Product: Debt collection

On last year, I received an email from my credit monitoring service. It informed me that my credit score had dropped a tremendous amount of points. I logged on and found that COVERGENT OUTSOURCING had posted a alleged collection account to my credit profile. I have never heard of nor had an account with this company. My report shows that it was an open account and was opened on XX/XX/2020 with a balance of {$280.00}. Prior to the email, I had no know knowledge of this company nor this alleged debt. I had never had an any dealings with this company. Once I saw this account on my credit report, I IGNORANTLY paid the debt to COVERGENT OUTSOURCING because I was in the middle of purchase my home. They told me that the best thing to do was to pay the debt even though I explained to them that I had no debt with them. So I told them that, even though the debt was NOT mine, that I would pay the debt because it was hurting my credit profile. I told them that my payment was NOT my admission or acknowledgement that the debt belonged to me. It was only because I needed it to be paid to finish my home buying process. However, I recently learned that a debt collector is supposed to make contact with an alleged debtor about an alleged debt and give them time to respond. By federal law, a debt collector is supposed to make contact with an alleged debtor and give them 30 days to validate or dispute before they can automatically assume the debt belongs to a particular person. I never receive a letter in the mail that gave me 30 days to validate or dispute this account. I never received contact stating that I have an alleged debt with this company and owe a balance on a certain account. Again, I had absolutely no knowledge of this account with them and was not contacted before the account was posted to my credit report. I now understand that, under the FDCPA guidelines for collection agencies, a debt collector has to provide ( 1 ) proof that they are the original holder of this debt and can legally hold me responsible for paying this debt and ( 2 ) contractual proof of obligation or an assignment SIGNED from an officer from the original creditors corporation that I am supposed to pay them. 15 USC 1692g Sec. 809 ( b ) of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ) grants me the right to request validation of an alleged debt they say I owe. I did not receive notice of right to dispute nor did I receive enough information to verify that the alleged debt belonged to me. If I would have gotten anything in the mail or phone call from this company before they illegally reported to my credit report without following federal FCRA and FDCPA, I would have not paid them before respectfully requesting evidence that I am the person they are asking to pay this debt and a contractual obligation that legally binds me to pay them this debt. Upon them receiving my validation letter, they would have to legally cease from collection calls, letters, and efforts and delete the account from my credit files until they can validate this debt. But again, I never received such a letter or contact about this account ever in the mail or phone call. They illegally posted and reported to my credit file without adhering to the FDCPA laws. I feel like I was scammed because I paid them, yet they didnt follow the FRCA or FDCPA laws. I know that this company has broken FCRA and FDCPA laws by reporting an alleged account to my credit report without informing me through mail or phone and I did not receive notice of right to dispute nor did I receive enough information to verify that the alleged debt belonged to me. My credit scores dropped tremendously in the middle of purchasing a home. Please help me get his account removed immediately. I'm preparing to sue under the FCRA and FDCPA because of the damages to my credit and opportunity costs with the purchase of my home and business ventures that have been delayed because this illegal account is still listed to my reports. Convergent Outsourcing , IncXXXX XXXX box XXXX XXXX WA XXXX XXXX