When a third-party debt collector contacts you, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA, 15 U.S.C. §1692g) gives you a key right: request validation in writing within 30 days of their first notice, and the collector must stop collecting until they mail you verification of the debt.
The 30-day window
A collector must send a written validation notice (the amount, the creditor’s name, and your dispute rights) at or shortly after first contact. From the day you receive it you have 30 days to dispute in writing. Dispute in that window → collection pauses until they verify. Miss it → they can presume it valid (you can still dispute, but lose the automatic pause).
The letter
[Your full name]
[Your address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Date]
[Collection agency name]
[Collection agency address]
Re: Debt validation request
Account / reference number: [from the collector's notice]
To whom it may concern:
I am responding to your notice about the account above. I dispute this debt and
request validation under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C.
1692g). Please provide:
- the amount of the debt and an itemization (original principal, interest, fees);
- the name and address of the original creditor;
- documentation that I am the party who owes this debt; and
- your authority/license to collect it in my state, if applicable.
Until you mail me this validation, please cease collection activity on this
account, as the FDCPA requires. If you report this debt to any credit bureau,
please report it as disputed. Please communicate with me only in writing at the
address above.
Sincerely,
[Your signature]
[Your printed name]
How to send it
Send by certified mail with return receipt and keep the receipt and a copy — the date is what protects you. Do not make a payment or admit the debt before it’s validated; on an old debt a payment can restart the statute of limitations (see time-barred debt).
Notes. Validation applies to third-party collectors, not necessarily the original creditor. If they verify a debt you truly owe, it stands — but collectors frequently can’t produce documentation, especially on sold/“zombie” debt. If they keep collecting after a timely dispute without validating, that may violate the FDCPA. To also remove it from your report, pair this with a collection dispute. General information, not legal advice.