"This letter came with the debt agency logo at the top rather than ... reassure all those affected that they are not facing debt collection action, their credit rating or allotment tenancy is ...

"The first step is to verify the debt's authenticity by requesting a validation letter from the collection agency, which provides detailed information about the debt," says Brown. "If they cannot ...

If you need to contact a collection agency to dispute a debt, request a debt validation letter or ask the collection agency that all communication be in writing, use these templates on Consumer.gov.