Should I pay this collections agency?? Please help!!

[Wealthwomaninthemaking]

Hello, I received a Collection letter in the mail today. I called and the woman on the phone stated can you pay a lower payment and I said yes. I know this was a mistake. But she said she will check with her manager and call me back. The collections is from a 2017 hospital bill. But there is nothing on my credit from this agency or the hospital. My questions are do I pay this debt that is not on my credit? If I do pay is will the company report to the credit bureaus? Or do I send a validation letter? I’m leaning towards not paying it but I don’t know if it will go on my credit even though it has not in 3 years? Any advice would help. Thank you!!

[MarvBear]

Welcome to CreditBoards.

[cv91915]

Is this a legitimate bill for medical services received (and if so, why wouldn't you pay it to prevent it from reporting)?

[Why Chat]

DO NOT PAY!! This is a SCAM 

There is NO WAY a 4 year old medical account is in a valid collection status.

Follow this guide;

https://whychat.me/GUIDEBOOK.html

 

Opting out will help prevent JDBs ( junk debt buyers) from accessing your credit records and poisoning your reports especially when you are in the midst of obtaining a mortgage.

[TheVig]

Why Chat beat me to the response. 
 

I’ve been opted out for a long time and still get scam calls for medical collections, credit cards, social security, IRS and other flim flam on occasion. 
 

I know someone last year who fell for a debt collection regarding a past due medical bill. Scammer said they would settle for $350, if they paid right then and there over the phone. In less then 10 minutes, their checking account was drained of $1300. That was all the money in the world they had. 
 

While I’m thinking about it. Beware of fake 1099 letters. Some in my area received what looked like legit 1099’s. Included was language that if they paid up, they wouldn’t report anything to the IRS. The give away, was the payment address. It was a UPS Store type address. 

[cv91915]

From all of the evidence I have seen, opting out has nothing to do with an entity's permissible purpose to access your credit file.

 

In my experience, opting out also has nothing to do with whether a bureau can sell "trigger alerts" to their customers when certain events occur on a consumer's credit file.

 

I was opted out for years, and mortgage inquiries would still trigger alerts to other mortgage companies who immediately started soliciting my business.  

 

I figured this out when I noticed that the mortgage companies who contacted me were also listed in the soft inquiry section on my credit report. 

 

I ended up contacting two of the mortgage companies who solicited me, and politely demanded to know where they got permissible purpose to access my credit file.

 

I was told by both of them that they subscribed to trigger alerts, which leave behind soft inquiries so the consumer knows to whom the triggers were sent.

 

These mortgage companies received the alerts while my opt-out was in force.

 

 

Edited February 24 by cv91915

[Wealthwomaninthemaking]

11 hours ago, cv91915 said:

Is this a legitimate bill for medical services received (and if so, why wouldn't you pay it to prevent it from reporting)?

I was thinking because the debt is almost 4 years old.. SOL in PA is 4 years. Also, it’s not on my credit report and was never reported by the hospital. 

[Wealthwomaninthemaking]

10 hours ago, Why Chat said:

DO NOT PAY!! This is a SCAM 

There is NO WAY a 4 year old medical account is in a valid collection status.

Follow this guide;

https://whychat.me/GUIDEBOOK.html

 

Opting out will help prevent JDBs ( junk debt buyers) from accessing your credit records and poisoning your reports especially when you are in the midst of obtaining a mortgage.

Can it hurt that I talk to someone and agreed to settle? 

[Wealthwomaninthemaking]

9 hours ago, cv91915 said:

From all of the evidence I have seen, opting out has nothing to do with an entity's permissible purpose to access your credit file.

 

In my experience, opting out also has nothing to do with whether a bureau can sell "trigger alerts" to their customers when certain events occur on a consumer's credit file.

 

I was opted out for years, and mortgage inquiries would still trigger alerts to other mortgage companies who immediately started soliciting my business.  

 

I figured this out when I noticed that the mortgage companies who contacted me were also listed in the soft inquiry section on my credit report. 

 

I ended up contacting two of the mortgage companies who solicited me, and politely demanded to know where they got permissible purpose to access my credit file.

 

I was told by both of them that they subscribed to trigger alerts, which leave behind soft inquiries so the consumer knows to whom the triggers were sent.

 

These mortgage companies received the alerts while my opt-out was in force.

 

 

This agency is a legit agency and here’s what I  found: FBCS, Inc, Inc is a real, legitimate company. Originally founded in 1986 in Pennsylvania, currently headquartered in Hatboro, PA, they are a medium sized collection agency in the US. Their mailing address is 330 S Warminster Road Ste 353, Hatboro, PA 19040.

[Wealthwomaninthemaking]

If I agreed to settle and this is not on my credit report will it reset the SOL? Can they now report this on my credit?

[distantarray]

3 hours ago, Wealthwomaninthemaking said:

If I agreed to settle and this is not on my credit report will it reset the SOL? Can they now report this on my credit?

Why chat is the best person to talk to about medical collections. He said do not pay then that means don't pay it's a scam.

[Wealthwomaninthemaking]

4 hours ago, distantarray said:

Why chat is the best person to talk to about medical collections. He said do not pay then that means don't pay it's a scam.

I just was following up with why chat; just to clarify. But thank you for your commnet. 

[legaleagle2012]

Settlement agreements are inadmissible in court. It does not constitute grounds for resetting the SOL in most jurisdictions. Just don't admit to the debt or make a payment. What is the amount? A settlement might be a lot cheaper than being sued and getting a judgment against you for the full amount plus court costs and legal fees.

[Wealthwomaninthemaking]

The amount is 1200. The thing is I haven’t heard anything else from the CA.