Responding to a debt you do not recognize

If a collection agency contacts you about an unfamiliar debt, first verify the agency and request the account information needed to identify the claim. Preserve the initial notice, creditor's name, amount, and records of calls or messages. Avoid providing sensitive identity or payment information until you know who you are dealing with.

Explain genuine errors in writing and keep proof of delivery. Collection agency conduct is regulated, but the applicable rules can differ from those governing an original creditor or a legal representative. A complaint about collection conduct does not answer a court claim or determine whether the debt exists. If court papers arrive, deal with the response deadline separately. Obtain advice before making an acknowledgment or payment with possible legal consequences.

Check your own records for a former address, a joint account, an account transferred to another creditor, or a possible identity error. Ask for enough information to identify the transaction without disclosing unnecessary personal details. If you suspect fraud, preserve the suspicious communication and verify contact information through an independent source. A caller's knowledge of your name or part of an account number does not establish that payment is owed or that the caller is authorized to collect it.

Keep a contact log showing dates, names, numbers, statements made, and copies of your written responses. This can assist with both the debt dispute and any complaint about collection conduct. If you receive a claim, compare its allegations with the information previously provided and calendar the response deadline immediately. Do not send original identity documents through an unverified link or assume that disputing a credit report answers a court proceeding. The account's validity, collection practices, and litigation response may require separate steps coordinated around the same evidence.

Sources

• Ontario handling collection agency calls
• Ontario prohibited collection agency practices

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General Ontario legal information, not legal advice for your matter, and reading it does not create a retainer. Sources checked 15 October 2026: check the current law, forms and dates before you act.

Photos from Pexels: Using a calculator beside an invoice · A judge's gavel and sound block.

This article is general information for people in Ontario, not legal advice. Rules, forms and deadlines change, and every situation is different. Check the current rule or speak to a licensed legal professional before you act.