wise to be on the offensive, or lie in wait?

[eslgirls]

hello,

i've been reading a lot on here and have gathered a lot of information. poor life decisions, divorce, etc have made my credit pretty sad in comparison to the stellar marks i once had.

i have received my first letter of "arbitration" by NCO, which i have read to be one of the notoriously bad CA's out there. I am sending my first DV letter to them immediately to see what i can do about this.

however, my question does not lie therein. After finally having the courage to look at my credit report, i've noticed 4 really awful CA's (unifund, nco, arrow financial and asset acceptance corp) all with bloated figures, showing open accounts and "factoring company account"

at this point, without receiving letters from them that i can find, should i serve them with DV letters asap to begin rebuilding, or is that foolish on my behalf?

also, most of these debts incurred in IL, (all charge cards) but i have since relocated to CA and have lived here for 2 years. which state's SOL do i fall under? i've heard conflicting answers.

im sorry for asking this, i have done many searches, but cant seem to find the particulars i am in search of. thank you for this site, it is a godsend. i'm looking forward to the good credit is sexy book so i can really get my life back on track.

many thanks in advance!

[thechoosenone]

in my opinion it is best to be on the offensive with these collection agencies. The more you pressure them and make them show their hands the more they violate and build your case for misrepresenting and bloating these debts. They usual want the easy kill.

[swirlgirl]

When working with collection agencies, always send DV letters. It is the beginning of your paper trail, which shows you are making efforts to resolve the debt. Plus, you'll be surprised how a few CAs will just delete after being challenged.

Also, don't forget to dispute everything with the CRAs also. Lastly, read the stickies. They will guide you through the process.