AFNI - VERIZON CLAIMING A FRAUDULENT BILL FROM 2000 IN NJ ripoff Illinois

"R",

This is rule #1 when dealing with debt collections issues! STAY OFF THE PHONE!!

NEVER call, or speak to ANY collector on the phone! You could unknowingly validate the debt and make it legally collectable when it may not be right now.

NEVER call any "original creditor" on a debt that a collection agency is collecting on. Chances are that they will not have any information on it as they most likely sold it to a junk debt buyer. They cannot legally speak to you about a debt that has been sold or assigned to a third party collector.

NEVER fill out any "fraud reports" with ANYONE. This is a big mistake as it makes available your personal information that they most likely do not have already.

AFNI are BOTTOMFEEDERS. They are JUNK DEBT BUYERS and collectors who represent junk debt buyers. The ENTIRE burden of proof is ON THEM to prove that you owe the debt. It is NEVER your responsibility to prove that you do not owe a debt.

Any collections letters from bottomfeeders should be ignored. Ignore everything but the summons. Then immediately check your credit report to see if the collection is on it. If it is not on your credit report, it means they do not have any personal information on the debt like SS#, DOB, employer, etc.

At this point, you need to send a DEBT VALIDATION request by certified mail, return reciept requested. be sure to put the certified# on the letter itself, and keep a copy for your records. This proves exactly what you sent.

In this letter, clearly deny the debt. Then demand to see a contract with your signature on it to back up the debt as well as a full account history and itemization of charges. Also demand proof that they own the debt and/or have a legal right to collect on it. If they claim to own the debt, demand to see the purchase contract including proof of payment, and full chain of title back to the original creditor. They would need all of this to beat you in court, and they know it.

NEVER listen to the "advice" of some crackhead collector. They know nothing about the law or anything else. They are generally uneducated morons that work for this type of firm. Real lowlife here.

call verizon and ask to speak to someone in the fraud department. Explain to them what happened but when the roommate took over the phone unless the credit information was changed then legally you could be responsible for the bill. Even if you called and gave authorization to this roommate to take over account unless the roommate actually called in and gave his personal information to accept responsibilty then you are responsible and will need to pursue the roommate in civil suit