Dispute a Debt within 30 Days. Within five days after first contacting you, a debt collector must send you a written notice telling you that you have the right to dispute the debt or part of the debt, to ask for the name of the original creditor, and to receive both proof of the debt and the original creditor's name if you dispute it. However, you must dispute the debt within 30 days, or you may lose the rights to get this information. For this reason, you should dispute the debt if you have ANY questions about any part of it, including the amount, the interest, the creditor, and the creditor's or debt collector's rights to try to collect the debt. If you dispute the debt, the law says the debt collector must give you proof of the debt before contacting you again.

Dispute the Debt in a Letter. You need to dispute the debt in writing and mail it to the debt collector. It can be handwritten or typed. We have prepared a simple Debt Dispute Letter you can fill in (handwriting or typing are both ok) and use to get all this information:

You can open or download it from either of these links:

• MS Word formatted Record of Contacts (you can replace the blanks with your own info)
• Adobe Acrobat PDF formatted Record of Contacts (handwrite or type info into blanks)

Photocopy the Letter and Mail it to the Debt Collector. When you have filled in the letter:
1. Photocopy it and put your copy in a place where you won't lose it
2. Mail the original letter to the debt collector.
3. You can mail it "Certified / Return Receipt Requested," but you don't have to. This costs more for postage, but gives you proof that you mailed it.
4. If the debt collector does not give you this information and contacts you again, and you are a California resident, call us, the Law Firm of Shewry & Van Dyke, LLP for advice and a courteous, understanding consultation about your situation. There is no charge for this service. Our toll-free number is (888) 910-3328. We can help you.

If you are contacted about a different debt, then you must send a second letter to dispute that one. Each debt needs a separate dispute letter.

Keep a written record of contacts from a debt collector. A written record helps to prove how much and what kind of harassment or illegal conduct you put up with. A good record of contacts can help settle your case against an abusive debt collector quickly, giving you compensation right away.

We have prepared a simple Record of Contacts form so you can keep track of the information:

You can open or download it from either of these links:

• MS Word formatted Record of Contacts
• Adobe Acrobat PDF formatted Record of Contacts

For more information about debts, debt collectors, and harassment, please see these pages:

To contact us now, please see the information below. We can help you.

We can be reached by telephone Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. We are glad to provide you with a telephone consultation at no charge. But please remember that for us to become your attorneys, we must first have a written attorney-client agreement signed by both of us. We look forward to helping you.