Midland Collection Agenc MIDLAND COLLECTION Agenc. is a ripoff agency,thay will do any thing to get you to pay off your dept at a very higg price. A WOLF IN SHEEPS CLOTHING. San Diego, California

That's like putting out a match with a tanker truck of kerosene.

This sounds like one of those companies that pick up "junk debts" in bulk, hoping to squeeze money out of people for debts long past.

Don't go running off to a lawyer all ready and willing to commit to a bankruptcy. That's slitting your own throat, and most likely for nothing. You say that they told you this debt was incurred in 2002? They're trying to collect on it in 2009. In many places the statute of limitations for collecting on such a debt is 6 years. They're a year too late. This may be dependent on what month you incurred the debt. If you declare bankruptcy, that's something you'll be struggling to shake off your credit report for the next 7 years, and even after the discharge, any company or business will still look at you sideways as a bad credit risk

Another thing to consider, is did you even incur this debt? Seven years is a long time for a credit card company to let a debt slide, and there have been reports of people being called for "debts" with companies they've never heard of and have never done business with. Make sure any debt being collected from you is legitimate. You can do this by demanding proof of debt from the collector, and by law they have to provide you with this (I find it odd that they hung up on you the way you say they did though...). Anyway...

If they can't or won't it's either a sign of a scam or an illegal debt collection action and you can turn the tables, but it's vital that you keep your head and, most important, know your rights under the law regarding debt collection. Please look up the "Fair Debt Collection Act" on the web and get informed about your rights and obligations.

Many of these junk debt agencies are the lowest of the low, feeding off the scraps more legitimate and reputable companies throw them. As such, they'll employ gutter tactics, hoping you won't notice or use your possible ignorance of your rights against you, hoping to scare you into submission. For example, they may tell you that the police will be at your residence in the morning to arrest you. A consumer in the know and armed with facts can congratulate the collector for having just broken the law, and turn the tables. Once these scumbags get wind that you know your rights, their attitude will often shift fairly quickly.

If you want to speak to a lawyer, do so from a position of power, not from one of defeat. Discuss the statute of limitations on collection of debt in your area. You may be able to take it to court and make a motion to have the debt thrown out and discharged.

Another avenue is to tell any collector that you will deal only with the original creditor on the issue and you can make arrangements with them, sometimes for cents on the dollar, since usually creditors just want to get debts this old off their books. This may mean you'll need to send a collector a "cease and desist" notice to not have any contact with you, and that further attempts will be viewed as harassment, actionable by law. Send by registered mail requiring a signature at the site of delivery, It'll cost you maybe $5 or so, but in the long run, it's well worth it. You can find example cease and desist letters on sites dealing with the Fair Debt Collection Act.

Finally, if you did incur this debt and it somehow slipped under the radar for so long, you are responsible for it's repayment. Having an outstanding debt isn't a crime though, and most creditors are happy to work directly with you to reach an amicable resolution to repayment, without any scuzzbag middleman collectors.

Good luck.