Woman Gets NCO off her back!... with help from Consumer Reporter, BBB and using Federal Law to dispute bogus debt

A KUTV Get Gephardt Report: NCO Dispute Letter Victory

Last December Nanita Whitman got a letter from N.C.O. Financial Systems.They demanded that she pay $10,800. But Nanita already explained to the debt collectors that the debt is not hers.

"It's just enough to almost give you a heart attack. I mean, my god, $10,000. It's unbelievable," Nanita says.

She also says that when she called N.C.O., all they did was confirm the debt and when we left messages at N.C.O. Financial Systems in Pennsylvania on her behalf, they never called us back.

So, let's see if we can go around N.C.O. Financial Systems by using federal law.

I took all of Nanita's information to Michelle Camp, the former president of the Utah Association of Collectors and the General Manager of Express Recovery Services in West Valley City.

Michelle says that anytime you receive a collection letter for a debt that you don't think you owe, you can fight back by using federal law by simply writing a letter.

"The burden is then placed on the agency to go back and verify who the debt belongs to if it's not you," Michelle says.

I asked Michelle to write a generic dispute letter that I put on KUTV.com earlier this month.

Nanita followed that letter and sent her dispute with certified mail off to N.C.O. She also filed a complaint against N.C.O. Financial Systems with the Better Business Bureau.

It was through the Better Business Bureau that Nanita received acknowledgement that N.C.O. received and responded to that letter.

In the letter to the Better Business Bureau, N.C.O. states that they have not been able to confirm that the debt ever belonged to Nanita Whitman. And that her account is closed.

Individuals who encounter abusive practices by NCO may file a complaint against them with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Philadelphia Regional Office, 21 South 12th St., Second Floor, Philadelphia, PA. 19107 (215) 560-2414.

Find much more info on you debt collection rights here!

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