Write the letter that stops them
Pick the letter, fill in the blanks, and the builder writes it for you with the law cited: a dispute that makes a collector prove the debt, a demand to stop contacting you, rules for how they may contact you, or a credit report dispute. Print it, sign it, and mail it by certified mail. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
1. Which letter?
2. Fill in the blanks
Leave anything blank and the letter shows a placeholder you can fill in by hand.
A sample letter, not legal advice. Sign it, keep a copy, and send it by certified mail with a return receipt. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Which letter to send, and when
| Letter | What it does | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| Dispute and ask for proof | If sent within the validation period, the collector must stop collecting until it mails you verification. If it reports the debt, it must report it as disputed. | 15 U.S.C. §§ 1692g(b), 1692e(8) |
| Stop contacting me | Ends contact about the debt, except to say collection is ending or a specific action is coming. It does not erase the debt or stop a lawsuit. | 15 U.S.C. § 1692c(c) |
| Limit contact | Once a collector knows your employer bars the calls, or that certain times are inconvenient, it may not call you there or then. | 15 U.S.C. § 1692c(a)(1), (a)(3) |
| Credit report dispute | The bureau must reasonably reinvestigate, usually within 30 days, and pass your dispute to the company that supplied the data. | 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a) |
If you have been sued, a letter is not an answer
A summons has its own short deadline, and a letter to the collector does not answer it. Read sued by a debt collector and call us the same week.
After you mail the letter, keep logging every contact in the call log. A collector that keeps calling after a written stop request, or keeps collecting before it verifies a disputed debt, is breaking the law, and the violation checker shows what that can be worth.
Common questions
Will a stop-contact letter stop a lawsuit?
No. A written request to stop contact ends calls and letters, with narrow exceptions, but the collector or creditor can still sue you, and the law lets the collector tell you it intends to. If you have been sued, do not ignore the papers; the time to answer is short.
When should I send the dispute letter?
As soon as you can, and ideally within 30 days of the collector's first written notice. A written dispute inside the validation period requires the collector to stop collecting until it mails you verification. A dispute sent later still matters: the collector must report the debt as disputed if it reports it at all.
Should I put my Social Security number in the letter?
Do not put your full Social Security number in a letter to a collector. Use the last four digits of the account number from their letter. A credit bureau may ask you to prove who you are; send a copy of your ID and proof of address, never originals.
Is the letter enough to protect my rights?
It is the first step, and it builds the record a case is made from. Keep a copy, keep the certified mail receipt, and log every contact after the letter arrives. If the collector keeps calling or the error stays on your report, that is when a lawyer can help, and the review is free.
Tell us what they did.
One conversation with an attorney, in your language. We tell you which laws the collector or the credit bureau broke, which deadline runs first, and what to save this week. If it is not a case we can take, we say so and tell you where to go.
(718) 484-7510The FDCPA and the FCRA require a company found liable to pay the consumer’s reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. Our fee arrangement is confirmed in a written retainer before we begin. English, Russian and Spanish in-house; an interpreter for any other language.