Mark Henricks has written on mortgages, real estate and investing for many leading publications. He works from Austin, Texas, where he engages in songwriting, wilderness backpacking, whitewater kayaking and triathlons when not reporting on personal f.
Mark Henricks ContributorMark Henricks has written on mortgages, real estate and investing for many leading publications. He works from Austin, Texas, where he engages in songwriting, wilderness backpacking, whitewater kayaking and triathlons when not reporting on personal f.
Written By Mark Henricks ContributorMark Henricks has written on mortgages, real estate and investing for many leading publications. He works from Austin, Texas, where he engages in songwriting, wilderness backpacking, whitewater kayaking and triathlons when not reporting on personal f.
Mark Henricks ContributorMark Henricks has written on mortgages, real estate and investing for many leading publications. He works from Austin, Texas, where he engages in songwriting, wilderness backpacking, whitewater kayaking and triathlons when not reporting on personal f.
ContributorDaphne Foreman is a former Banking and Personal Finance Analyst for Forbes Advisor. She has worked as a personal finance editor, writer, and content strategist covering banking, credit cards, insurance and investing. As a small business owner and for.
Daphne Foreman is a former Banking and Personal Finance Analyst for Forbes Advisor. She has worked as a personal finance editor, writer, and content strategist covering banking, credit cards, insurance and investing. As a small business owner and for.
Written ByDaphne Foreman is a former Banking and Personal Finance Analyst for Forbes Advisor. She has worked as a personal finance editor, writer, and content strategist covering banking, credit cards, insurance and investing. As a small business owner and for.
Daphne Foreman is a former Banking and Personal Finance Analyst for Forbes Advisor. She has worked as a personal finance editor, writer, and content strategist covering banking, credit cards, insurance and investing. As a small business owner and for.
Updated: Dec 3, 2021, 11:30am
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
Getty
Say you are sitting around on a Sunday evening, getting ready to watch a professional football game on television, when the phone rings. It’s a debt collector, calling to demand payment of a debt you don’t recall owing. What do you do?
A typical response might be to hang up, shake your head and check to make sure the nachos aren’t overheating. But a better move might be to take a few seconds to ask for and write down the names of the caller and the debt collection company, as well as the company’s street address and phone number. Then, before you settle down for kickoff, make a note to send a debt verification letter.
Never heard of one? A debt verification letter is a powerful tool a consumer can use to fend off unscrupulous, abusive or simply mistaken debt collection efforts. It’s a document you can send to someone who says you owe money to inform them that you don’t recognize the debt, demand that they prove you owe it and instruct them to leave you alone.
Was this article helpful?
Share your feedback Send feedback to the editorial team Thank You for your feedback! Something went wrong. Please try again later.
By Natalie Campisi
5 Practical Budgeting Tips To Tackle Debt Head-On" width="298" height="174" />
By Forbes Advisor Brand Group
By Forbes Advisor Brand Group
By Forbes Advisor Brand Group
By Forbes Advisor Brand Group
By Forbes Advisor Brand Group
Information provided on Forbes Advisor is for educational purposes only. Your financial situation is unique and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We do not offer financial advice, advisory or brokerage services, nor do we recommend or advise individuals or to buy or sell particular stocks or securities. Performance information may have changed since the time of publication. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Forbes Advisor adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved, or otherwise endorsed by our partners.
ContributorMark Henricks has written on mortgages, real estate and investing for many leading publications. He works from Austin, Texas, where he engages in songwriting, wilderness backpacking, whitewater kayaking and triathlons when not reporting on personal finance and small business.
Daphne Foreman is a former Banking and Personal Finance Analyst for Forbes Advisor. She has worked as a personal finance editor, writer, and content strategist covering banking, credit cards, insurance and investing. As a small business owner and former financial advisor, Daphne has first-hand experience with the challenges individuals face in making smart financial choices.
© 2024 Forbes Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Are you sure you want to rest your choices?The Forbes Advisor editorial team is independent and objective. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive compensation from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Advisor site. This compensation comes from two main sources. First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. The compensation we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market. Second, we also include links to advertisers’ offers in some of our articles; these “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Advisor. While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Advisor does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof. Here is a list of our partners who offer products that we have affiliate links for.
