Consumer complaint received 2025-11-15 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — I do not know
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC.
State: MO

Complaint narrative:
This statement is a full and detailed account of the events, inaccuracies, violations, and harms associated with the collection account reported by Midland Credit Management XXXX XXXX ( MCM ) under the identifier XXXXXXXX XXXX on my credit report. This account appears as a Collection/Chargeoff, marked XXXX  days late, with a reported balance of {$520.00}. It is also marked as derogatory, negatively impacting my creditworthiness. 

Midland Credit Management is a debt buyer, which means it is not the original creditor. Debt buyers frequently purchase old, stale, unverified, or incomplete portfolios of charged-off accounts from original creditors. Because of this, they are legally responsible for maintaining and producing a complete chain of title, original documentation, signed agreements, and account-level detail before they can legally furnish or collect on a debt. 

In the case of the XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX account, none of this documentation has ever been provided. Midland Credit Management did not validate the alleged debt, did not supply proof of ownership, did not respond properly to disputes, did not provide the required notices, and continued to report the account despite repeated requests for verification. 

As a result, this account has caused financial damage, substantial emotional distress, and ongoing credit harm. This narrative outlines what happened, what Midland Credit Management failed to do, what the credit bureaus failed to do, and how both continued reporting and collection activity violated federal law. 

XXXX. XXXX of the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  Account on My Credit Reports * * I discovered the XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX account while reviewing my credit reports. This account appeared under the Collections section with the following characteristics : Balance : {$520.00} Status : Collection / Chargeoff Severity : Derogatory Late Payments Listed : XXXX  days late XXXX, XXXX days late XXXX XXXX : 0 % Reported By : XXXX  as an active derogatory collection Immediately, several concerns arose : I did not recall opening any account that would match the outstanding balance. 

I had never received any written communication from Midland Credit Management prior to seeing the account on my credit file. 

I had never been notified of any assignment, transfer, or sale of debt to XXXX. 

I had never received a validation notice, which the FDCPA requires within XXXX  days of a XXXX first communication. 

There had been no attempts by XXXX to contact me directly regarding this account. 

The sudden appearance of a derogatory collection account from XXXX raised serious concerns about accuracy, ownership, and legal compliance. 

XXXX. Midland Credit Management Is Reporting a Debt Without Documentation As a debt buyer, XXXX must possess and must provide upon request documentation proving : I created the original account I am responsible for the debt The balance reported is accurate XXXX legally owns the account XXXX has the right to furnish and collect the debt XXXX failed to provide any of the following : A. No Signed Agreement or Contract XXXX has never produced : A signed contract An application form Any document bearing my signature Any agreement showing consent or authorization Without a signed contract, the debt can not be verified under federal law. 

B. No Itemized Billing Statements or Payment History XXXX has provided : No monthly statements No itemized breakdown No interest or fee calculations No ledger showing charges and payments Without these records, the balance can not be confirmed. 

XXXX No Proof of Ownership or Chain of Assignment As a debt buyer, XXXX must provide : Bill-of-sale documents Forward Flow Agreements Assignment contracts Transfer documentation Proof that the account was included in the purchased portfolio XXXX provided none of this. 

XXXX No Proof the Data Being Reported Is Accurate The reporting contains inconsistencies such as : Conflicting delinquency dates Inconsistent status codes Data only appearing on XXXX bureau Multiple late-payment entries that do not align with the alleged debt This violates FCRA 607 ( b ). 

XXXX. XXXX Never Provided a Required FDCPA Validation Notice Under FDCPA 809 ( a ), a collector must send a written validation notice containing : The amount of the debt The name of the creditor Notice of XXXX dispute rights Notice of the right to request verification I never received : A validation notice An initial communication Any written confirmation at all This means XXXX : XXXX federal law Had no right to report the debt Had no right to continue collection activity Engaged in deceptive practices Credit reporting is considered a form of collection activity under the FDCPA. Therefore, reporting without validation violates FDCPA 809 ( b ). 

XXXX. I Disputed the Account With All Three Credit Bureaus Upon discovering the account, I exercised my rights under FCRA 611 and submitted disputes to : TransUnion Experian Equifax In each dispute, I asked for : The method of verification The documentation supplied by XXXX The date and source of verification Whether verification was manual or automated All records related to the furnishing of this account Proof of ownership A copy of the original agreement I sent the disputes via certified mail, and all tracking information is preserved. 

XXXX. The Credit Bureaus Failed to Conduct a Reasonable Investigation Each bureau responded with a vague form letter : The account has been verified. 

But NONE provided : Any documents Any explanation Any method of verification Any details of the reinvestigation Any proof that XXXX submitted anything at all This violates : FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) reinvestigation requirement FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 6 ) ( B ) ( iii ) obligation to provide Method of Verification FCRA 607 ( b ) duty to assure maximum possible accuracy Based on the responses, reinvestigation was likely conducted using : e-OSCAR automated dispute coding This system does not transfer documents. It only exchanges : Two-digit dispute codes Automated responses No evidence No documents No review This does not meet XXXX reinvestigation standards. 

XXXX. XXXX Failed to Mark the Account as Disputed Under FCRA 623 ( a ) ( 3 ), a furnisher must : Notify the credit bureaus when a consumer disputes information Update the account as disputed by consumer XXXX did not do this. 

This omission misleads lenders and damages my credibility, violating federal law and CFPB reporting standards. 

XXXX. The Reporting Appears to Include Illegal Re-Aging Delinquency information appears inconsistent. It suggests that : Late-pay data was updated Dates may have been altered Reporting may have been extended beyond allowable timelines Re-aging a debt is illegal under : FCRA 605 ( c ) XXXX rule CFPB reporting guidelines XXXX may be unlawfully extending the life of this collection account. 

XXXX. Harm and Damages Caused by Midland Credit XXXX This XXXX collection account has caused significant and ongoing harm, including : A. Lowered Credit Score Collections have XXXX of the most damaging effects on FICO scoring models. 

B. Denials of Credit Applications Creditors see XXXX as a red flag because : Debt buyers often pursue unverifiable debts A {$520.00} collection can prevent approval This has resulted in : Loan denials Higher down-payment requirements Rejections from mainstream lenders XXXX Higher Interest Rates Applications that were approved came with : Higher APR Increased finance charges Worse terms XXXX Emotional Distress The presence of an unverified collection creates XXXX XXXX XXXX  Concern about identity theft Loss of trust in the credit system XXXX XXXX, Money, and Effort I incurred out-of-pocket costs for : Certified mail Credit monitoring Printing and documentation Administrative time resolving disputes All due to Midlands improper reporting. 

XXXX. Violations of Federal Law by Midland Credit Management XXXX violated : FDCPA Violations 807 ( 2 ) ( A ) misrepresenting the character or legal status of a debt 807 ( 10 ) false or deceptive means 808 ( 1 ) unfair practices 809 ( a ) failure to provide validation notice 809 ( b ) continued collection without validation FCRA Violations 623 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) reporting inaccurate information 623 ( a ) ( 3 ) failure to mark account as disputed 623 ( b ) failure to conduct an investigation These are significant compliance failures.

10. Violations of Federal Law by Credit Bureaus The bureaus violated : FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) failure to reinvestigate FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 6 ) failure to provide MOV FCRA 607 ( b ) failure to ensure accuracy FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 5 ) failure to delete unverifiable info The failure to investigate XXXX unverifiable data is unlawful. 

XXXX. Why XXXX Can not Legally Report This Account XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, and Midland Credit Management are among the nations largest debt buyers and are required to maintain : Complete documentation Accurate records Proof of ownership Proof of identity Chain of title XXXX failed to provide all of the following : No contract No original statements No chain of assignment No proof of ownership No valid evidence Therefore, the account is unverifiable and can not legally remain on my credit report. 

XXXX. Summary of What Happened To summarize : Midland Credit Management is reporting account XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX as a derogatory collection. 

I never received documentation or a validation notice. 

I disputed the account with all three bureaus. 

No documentation was produced by XXXX. 

The credit bureaus did not conduct a lawful reinvestigation. 

No Method of Verification was provided. 

XXXX failed to mark the account as disputed. 

The reporting appears inaccurate and potentially re-aged. 

The account continues to cause harm. 

XXXX violated both the FCRA and FDCPA. 

The account is unverified and should not remain on my credit file.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief