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Author: Sergei Lemberg
What is a Debt Validation Notice?
A debt validation notice is a written or electronic communication from a debt collector that provides information about a debt they allege you owe and are trying to collect from you. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) requires debt collectors to send you a notice that must include the following information:
- The name and mailing address of the debt collector
- The name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed
- The account number (if there is one) associated with the debt
- The current amount of the debt
- The date the debt was first incurred
- The name of the original creditor (if different from the current creditor)
- An itemization of the current debt, including interest, fees, credits, and payments that you can recognize or verify with your personal records
- Information about your debt collection rights that tells you how to dispute the debt
- A “tear-off” form that can be sent back to the collector to dispute the debt or take other actions
If you receive a validation notice, you should review it to make sure that the information is accurate. If you believe that the debt is not yours, you can dispute it with the debt collector. You have 30 days from the date you receive the notice to dispute the debt.
About the author:
Sergei Lemberg is a consumer rights attorney, practicing since 2006, whose practice focuses on consumer law, class actions and personal injury litigation. He is known for a United States Supreme Court case (Facebook v. Duguid) defending consumers from autodialers under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 to send unsolicited text messages. He is also the author of Defanging Debt Collectors, a book that teaches consumers how to battle debt collectors and win.
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