Respond to a debt collector correctly — know your rights, make them prove the debt, and avoid the mistakes that reset the clock or admit liability. Use when asked how to deal with a debt collector, a collection agency is contacting me, is this debt real, or respond to a collections letter. Produces a validation/proof-of-debt request, a rights-aware read on what collectors can and can't do, guidance on statute-of-limitations and not accidentally restarting it, a communication and record-keeping plan, and escalation if they break the rules. Not legal advice.
“A debt collector is calling about a debt I don't recognize — what do I do?”“How do I make a collection agency prove I owe this?”“I got a collections letter for an old debt — should I pay it?”“Can debt collectors call me at work / threaten me?”“Write me a debt validation letter.”
What to give it
▸The contact — letter, call, email; the collector's name and what they claim
▸The debt — amount, original creditor, and roughly how old
▸Is it yours — recognized, unsure, disputed, or possibly not yours/already paid
▸What you've done — any payments, promises, or acknowledgments made
▸Region — determines rights, limits, and statute of limitations
✅ The bar it holds itself to
Every skill in this library self-verifies — these are this skill's own quality checks, straight from its definition.
✓Leads with debt validation before any payment
✓States region-appropriate collector rules/limits
✓Warns that paying/admitting can restart the statute of limitations
✓Advises written communication and a contact log
✓Presents dispute/negotiate/settle only after validation
✓Flags "not legal advice" for serious cases
⚠️ What it refuses to do
**Paying immediately** on a phone demand without validation.
**Admitting or part-paying an old debt** and resetting the clock.
**Communicating only by phone** with no record.
**Ignoring it entirely** until it escalates to court.
**Treating this as legal advice** for a lawsuit-level matter.
Install
npx pm-claude-skills add --agent claude # or codex · cursor · gemini · hermes
# or one-line MCP (every skill, any client):
claude mcp add pm-skills -- npx -y pm-claude-skills-mcp