Carter-Young Collections on Your Credit Report? Fight Back and Win

You probably have some big questions if you see Carter-Young listed on your credit report or if they’re trying to call you. First, you’ve never heard of the company, so how could they possibly report negative information to one or more credit bureaus? Second, how can you get them off your credit report? Third, are you being scammed?

What is Carter-Young Collections?

Carter-Young Collections works as a third-party debt collector. Sometimes you’ll hear companies like Carter-Young referred to as recovery agencies or something similar. A debt collector can technically be a creditor, first-party, or third-party collector. There are also debt buyers and collection lawyers.

A first-party collector is an original creditor. You might be familiar with the name of a first-party creditor because this is who you had an account with. Examples of a first-party creditor can include a credit card issuer or a bank where you got a loan. A first-party creditor can also include a healthcare services provider for medical debt.

If someone stops making payments or is late, the first-party collector or original creditor might contact them. They will usually wait a few months before they contact a third-party collector, during which time they might keep trying to collect past-due amounts.

Once a company gives up on trying to collect money internally, they can hire a third-party collection agency like Carter-Young Collections, outsourcing this work to them. Companies can also sell debts.

Collection agencies like Carter-Young Collections are third-party companies specializing in debt collecting. Sometimes, the third-party debt collector that works on a contingency fee basis will ultimately decide to sell the debt to another agency.

Debt collectors’ roles include notifying people they have a debt and trying to get payment. A debt collector will most often call you but can also technically contact you in other ways, like through letters, texts, or even social media messages.

Why Is Carter-Young Collections Calling Me?

Whether you’re getting calls from Carter-Young or they’re contacting you in other ways, it’s most likely because they believe you owe a debt that they’re attempting to collect.

When a debt collector calls or contacts you, you have certain federally protected rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Because of the FDCPA, the things that debt collectors like Carter-Young Collections aren’t allowed to do include:

• Call you early, before 8 a.m., or late, after 9 p.m.
• Come to your place of work.
• Contact you at work if you ask them not to.
• Reveal to your co-workers or other third parties that they are debt collectors, and that’s why they’re contacting you.
• Use threats or harassment.
• Be deceptive about who they are, why they’re calling, or what they can legally do to collect.

·         Publish information about you.

• Make threats of violence.
• Repeatedly or continuously call.
• Continue pursuing you for debts you don’t owe.

There are also things debt collectors can do, however, especially if you aren’t proactive in dealing with the situation. For example, if you still owe a debt, even if it’s expired, they can seek payment. Debt collectors can also sue you. 

If a debt collector sues you and wins, they can get a judgment against you, allowing them to use wage garnishment or bank levies. Wage garnishment is taking money directly out of your pay, and bank levies mean the company can directly take money from your bank account.

Is Carter-Young Legitimate?

It’s natural to be cautious when a company calls you demanding payment for a debt, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the name or the account they’re calling you about. Carter-Young is a legitimate company and not a scam, but with that being said, there are frequently inaccuracies in debt collection. You may not owe the debt, it could belong to another person altogether, or parts of the debt could be wrong.

While Carter-Young Collections isn’t a scam, and the Better Business Bureau accredits them, there are quite a few complaints against the company.

For example, consumers say that they were never able to get the original creditor information they requested from Carter-Young Collections, and they feel their rights were violated as a result. There are complaints that focus on consumers who say they were never late on payments for the accounts this company is contacting them about. Many people say the debt information Carter-Young Collections has on file about them is inaccurate.

Does Going to Collections Hurt Your Credit?

If you start to hear from Carter-Young Collections or see them on your credit report, it’s important not to ignore the situation even if you don’t think the debt is legitimately yours. If you aren’t proactive in dealing with Carter-Young Collections, which is often best done by working with a consumer protection attorney, it can have far-reaching effects on your credit.

Your credit score heavily depends on your history of on-time payments. About 35% of credit scores are based on payment history. When you have an account in collections, it’s an indicator you don’t make on-time payments, which can lead to big drops in your credit score. 

This makes it hard to get new accounts, rent a home, get a mortgage, and, in some cases, even get a job. There tends to be an assumption that if you pay off a collections account, whether you think it’s legitimate or not, it’ll come off your credit report. 

That’s not always what happens. People, unfortunately, will pay debts, even if they don’t owe them, and the information stays on their credit, and they aren’t able to get a response from the debt collector.

Disputing a Debt with Carter-Young Collections

For many consumers, the best way to get Carter-Young Collections off their credit and stop their calls is by disputing a debt. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, consumers can dispute debts, whether they’re fully or partially incorrect or can’t be validated.

The team at Fair Credit can help with this process from start to finish, so you don’t have to deal with stressful, intimidating debt collectors. Reach out to our team for a free case review.