The post below comes from here
Hopefully it can help you in your credit situation
The most important strategy in disputing your records is to be ACTIVELY ENGAGED in the process of being in communication and asking for records of the debt. If you have defaulted on your primary credit card debt, they have most likely sold off your debt to a third party collection agency that has bought the debt at 5-10 cents of every dollar. They in turn, will contact you and 'make a deal' to settle the debt on 40-50 cents of every dollar and make their profit on that margin - DON'T!
Although many lawyers will tell you otherwise, you are not obligated to pay the debt off as it has ALREADY been written off as a loss by the original lender!
This is one of the biggest scams that corporations have and because many people are under a great deal of stress, they will cave-in rather than push back - however - you can dispute it, but it will take ALLOT of work.
First, get evidence of the debt, by cordially 'agreeing' to work with the collection agency in clearing this up and request that they send you proof that they have incurred a loss from this purchase. Like anyone else claiming that you owe them money, ask for them to show you proof of the debt. They will most likely send you their internal account statement as 'proof'.
Then, write back a second time and ask that they send you actual proof, (accounting and bookkeeping ledgers, and legal agreements or corporate resolutions showing a contractual relationship to the original lender - which all companies are required to pursue in the due diligence of doing business). Ask for these records that show that they TRULY purchased the debt from the original lender.
At this point, they will either refuse (if you are lucky to get their denial in writing), or they will simply ignore your request since most people don't normally push back, and hope that you will not pursue the matter any further.
At this point you will need to write them a third time and state that you have still not received sufficient evidence of a debt and that if they continue to pursue the matter, your stand is that they are committing fraud and that you are contacting your local State Attorney General to notify them of this, (make sure you cc the letter to the SAG).
Now, all of this correspondence needs to be sent via USPS certified mail and it is very important that you get a signature receipt from the person that the correspondence was addressed to. IMPORTANT: you need to address ALL correspondence to the LEGAL AGENT of the corporation you are dealing with! (all of this information is online, but it takes some effort to research).
Make sure you make photocopies of all the correspondence and record all of the tracking numbers and keep all the signature receipts of every letter they received from you!!
If you want an extra weapon in your arsenal, look up what is your state's legal requirement in regards to out-of-state corporations that are looking to collect debts from its residents. Most states require that out of state corps are registered and bonded with the Secretary of State, to do business (collect debts) with local residents. Most of these collection agencies have VERY DUBIOUS registration and business practices!
Your job is to make sure that they are held accountable to proper business practices! Because the way they conduct business is so shady and the amount of people that push-back are so few, they simply continue to pursue dubious scare tactics and harass people in bad economic situations.
After you have attempted to resolve the matter through 'administrative remedy', and the collection agency is not responding, you can then send copies of all of the correspondence to ALL THREE of the credit bureaus as proof that this negative entry in your record is fraudulent and that you are requesting for them to remove it.
Again, they will most likely simply delete the entry rather than investigate it since it takes more time and effort than most people demand - but it is your life and your records matter! I am not suggesting this from a legal perspective nor as an expert - but simply as an individual that has cleared allot of past baggage, by doing my due diligence.
I also worked in tandem by getting my financial situation in order, improve my credit with a secure credit card, then worked up to an excellent relationship with a Federal Credit Union issued credit card with low interest rate, and raised my score in the past 3 years from a low rating of poor to very good (low risk)!
Bottom line is: you cannot get to improve your score if you are passive or fearful of what can happen. You have to take control! Build your savings, clear your records, and maintain a rotating balance no more than 30% of your credit limit and see how quickly your score soars!
Im in a current search for a home, and trying to squeeze every bit of savings i can out of my credit. This involves clearing up past inquiries, charged-off collections, any derogatory marks...
Each bureau has an online dispute form that takes 10 minutes to fill out.
i personally saw my score jump nearly 50 points by removing collections past the SOL in my state, along with multiple old hard inquiries from previous auto financing.
so take time, review your credit and dispute whatever you can. Direct links to the online forms below.
Experian
TransUnion
Equifax