What proof of debt can you ask a collection agency to provide?

You can’t work with the collection agency, they are mindless dogs that just do what their boss tells them to do. You will have to contact the company directly if you feel this was sent to you in error talk to a credit counselor they are cheaper than going to a lawyer.

Contact the collection agency and ask what this debt is in regard to. If this is not a merchant you recognize, contact them directly and ask for proof of the debt. If they cannot provide such proof, then there is no basis for the debt and you would not owe it. I mean, who hasn’t had a membership to Columbia at one time or another in their life (usually teenagers or twenty somethings).

A few months ago, I received a letter from a collection agency, saying I owed some ridiculous amount to Columbia Records/DVD club. I promptly wrote back on their invoice that I have not had any dealings with Columbia in more than 20 years and that they should check their records again as I would not pay. I haven’t heard from them since.

I think it would be easy for somebody to make up a collection letter just like that and dupe some innocent person into paying for something they didn’t owe.

You have every right to ask for proof of debt and it doesn’t matter if they believe you or not. If they have truly been employed by a company to collect something from you then somebody (either the collection agency or the merchant) should be able to substantiate it.