For a U.S. personal, family, or household debt, save your evidence before you file anything. Then choose the route that fits your goal:

A complaint doesn't automatically cancel a debt, remove accurate credit-report information, award money, or extend the deadline to answer a lawsuit. A request to stop contacting you also doesn't erase the debt.

Start with the law that may apply

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, generally covers third-party collection agencies, debt buyers, and other businesses collecting personal, family, or household debts for someone else. An original creditor collecting its own account under its own name is often outside the FDCPA, although the facts can change the analysis. Other federal or state laws may still apply.

State laws can be broader. They may cover original creditors, restrict more types of contact, require a license, or provide different remedies. Keep the relevant locations in view: your state, the collector's state, the contract, and the type of debt may all matter.

Checklist before you complain

A short, dated record is more useful than a general description such as "the collector harassed me."

  1. Identify the company. Record its legal name, mailing address, phone number, website, caller ID, original creditor, account number, and claimed balance.
  2. Keep the collection notice. Save every page, the envelope, and the date you received it.
  3. Make a contact log. List calls, texts, emails, letters, voicemails, and social-media messages. Include the date, time, number, and what was said.
  4. Review the validation notice. Note the amount claimed, creditor name, and instructions for disputing the debt.
  5. Send a written dispute when appropriate. The federal 30-day period generally runs from when you receive the validation information, not simply from the first call.
  6. Send a written communication request if needed. A request for no contact must go to the collector directly; a government complaint doesn't replace it.
  7. Organize the evidence. Put events in date order and attach the documents that prove the strongest points.
  8. Check for court deadlines. A CFPB, FTC, or state complaint is not an answer to a lawsuit.

If a caller threatens immediate violence, treat that as a safety issue first and contact local law enforcement when appropriate. A legitimate debt does not give anyone the right to threaten physical harm.

Conduct that may justify a complaint

One unpleasant call isn't automatically an FDCPA violation. These examples may be significant, especially when you can document the date, time, wording, and frequency:

Workplace contact is fact-specific. A collector may face restrictions if it knows your employer prohibits collection calls, and state law may impose additional limits. A call to an employer isn't automatically illegal, so record who was contacted and what the collector said.

The FTC's debt collection FAQs discuss threats, contact limits, and time-barred debts.

Build an evidence file

Save original files rather than relying only on a summary. This is the basic file to assemble:

Evidence What to preserve
Collection letters Every page, the envelope, account number, validation notice, and payment demand
Phone calls Date, time, number, caller's name, company, duration, and exact words used
Voicemails The original audio file and a written transcription
Texts and emails The full conversation, sender details, dates, and attachments
Credit reports Report date, bureau name, account details, and the inaccurate entry
Written notices Your letter, address used, mailing receipt, tracking, and delivery confirmation
Witnesses Names and brief notes from anyone who heard a call or saw a message

Call-recording laws differ by state. Some states require one participant's consent, while others require everyone being recorded to consent. The question can become more complicated when the caller and consumer are in different states. Check the laws that may apply before recording. If you're unsure, use phone logs, voicemails, written notes, and witnesses instead.

Don't send original documents or unnecessary information such as a full Social Security number. Redact sensitive information while leaving enough detail to identify the account.

Dispute the debt and request validation

A collector generally must provide validation information in its initial communication or within five days afterward. The notice should identify the amount claimed, the creditor, and your right to dispute the debt.

You generally have 30 days after receiving that notice to dispute all or part of the debt in writing. If you send a timely written dispute, the collector must stop collection activity until it mails verification. Missing the 30-day period doesn't by itself make the debt valid, but you may lose that automatic pause in collection activity.

A validation request doesn't guarantee that the collector must produce every document you ask for. It gives you a way to challenge the account, amount, ownership, or creditor information before deciding what to do.

Sample written dispute

Use the address shown in the validation notice. Keep a copy and proof of delivery. Use the sentence about the 30-day period only when it is accurate.

[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]

[Collector's name]
[Address shown on the validation notice]

Re: Account ending in [last four digits]

I dispute this debt [in full/in part]. Please provide the validation information required by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, including the amount claimed, the name and address of the original creditor if different, and an explanation of the amount.

I am sending this written dispute within 30 days after receiving your validation notice. Please stop collection activity until you mail verification of the debt.

This letter is not an acknowledgment that I owe this debt.

[Signature]

If you want all communications to stop, add:

I refuse to pay this debt and request that you cease further communication with me about it, except as permitted by law.

A full cease-communication request doesn't prevent limited legally permitted notices or a lawsuit. If you want only written communication rather than no communication, make that request clear; it isn't the same as a complete cease-contact request.

Certified mail with a return receipt can make delivery easier to prove, but the FDCPA generally doesn't require that exact mailing method. Don't use an address supplied only by a suspicious caller. Compare it with the written notice and verify the company independently.

File a CFPB complaint

Use the CFPB complaint portal when you want a company-specific review of a debt-collection problem. The portal's current instructions control which companies and issues it accepts.

Have your timeline and documents ready before opening the form:

  1. Select the debt-collection category.
  2. Identify the company and account. If information is missing, say so instead of guessing.
  3. Describe what happened in chronological order.
  4. Include exact dates, times, call counts, statements, and the date you sent any dispute or cease-communication request.
  5. Upload relevant evidence, such as the collection letter, call log, screenshots, voicemail, and delivery proof.
  6. Say what you want the company to do, such as investigate the account, stop improper calls, correct inaccurate information, or explain its response.
  7. Save the confirmation number and portal messages.
  8. Review the company's response and submit factual feedback if it doesn't address the issue.

The CFPB may send the complaint to the company for a response. It isn't a court filing, and it doesn't guarantee that the CFPB will decide the debt is invalid or obtain compensation for you. Response timing can vary, so follow the portal's current instructions rather than relying on an older deadline.

Specific facts are easier to investigate than labels. For example:

The company called at 7:12 a.m. on March 4 and March 5. I received 10 calls in seven days. I mailed a written dispute on March 6, and delivery was confirmed on March 9.

Report the conduct to the FTC

Submit a report through ReportFraud.ftc.gov when a collector used threats, deception, abusive practices, or conduct that may affect other consumers. Include:

The FTC generally uses reports to identify patterns, educate consumers, and support investigations or enforcement. It usually doesn't act as your lawyer or provide a personal resolution. Don't wait for an FTC response before answering a lawsuit or meeting another deadline. The FTC debt collection topic page describes the agency's role.

Consider your state attorney general or regulator

A state attorney general or financial-services regulator may be the better route for a state-law violation, licensing concern, original-creditor conduct, or issue outside the FDCPA. Search for your state's official consumer complaint page or financial regulator. If the state provides a free filing route, there's usually no reason to pay a form-filing service.

Send the same factual timeline, then explain why the conduct may violate state law. State rules can affect:

For suspected robocalls or robotexts, you can also submit a separate complaint to the Federal Communications Commission. That route is supplemental. It doesn't replace an FDCPA, CFPB, FTC, or state complaint.

Correct credit-report errors separately

A debt-collection complaint and a credit-report dispute are different processes. If the account isn't yours, the balance is wrong, the account is duplicated, or the status is inaccurate, get your reports from AnnualCreditReport.com.

Then:

  1. Identify every bureau showing the error.
  2. Follow each bureau's dispute instructions.
  3. Send the collector or other furnisher a separate written dispute using the relevant dispute address or method.
  4. Attach the report page and documents supporting your position.
  5. Keep confirmation numbers, delivery records, and investigation results.

A complaint doesn't automatically delete an accurate account. Explain the collection conduct to the complaint agency and the reporting error through the credit-report dispute process.

If the debt may be time-barred

The statute of limitations for suing on a debt depends on the debt type and the law that applies. In some situations, the state named in a contract may matter. The period for reporting information to a credit bureau isn't the same as the deadline for filing a collection lawsuit.

According to the FTC's consumer guidance, a collector can't sue to collect a time-barred debt, but it may continue contacting you unless you send a written request to stop. Whether a debt is actually time-barred can be difficult to determine. In some states, a payment or written acknowledgment may restart the limitation period.

Before making a partial payment, admitting that you owe an old debt, or agreeing to a new payment plan, check the applicable state law or speak with a qualified consumer-law professional. Don't rely only on a caller's statement about the account's age.

If you receive court papers

A summons and complaint take priority over an agency complaint. Filing with the CFPB, FTC, or a state agency doesn't answer the lawsuit or extend the deadline printed on the court papers.

A collector's violation may be relevant to your defense or support a separate claim, but the court decides what must be filed and when.

Possible legal remedies

A government complaint may create a record or prompt a company response, but it doesn't award damages. The FDCPA generally permits a private action for actual damages and additional statutory damages of up to $1,000 in an individual case, along with possible court costs and attorney fees. Those remedies aren't automatic. Eligibility depends on the collector, debt, conduct, evidence, and timing.

An FDCPA lawsuit generally must be filed within one year of the violation. State laws may provide different claims, remedies, or deadlines. An agency complaint may not pause any of them, so get legal help promptly if the conduct caused financial loss, a lawsuit is pending, or the violation is recent.

Complaint narrative template

This structure works for a CFPB, FTC, or state complaint:

Company: [collector's legal name]
Account: [last four digits or reference number]
Timeline: On [date] at [time], the company [describe the conduct]. It happened [number] times.
Notice or dispute: I received the validation notice on [date] and mailed a written dispute on [date]. Delivery was confirmed on [date].
Continuing conduct: After [the dispute or cease-communication request], the company [describe what happened].
Evidence: I attached [letters, call log, voicemail, screenshots, delivery proof, or credit report].
Requested response: Please investigate the conduct and explain what the company will do to correct it.

Stick to facts you can support. Quote threats accurately, separate what you personally saw from what someone told you, and identify missing evidence instead of filling gaps with assumptions.

Common questions

Does missing the 30-day dispute period mean I owe the debt?

No. Missing the period doesn't establish that the debt is legally valid. It can mean the FDCPA's automatic pause after a written dispute may not apply. You can still challenge inaccurate or unsupported information, and state law may provide additional rights.

Should I file with the CFPB or the FTC first?

Use the CFPB when you want a specific company to review and respond to your complaint. Use the FTC to report suspected patterns of unlawful conduct. A state complaint may be more useful for state-law or licensing issues. You can use more than one route, but keep the timeline consistent and don't treat a complaint as a substitute for court action.

Can a collector call my family or employer?

A collector may have limited reasons to contact another person for location information, but it generally can't disclose your debt. Employer contact is fact-specific and may be restricted by federal or state law. Save the name of anyone contacted and exactly what the collector said.

Will a complaint remove the debt?

Not automatically. A complaint may lead to a review, correction, or change in collection practices, but it doesn't by itself prove the debt is invalid or require deletion of accurate credit information. Use a written debt dispute for the account issue and a credit-report dispute for inaccurate reporting.

Start by saving the collection notice, making a dated contact log, and checking the validation notice. If court papers have arrived, find that response deadline before spending time on an agency complaint.