They must validate the debt
On request, a collector must provide proof of ownership, the amount owed, and authority to collect. Until they do, collection activity must cease.
Negotiate, consolidate, or settle outstanding balances with a strategy that protects your credit as much as possible — starting with making collectors prove the debt is valid.
Start Here
Debt gets bought and sold. It moves between agencies, sometimes several times, and documentation degrades with every transfer. By the time a collector contacts you, the file backing that balance may be thin, incomplete, or missing entirely.
You have the right to make them substantiate it. Under the FDCPA, a third-party collector must validate the debt — proving ownership, the amount owed, and their authority to collect. If they cannot validate it, collection activity must stop.
That is where we begin. Paying an unvalidated balance, or acknowledging one carelessly, can restart clocks and strengthen a claim that may not have held up in the first place.
Your Rights
These protections apply to third-party debt collectors, not to original creditors.
On request, a collector must provide proof of ownership, the amount owed, and authority to collect. Until they do, collection activity must cease.
No calls before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. No contact at your workplace once you have told them to stop. No continued contact after a written cease request.
Third parties may be contacted only to locate you. Disclosing the debt to family, employers, or neighbors violates the statute.
Threats, abusive or profane language, and repeated or excessive calling are prohibited regardless of what is owed.
Misstating the amount owed or its legal status, threatening action they cannot take, or implying legal consequences that do not exist are all violations.
We log communications, retain correspondence, and send with proof of delivery. Violations create leverage — but only when they are documented.
The Process
We map what you owe, to whom, how old each item is, whether it sits with the original creditor or a collector, and how it is currently reporting across all three bureaus.
For third-party collections, we request validation before anything else. A meaningful share of accounts cannot survive this step with documentation intact.
Validated, accurate debts move to a resolution strategy. Unvalidated or inaccurately reported items move to the dispute track instead.
Depending on the account, that may mean a reduced payoff, a structured payment arrangement, consolidation, or negotiated terms around how the resolution is reported.
Nothing is paid on a verbal promise. We secure written terms first, then confirm the account updates correctly on all three reports afterward — resolutions that never get reported properly are a common and costly failure point.
Settling for less than the full balance can be reported as "settled for less than owed," which carries its own weight on a report. Forgiven debt above certain thresholds may also be treated as taxable income, and creditors are not obligated to accept any offer or to delete an account in exchange for payment.
We walk through the real cost of each path before you commit to one. For tax questions specific to your situation, consult a qualified tax professional.
Paying a collection does not automatically remove it — a paid collection can remain on your report. It also may restart certain clocks depending on your state and the account. Validate first, then decide with full information.
Then we focus on resolving it on the best available terms and making sure it reports accurately afterward. We do not dispute accurate, verifiable information.
A written cease-communication request under the FDCPA requires a third-party collector to stop contacting you, with narrow exceptions. We handle that correspondence and document it.
No. Debt resolution is negotiation with creditors and collectors. Bankruptcy is a legal proceeding with different consequences and protections. We are not a law firm; if bankruptcy may be appropriate, we will say so and recommend you speak with an attorney.
AGS Peak Consulting is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. We do not guarantee the removal of any specific item from a credit report. Outcomes depend on the accuracy of the information being reported and the results of bureau and furnisher investigations. You have the right to dispute inaccurate information yourself, free of charge, by contacting the credit bureaus directly.
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