Collection Agency?

B:L

So when I went back in May earlier this year to my University to pick up my diploma, I discovered they charged me some random late fee for something or other ($100). I paid it off and grabbed my diploma.

Fast forward to today. I got a call in the morning (8:00am Pacific) from a collection agency, stating that my university had sent them to collect on the $100 fee. I told them I already paid it off, but they said that my university is always troublesome and never contacts them with the necessary info. They need my check number (the 4 digit number on the check, not my checking account number), the date it was written and the date it was cashed. Thinking this is strange, I told them to give me their number and I'll call them back later when I find the info.

I called my University's billing department and asked about the collection agency. They said it was a legit company they use, and they gave me the official agency's number. I called and they were able to transfer the call to the person I talked to earlier, so it seems legit so far.

Here's the thing: They've got my Social Security Number, which they used along with the above check information to immediately verify my payment. Also, the name they gave me for me was mispelled. It was the same mispelling that a cop put down when he gave me a speeding ticket last year. The agency told me they got my name from my university though, but my university has my correct name.


My question is: Does any of this seem fishy to you, or am I just being paranoid? I'm questioning where they got my personal information (they have my address as well), but according to my university, they're legit.

I'm just worried about identity theft, since they have my SSN.

mastman

Collection agencies are allowed to report your debt to the credit bureaus, hence why they have your SSN. I'm willing to bet if your University trusts them that you'll be ok. You can always look them up no better business bureau though.

Jobastion

Regarding the mispelling of your name, they probably did a quick records search before contacting you to verify that you, at your address, were indeed the "scumbag" that owed them monies. And I guess they trusted the fuzz to have the right spelling of your name over the U.

Etelmik

Try something like creditboards.com. There are forums with tons of experts on all these guys. Some of them are very bad.

Make sure to look up the company name--a lot of people who work at collections agencies, bottom or top, are unprofessional/dodgy, so the misspelling alone isn't enough to justify your fears, IMO.

Look it up.

Silvertree

Ask for their request in writing. Tell them you want the letter sent via certified mail. Any reputable agency would be more then happy to comply with that request.

Adrenaline

I'd suggest calling in on Clark Howard's radio show if possible. I've heard him take many calls on collection agencies, and he's pretty damn good at helping people out as he knows exactly what's what with these kinds of matters. Just a thought.

Zifnab

I'm pretty sure that the responsibility to prove the debt is theirs. Send them a registered letter asking for proof of the debt. You might also want to toss in a request to handle all communications via mail, not telephone. This will keep them out of your hair since it's a violation for them to contact you via phone after that. If they cannot prove the debt, then as far as I know you do not have to pay it. You can keep working on the university end to try to make sure the payment got credited properly, but if I were you I'd stop calling the collections agency.

Note that I have no direct experience with this. The above is true, as far as I know, but you want to go somewhere like www.creditboards.com, as Etelmik suggested, to make sure that the advice you're getting is solid.

B:L

Thanks for the advice guys.


I'm getting them to handle everything through writing rather than telephone. There should be certified mail coming from the agency that says I have the debt paid off.

I was mainly worried about the SSN thing, and how much info I should give out to them. But checking the BBB and creditboards, they seem legit.

B:L

Huh, things seem to be taking a turn for the worse, so let me clarify a few details:
(skip ahead to the line if you don't want to bother with the back story)

My university charges late fees, even if you're not attending for that quarter. Yes, it sucks, but that's what money grubbing universities do. I didn't attend that quarter because I GRADUATED, but due to an administrative snafu, they marked me down as graduating a quarter later than I really did (they said I missed the deadline to graduate that earlier quarter, even though I told them before that I wanted to apply for graduation for that quarter a few quarters back.)

So I got hit with an $100 late fee, which I found out later when I went to pick up my diploma. I paid it off there because I wanted to just get out of there with my diploma and didn't want the hassle of dealing with them anymore, and thought things were square after I left.


Fast forward to a few days ago, where I recieved a call at 8am in the morning from the "collection agency" claiming that my university sent them to collect on the late fee. This is what they requested from me:

My Social Security Number to verify my identity.
My check number (4 digit) to verify with the university that I paid.
The date the check was written and when it was cashed so they could trace it to the university.

I STUPIDLY gave them my SSN (being groggy at 8am sucks for brain activity), then immediately realized what I had done. I told them I'd look for my check info and call them back later. I then called my university's billing office to make sure the collection agency was legit. They told me that yes, they did use this collection agency, but there's no way to know if they're the ones handling my account, but if they were the ones who called me, then yes they're the ones they sent to get me. I also checked, and yes, my account was paid off and cleared by the university records.

So I called them back, and gave them the check number and the dates they requested. I made sure they had the university's billing number as well. I told them to correspond with me via mail, and they told me to expect a letter within two weeks to tell me things are cleared up. I thought things were taken care of then, but...

---

Yesterday, I got a letter from the collection agency, even though they told me I'd get a letter in two weeks. Opening it, it tells me that in a recent discussion, I told them that the account was paid in full, but the client (the university) shows the account as unpaid. They're demanding that I respond so they can instruct me on how to resolve this matter, or I could fax/mail some proof of payment.

Now, after I stupidly gave them my SSN and them sending me a DEMAND to show proof, even though the university's billing office told me that they will clear it up as soon as the collection agency calls, I AM PRETTY FUCKING WORRIED.

My current plan is to call the university office again and make sure that the collection agency did in fact contact them, and I'll also ask why they told them my account was unpaid. The last time I called them, the billing office told me that my account was paid off and told me to tell the collection agency to contact them and things would be settled.

I don't plan to call the collection agency again.


Is this the best course of action? Is there anything I should do about my SSN info getting out?

Thanks for reading.

dispatch.o

If you can show your university a bank statement where the collection agency withdrew money via the check number, I think you're okay. If you wrote them a check, and they cashed it... fuck them. You can prove it was paid and they need to shut up.

Also: Social Security numbers, despite popular belief aren't all that hard to obtain. It's really not that big of a thing to worry about. It's the things that go with it that cause the problems so far as I know.

MichaelLC

B:L wrote: »

Is this the best course of action? Is there anything I should do about my SSN info getting out?

Thanks for reading.

Sorry about all your troubles. Definiely deal with the U and agency in writting from now on. And see if you can get the bank statement. It was only May, so if you don't have a paper copy, your bank certainly will. Do you bank on-line? Most cna repirnt a few months back.

As for your SSN, that was knda shitty of them, but it's out now. Just make sure you lock your credit history to prevent random pings. Don't know if you can get a copy of all their info, and/or have them "seal" it when this is done with?

B:L

dispatch.o wrote: »

If you can show your university a bank statement where the collection agency withdrew money via the check number, I think you're okay. If you wrote them a check, and they cashed it... fuck them. You can prove it was paid and they need to shut up.

Also: Social Security numbers, despite popular belief aren't all that hard to obtain. It's really not that big of a thing to worry about. It's the things that go with it that cause the problems so far as I know.

I paid the University the $100 fee, before I even knew they sent in a collection agency to handle it.

I'm about to call my university up right now during my lunch break. Thanks for allaying my fears about the SSN thing, but what other info shouldn't I give out, just in case they ask for it.

witch_ie

A good rule of thumb is to never give out any personal information over the phone when you are on the receiving end of the call. At this point, they shouldn't require any additional information about you since you already paid your bill and had that confirmed by your University. At this point, you should just bug your University about it to make sure they're talking to the collection agency. If the collection agency calls you again, refer them to the University.