ARA Asset Recovery Associates False claim of past due account with ARA Villa Park, Illinois

ARA sent me a letter referring to a past due account with them.  I had never heard of them before, so it would be hard to have a past due account with them.

It said the original creditor was Chase Manhattan Bank, with a current balance of $14,356.53, and that an "approved settlement" would be $10,049.57.  This assumably refers to my car note, which is almost paid off, and is not past due at all, although it does not state what the alleged debt was incurred for.

The letter said, "Unless you notify this office within 30 days after receiving this notice that you dispute the validity of the debt or any portion thereof, this office will assume that the debt is valid."  They wanted me to either send $10,049.57 (!) or make monthly payments of $50 for an unstated amount of time before they would release my "FINAL RELEASE PAPERWORK."

I just wanted to let people know about this company alleging nonexistent debts.  I'm sure others may have fallen for this already.  This company has an "F" rating with the Better Business Bureau.