Yesterday, I got a call from a debt collector claiming I owe $1,000 for a hospital bill. They mentioned the hospital, and I know I’ve been there before but never got billed. I just assumed I had health insurance through my mom, but I’m not sure if I still have it.
The call went like this:
Debt collector: Can I speak to ——-?
Me: This is her.
Debt collector: We have an address on file ——-.
Me: Yes.
Debt collector: And your birthdate. I’ll say the month and day, and you confirm the year. Month —- day —-.
Me: Yes, year —-.
Debt collector: I’m calling to collect a $1,000 debt for hospital. How would you like to pay, by check or card?
Me: I don’t have the money to pay.
Debt collector: Okay, how much do you make a month and what are your monthly bills?
Me: —— and ——
Debt collector: Okay, I’ve set you up on a $35-a-month payment plan. I just need your card number, and it’ll be automatically charged on the 19th of each month at midnight.
Me: (gives card info)
Debt collector: Okay, the payment plan is set up. If we have more questions, we’ll call you back.
Me: Okay, thank you. (hangs up)
I’m really bad at phone calls, and my nerves took over. I felt guilty for just ending the call. Now I’m freaking out because I don’t have the money in my account yet, and I’m scared to deposit it in case it was a scam
I’m not sure if you ought to pay or not.However, something doesn’t seem right about the fact that they were requesting your credit card after asking YOU to verify your entire date of birth and address. particularly if it’s for a debt you weren’t even positive you had. I’m getting scam call vibes from this. whether I were you, I would definitely look into this further to see whether you may have simply given a thief access to your information.
How old are you?
Did you ask for the date of service?
Next time, hang up and call the hospital directly to verify.
NEVER give a debt collector or stranger access to your debit card, as it’s linked to your checking account.
Always pay debt collectors using a money order.
In the adult world, you can’t afford to make assumptions. Always verify. Have you discussed this debt with your parents?
If the medical debt is over $1,000, it should appear on your credit report. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com and check your reports from Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Save them as PDFs for future reference.
When a debt is fully paid, you should receive a letter confirming it. Take a picture of it and email it to yourself, including the date, amount, and debt name in the subject line.
If you move, always set up mail forwarding and update your address with the post office.
I’m 26.
No, I didn’t ask for the date of service.
I plan to visit the hospital in person tomorrow to find out. I’m just scared that if it’s legit, I’ll be in trouble since my card will definitely decline tonight. I don’t want to pay for something that could be fake or lock me into a long-term contract if I don’t have to.
I use Chime, and I gave them my Credit Builder card, which is a credit card, not linked to my debit account, though both are with the same bank.
I did tell my mom, and she said the best thing to do is contact the hospital.
I also checked Credit Karma and found a $1,200 debt, but it’s under a different collector named NCA.
The number that called me was 1(888)376-0818. I tried looking it up but couldn’t find any info without having to pay.
Honestly, I don’t think it’s as bad as you may think. A $1,000 debt isn’t insurmountable, and your bank will sort it out if the call was fraudulent. To be safe, I would advise freezing your accounts and verifying the debt with the hospital. I don’t believe you should be too alarmed.
I don’t even talk to my credit card company if they call me. I politely tell them I’ll call them back using the number on the card. You should always ask for the actual medical bill, itemized, because in some cases, if you don’t receive the bill within a certain time frame, they may not be able to charge you. You’ll need to keep good records to make sure it’s legitimate. It’s been a while since this happened to me, so make sure to research your state laws. Also, contact your health insurance company to verify if you were billed correctly for the service.
Put everything on hold for now. If they call again, write down all the details—who you spoke with, the company name, and their address. Get the bill before paying if it’s in collections. Let them know you’re willing to pay a legitimate debt, but you need more information first. It’s not foolproof, but you can try reverse-searching the phone number to see if it’s a legitimate business. Be proactive with your bank so they can monitor things on their end, which will make it easier to stop any scams if needed. .
It seems like a fraud.
After receiving a call and letter about a debt from a collections agency, I told them I was busy and requested a callback number. Right away, I called the hospital and spoke with their billing department, who verified the amount. Along with confirming the collections agency’s identity, they offered me the same phone number to reach them at. I paid them back over the phone.
It appears that you have already made the payment; you cannot go back at this time without consulting your bank.
Call the hospital to confirm if this is a legitimate debt or if it is being held by their internal collections department (most hospitals have one of these, but it is typically not named in a way that indicates a direct affiliation with the hospital; it is merely a transitional step before your debt is actually sold to an agency and written off).
If they reply, “We have no record,” you should call your credit card company and find out what has to be done in order to cease receiving payments. Suck it up and take action, even if it’s just by deactivating the card or shutting the account altogether.