Debt collectors send debt validation letters to verify that a borrower is responsible for a debt. Debt collectors must send a debt validation letter within five days of first contacting you.

To best protect yourself, research the debt and request a debt validation letter. Check your state ... include unpaid credit card bills, personal loans, medical debt or utility bills and often ...

Only when they asked the debt collector for a debt validation letter to prove that they own the debt, they were hung up on. That, frankly, raises a red flag. It's not unusual for a debt to be ...