I do not owe the money the CA says I do

[tycin1]

I recently had a medical CA paste a collection for $73 on all 3 of my credit reports. They say that I owe money for my son's ER visit dating back to 2004. I sent a DV letter. They sent me a computerized patient ledger that they obtained from the hospital. My insurance paid for all of the ER visit except for $18, which I paid 2 years ago. Sometime later, Aetna asked the hospital for a refund of $73. I never received a bill for $73. I never heard anything else from the hospital after I paid the bill in full. Now, this scumbag CA says that I owe them $73. They did not mark my credit reports as disputed either. Can I sue them??

[E. Normis Debtor]

Did you actually dispute the amount or did you simply request verification? If you've actually disputed the amount it should show on your CBR that it is in dispute or it is an FDCPA violation. It is also a violation if the amount they're reporting is wrong.

A dispute doesn't need to be in writing, a verbal dispute satisfies under the FDCPA, though it's more difficult to prove.