Find out what a collector must prove — then make them prove it.

Ready to sign and mail

Your three letters.

Print each one, sign it, and keep a copy. Send by certified mail with return receipt requested — the receipt is your proof of the date, and the date is what makes these letters work.

One more thing. Do not send a payment, and do not write anything that admits the debt is yours, until you know where your state's clock stands. In many states a single partial payment restarts a limitation period that may have already run out. Silence costs you nothing. A twenty-dollar good-faith payment can cost you years.