Understanding Debt and Collections: How Can You Stop a Creditor from Contacting You?

If you believe the debt is inaccurate or you have already paid it, you can dispute it within 30 days of receiving the written notice. You can dispute the debt by sending a letter to the debt collector requesting verification of the debt. The debt collector must stop all collection activities until they provide verification of the debt.

STEP 1: Verify the debt collector's identity.

Check to see if the debt collector has a license through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations.

STEP 2: Write a letter asking the creditor stop contacting you within 30 days.

If you send a dispute within 30 days, the debt collector must stop contacting you.

If you send a dispute more than 30 days later, the debt collector does not need to stop trying to collect the debt.

STEP 3: Send a letter to the debt collector by certified mail.

Consider including evidence that the debt is not yours. For example, do you have a credit agreement, a different balanced owed, or other documents or information?

In the letter, you can include:

• I cannot pay the debt.
• I will not pay the debt.
• The debt collection agency should stop contacting me.

If you are collection-proof and your income is below a certain amount, you can also send a letter telling them that you are “collection proof” and thus your money is protected.

STEP 4: Debt collector must stop contacting you if disputed within 30 days.

There are two exceptions:

1. A collector can contact you to tell you there will be no further contact; and
2. The collector can tell you that they are going to take a specific action, like filing a lawsuit