take is run a thorough check of your credit report. Only the items listed there are worth your concern honestly.
How long can a debt stay
Welcome to the forums!!!
I think they are scammers. Next time if they call you back, ask them about their mailing address to send them the debt validation request letter.