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: AmeriCollect
State: MO

Complaint narrative:
This statement details precisely what occurred regarding the AMERICOLLECT account reported under identifier XXXX, currently appearing on my credit report as a collection/chargeoff with a past-due balance of {$570.00} and listed as derogatory on all bureaus. 

This narrative is being provided to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) to document the complete history of this account, explain the violations committed by Americollect and the credit bureaus, and to describe the financial, emotional, and legal harm I have suffered as a result of inaccurate, incomplete, unverifiable, and noncompliant reporting. 

This is a precise, chronological, legally structured account of what happened. 

1. Initial Discovery of the AMERICOLLECT XXXX Account on XXXX XXXX XXXX I first became aware of this Americollect account while reviewing my credit reports. The entry appeared as : Name : AMERICOLLECT Status : Collection / Derogatory Balance : {$570.00} Account Type : Third-party collection Reporting : All three credit bureaus Payment History : None provided Public records or supporting data : None Original creditor : Not disclosed Details : Minimal information, incomplete data fields This account appeared without any prior communication from Americollect and without any explanation of what the debt was supposed to be for. The account seemed to appear out of nowhere, without : A notice A letter A bill A phone call A statement A verification request A validation notice Identity confirmation Seeing an unfamiliar derogatory collection for {$570.00} immediately concerned me, especially because Americollect provided no contextual information identifying what the debt pertained to. 

2. Americollect Never Provided the Legally Required FDCPA Validation Notice Under FDCPA 809 ( a ), a debt collector must send a written notice of the debt within 5 days of their first communication with a consumer.

I never received : A validation letter A debt verification notice An initial communication Any written correspondence Any identification of the alleged creditor Any 30-day dispute rights notification Any disclosure or explanation of the debt Instead, Americollect immediately reported the debt to the credit bureaus, which is considered a collection action.

This is a clear violation of FDCPA 809 ( a ), which requires : Written notice Amount of debt Name of original creditor Consumer rights disclosure Option to dispute within 30 days Americollect provided none of this.

3. I Never Received Any Validation Documentation Even After Disputing the Debt After discovering the account on my credit reports, I disputed the debt with Americollect directly and with all three credit bureaus.

In these disputes, I specifically requested : Validation of the debt Name of original creditor Signed contract Itemized billing history Date of service Account ledger Proof of assignment Proof Americollect legally owns the debt Explanation of how the {$570.00} was calculated Americollect failed to provide any of these.

They never sent : A copy of a signed agreement Service records Billing statements An itemized breakdown Proof of ownership A copy of a bill of sale Assignment documentation Business records linking me to the debt Their failure to provide these documents violates : FDCPA 809 ( b ) ( collector must stop collection until validation is provided ) FCRA 623 ( b ) ( furnishers must conduct a reasonable investigation ) FCRA accuracy obligations Yet Americollect continued to report the debt, even without providing validation. 

4. Americollect Failed to Identify the Original Creditor Americollect did not disclose : Who originally claimed I owed the debt When the debt originated What type of debt it was Whether it was medical, utility, service-based, etc. 

Any details about the charge This is extremely problematic because : I have no idea what the debt is supposed to be Without the original creditors name, I can not confirm validity I can not verify if I ever received a service or product I can not check whether insurance, payment, or settlement applied I can not determine if the debt is even mine Reporting a debt without identifying the original creditor is a clear violation of both FDCPA and FCRA. 

5. Americollect Provided the Bureaus With Insufficient, Incomplete, or Inaccurate Data The tradeline is missing essential information such as : Original creditor name Date of first delinquency ( DOFD ) Original account number ( masked or missing ) Date the debt was incurred Service codes Payment details Medical service provider ( if applicable ) Any supporting documentation FCRA 607 ( b ) requires maximum possible accuracy, which Americollect failed to provide.

The account appears to be furnished with : Minimal data Incorrect or incomplete fields No original documentation Unclear account history Possible re-aging, which is illegal This raises serious concerns about the accuracy of Americollect 's reporting. 

6. I Disputed the Account With XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX I submitted formal disputes with all three bureaus : XXXX XXXX XXXX In my disputes, I included specific requests for : Verification Documentation Method of Verification ( MOV ) Reasonable reinvestigation Identification of original creditor Proof of ownership Any contracts or statements Each bureau responded with the generic laundry-list responses : Verified Account information confirmed We have reviewed your dispute None of these responses addressed the core issues, nor did they comply with the FCRA. 

7. The Bureaus Did Not Provide the Required Method of Verification ( MOV ) Under FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 6 ) ( B ) ( iii ), I requested MOV from all three bureaus.

MOV requires : Description of procedure used to verify the account Identification of documents reviewed Name of furnisher representative Whether verification was electronic or manual Dates of the investigation Any documentation used in verification The bureaus did not provide : What method was used What proof Americollect supplied Whether any documentation was reviewed Any meaningful explanation whatsoever This violates the FCRA.

8. The Bureaus Likely Used XXXX  Instead of a Real Investigation The brevity of their responses and lack of documentation strongly suggest that : The bureaus used XXXX Americollect responded with automated codes No documentation was exchanged No human investigation took place The CFPB has stated clearly that : XXXX does not fulfill FCRA reinvestigation requirements Automated verification is inadequate Furnishers must provide actual evidence Given this, the verification appears to be unlawful, inadequate, and invalid. 

9. Americollect Failed to Mark the Account as Disputed Once I disputed the debt, Americollect was required under FCRA 623 ( a ) ( 3 ) to report the account as disputed by consumer.

Americollect failed to : Add the dispute notation Notify the credit bureaus Update the reporting Indicate that the debts legitimacy is contested This omission misleads lenders and violates federal law.

10. The Debt May Be Incorrect, Expired, Misapplied, or Not Even Mine Because Americollect has provided no documentation whatsoever, the debt may be : A billing error A balance already paid A balance owed by another person A case of identity confusion A duplicate balance A debt already settled or handled by insurance A debt outside the statute of limitations A debt belonging to a different consumer Without documentation, none of these possibilities can be ruled out. 

11. Americollect May Have Violated HIPAA ( If the Debt Was Medical ) Americollect frequently collects medical debts.

If this debt is medical in nature, Americollect is required to : Provide proof of HIPAA-compliant assignment Provide itemized medical service documentation Demonstrate lawful access to medical billing data Show patient identity confirmation procedures Protect PHI under federal privacy law They provided none of this.

This raises concerns of potential HIPAA violations.

12. Americollect Failed to Demonstrate Permissible Purpose to Report My Information Under FCRA 604, furnishers must demonstrate : Permissible purpose Legal authority Valid assignment Identity match Americollect has provided no basis for reporting this account to the credit bureaus.

Therefore, Americollect may have accessed, used, and reported my data without lawful authorization.

13. Damages and Harm Caused by Americollects Reporting The Americollect tradeline has caused substantial harm, including : A. Credit Score Damage Collections severely impact credit scores, reducing points and harming creditworthiness.

B. Denials of Credit This derogatory account has directly contributed to : Loan denials Higher scrutiny by lenders Declined applications C. Higher Interest Rates When credit was extended, the interest rates were significantly elevated. 

D. Financial Loss I incurred out-of-pocket expenses for : Certified mail Credit monitoring Document preparation E. Emotional Distress I suffered : Anxiety Stress Frustration Uncertainty Due to Americollects refusal to validate or correct the account.

14. Summary of What Happened To summarize : The Americollect XXXX account appeared on my credit report unexpectedly. 

Americollect never sent a validation notice required by FDCPA 809 ( a ).

Americollect never provided validation after it was requested.

Americollect did not identify the original creditor.

Americollect has not proven ownership or legal right to collect.

The credit bureaus failed to conduct a lawful reinvestigation.

The bureaus refused to provide a Method of Verification. 

The bureaus likely used XXXX instead of reviewing documents. 

Americollect failed to mark the account as disputed. 

The reporting contains errors, missing fields, and inaccuracies. 

The accounts legitimacy can not be established. 

The reporting has caused financial and emotional harm. 

The account is unverified, inaccurate, and unlawfully furnished. 

This concludes the XXXXword WHAT HAPPENED narrative.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation