Consumer complaint received 2021-04-18
Company: United Collection Bureau, Inc.
State: OH
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Payday loan debt
Issue: Written notification about debt
Sub-issue: Didn't receive enough information to verify debt

Complaint:
United Collections Bureau claimed they sent a debt collections letter on XX/XX/2021. I received the letter from the United Collections Bureau on XX/XX/2021. The letter stated that I owed a debt to XXXX XXXX XXXX in the amount of {$450.00}. I sent them a debt validation letter on XX/XX/2021 to gain information about the debt. I never spoke to them over the phone and kept everything by mail. United Collections Bureau sent a validation response on XX/XX/2021 that arrived by mail to me on XX/XX/2021. The paperwork was bank statements from XXXX XXXX XXXX for a payday advance-style account. I didn't recognize the debt in the account specified in the paperwork. The paperwork also stated that the account had been charged off over a year ago. I also noticed that there was not any paperwork for the original contract, with an actual, legible signature, related to the debt. I have no evidence of when it was sold to the debt collection agency and I am not even sure if this account can be verified since there is a possibility that the account has been sold repeatedly. I need to know immediately whether or not United Collections Bureau has ownership of this debt, the legal authority to collect it, and that this is not a scam collection. Given the paperwork that United Collections Berau sent me, they acquired this claimed debt on XX/XX/2021 at the latest. I disputed the debt in the form of a verification letter on XX/XX/2021 since it was missing the information of who the creditor is and how the debt was collectible by United Collections Bureau. For some reason, in the latest correspondence from the United Collections Bureau on XX/XX/2021, the employee Ms. XXXX assumed that I wanted to cease communication by mail. This is not what I stated in the dispute letter I sent on XX/XX/2021. I clearly stated that United Collections Bureau needs to close my account and throw out the debt if they can not prove ownership and the right to collect the debt. I need for them to continue to send me mail correspondence about this debt until it is resolved. I am mailing them a letter to confirm that they will send me mail correspondence in regards to this account moving forward. She also did not answer whether or not United Collections Bureau owned this debt or had the authority to collect it which was also written in my XX/XX/2021 verification letter. United Collections Bureau violated my FDCRA and FCRA rights when the debt collection letter was received over two weeks after I requested the debt validation. They also have not made it clear whether or not I legally have to pay them for this debt and whether or not they are the creditor of this debt. 

Also. They do not have my DOB, Social Security Number, Full Name, and other identifying information that they asked me for. I refuse to give it to them and have copies of all of our correspondence thus far. Please also obtain any documentation from them in writing instead of word of mouth. I am concerned that they have given me false information during our mail correspondence. They also misspelled a lot of my personal information in their response letters. Just saying.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation