Consumer complaint received 2026-04-02 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Credit card debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC.
State: GA

Complaint narrative:
This is my second complaint to the CFPB against Midland Credit Management regarding an alleged debt they continue to report and attempt to collect without proper validation. On XX/XX/XXXX, I sent Midland Credit Management a written request for validation of this alleged debt. In response, Midland provided only billing statements from the original creditor, XXXX Bank. These statements do not establish that Midland Credit Management owns this account or has the legal authority to collect. Midland has failed to provide any of the following : - A bill of sale or purchase agreement - A complete chain of assignment identifying my specific account - Any documentation proving legal ownership or transfer of the alleged debt - A signed contract or agreement bearing my signature Despite failing to validate the debt, Midland continues to report this account to XXXX XXXX and XXXX and continues collection activity. Additionally, this account is being reported inaccurately and inconsistently across the credit reporting agencies. One bureau reports the account as a Debt Buyer Account, while another reports it as a Factoring Company Account. This inconsistency demonstrates that the information is not being reported with maximum possible accuracy as required under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Furthermore, the account includes misleading and conflicting dates. The Date of First Delinquency is reported as XX/XX/XXXX, while the account is reported as opened on XX/XX/XXXX. This creates the false and misleading impression that this is a newly opened account. I also disputed this account with the credit reporting agencies. XXXX and XXXX both claim the account was verified or updated, yet neither agency provided any documentation demonstrating that Midland validated the debt or proved legal ownership. This indicates that the credit reporting agencies failed to conduct a reasonable investigation as required under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and instead relied solely on information provided by Midland. I previously filed a complaint regarding this matter, and Midlands response did not address the core issue of validation. Instead, they repeated that documents were available online without providing proper legal proof of ownership. I have attached documentation supporting the following : 1. My written validation request to Midland Credit Management 2. Midlands inadequate response consisting only of billing statements 3. My prior CFPB complaint and Midlands response 4. Credit reports showing inconsistent account classification across bureaus 5. Investigation results from XXXX and XXXX showing the account was verified without proper validation Based on the above, Midland Credit Management is in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by attempting to collect a debt without proper validation and may also be furnishing inaccurate or unverified information in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Additionally, the credit reporting agencies have failed to conduct a reasonable investigation into disputed information. I am requesting the following : 1. Immediate deletion of this account from all credit reporting agencies 2. That Midland Credit Management cease all collection activity until full and proper validation is provided 3. That Midland provide documentation proving legal ownership of this alleged debt, if such documentation exists If Midland Credit Management can not provide full and complete validation, this account must be removed immediately.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation