By: Undisputed Legal/Court Service Department
If a debt collector contacts you about the debt you do not believe you owe, follow these steps:
- Check your credit report. You are entitled to one free credit report each year from three major credit reporting agencies. To get your credit report, visit www. annual credit report.com or call (877) 322-8228. For identity theft prevention tips, visit nyc.gov/dca or Call 311. 2. File a police report at your local precinct 3. Dispute the debt in writing within 30 days and send a copy of your police report And a copy of a completed Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ID Theft Affidavit (available online at www.ftc.gov/idtheft) to the debt collection agency. The collection Agency must review your documentation and send you a written decision stating whether the agency believes you do not owe the debt. Until the debt collection Agency formally determines that it believes you still owe the debt, it must stop trying To collect the debt from you. Note By law, if a debt collection agency determines that your claim of identity theft is valid, it must:Tell the credit reporting agencies to delete the debt from your credit report (if the Collection agency reported the deficit).Notify the original creditor that it stopped collection attempts based on your definition of Identity theft.
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