Esign Legal Illinois Fair Debt Collections Forms For Free

While email may be easy, it's not recommended if you need to send a debt validation letter. Instead, send the letter via certified mail with a return receipt so you have proof the creditor received the letter. Or, you can fax it, as long as you keep a copy of the confirmation receipt for your records.

You should consider sending the letter by certified mail or another method by which you can establish when the letter is received by the intended recipient. Send this letter as soon as you can -- if at all possible, within 30 days of when a debt collector contacts you the first time about a debt.

Generally, this information is provided in a written notice sent as the initial communication to you or within five days of their first communication with you, and it may be sent by mail or electronically. This information will help you recognize whether the debt is yours and, if not, how to dispute it.

A debt collector may NOT: ? harass, oppress or abuse anyone (e.g., use threats, obscene or profane language, etc.); ? make false statements when collecting a debt (includes implying that you have committed a crime or saying you will be arrested or criminally prosecuted if the debt isn't paid); or ? engage in unfair ...

If you send the letter within 30 days of the first contact, the debt collector must stop trying to collect payment until it verifies that the debt is yours.

To dispute a debt, you must send a debt verification letter to the debt collector. These terms can be confusing, but think of a debt verification letter as your way of saying that you intend to dispute the debt. Debt collectors send debt validation letters; debt verification letters are sent in response to one.