Start here
The free tool below runs entirely in this browser — no account, nothing stored or transmitted. Redact anything you would not want kept before you type it.
Open the companion tool →Why 'we're collecting for the original creditor' is not an answer
A collector must be able to show the account and its assignment to them if they want to pursue it. A missing link is a legitimate reason to dispute.
The request is free and does not require admitting the debt is yours.
The protocol
- Send a written request for the chain of assignment from the original creditor to the current collector.
- Ask for the account agreement, the amount breakdown, and the last payment date.
- Dispute the debt while the chain is unproven, and ask for collection to pause.
- Record what they produce and what remains missing.
- Keep the record for any later court filing or complaint.
What the tool does
Build a debt-ownership chain request It runs locally in this browser and sends nothing.
Limit first: This is a record-keeping and dispute-drafting aid, not legal or financial advice. It cannot cancel a debt, stop all collection calls, or guarantee that a dispute is upheld.
Open the companion tool →Cost and free path
Cost: Free: one complete run in this browser, no account. Optional $4 one-time unlock allows unlimited runs of this tool on this browser. The free path and safety guidance never require payment.
Rule status (mixed route): Status, 2026-10-03: FDCPA duties to substantiate the debt and the collector's authority to collect it are in force, and the CFPB complaint route remains open and free.
Automated decision this documents: automated debt portfolio matching and collection
Free path, in order (no cost):
- CFPB's debt-collection complaint route (free)
- Your state attorney general's consumer division
- A consumer lawyer through NACA, many of whom take FDCPA cases on contingency
What this cannot do: It cannot cancel a debt, stop all collection calls, or guarantee that a dispute is upheld.
Sources checked 2026-10-03 · source bank reviewed against the live pages listed in metadata.
One human next step
Send it by trackable mail and keep the receipt; if the collector cannot document ownership or continues collection anyway, that record supports a complaint to the CFPB and your state attorney general.
Research log and safety checks
AI-assist path: not used for a verdict. This builder organises the reader's own documents and names an independent source; it does not infer authenticity, eligibility, or legal rights. §6.9/§6.10/§6.11 disclosed in the batch report; §6.12 status line carried in metadata as `status_line`.
§0.5 protection result: category is debt-credit-and-collections; crisis-adjacent: no; fear/urgency/scarcity toolkit used: no. The protective function is free and the paid feature is convenience only.