What to do if…
you receive a notice that a past-due bill will be escalated to enforcement unless paid today

What to do now

1. Pause and keep the evidence. Screenshot or photograph the notice, including the date, amount, company name, sender, callback number, payment instructions, and any account or case reference.

2. Verify through a contact route you choose.

   • If the notice claims to be from a utility, hospital, credit card issuer, lender, landlord, insurer, or other original creditor, use a recent statement, your secure account portal, or the company’s official website to find contact details.
   • Ask: “Is my account past due? What amount do your records show? What action is actually scheduled, and on what date?”
   • Do not use a phone number, link, QR code, or payment portal from the pressure message until it matches an official route.

3. If this is a third-party debt collector, ask for validation information.

   • A debt collector generally must give validation information in the first contact or within five days of that first contact, unless an exception applies.
   • Ask for the debt collector’s name, mailing address, the current creditor, the original creditor if different, the account number or reference, and an itemized amount.
   • If the collector will not provide written details, do not make a payment on the call.

4. If the debt or amount looks wrong, dispute it in writing.

   • After you receive validation information from a debt collector, you generally have 30 days to dispute the debt in writing.
   • If you send a written dispute or written request for original-creditor information within that window, the collector generally must pause collection of the disputed debt until it responds as required.
   • Keep a copy of what you send, how you sent it, and the date.

5. Check for identity theft or a mixed-up account if you do not recognize the debt.

   • Get your credit reports through AnnualCreditReport.com, the federally authorized free credit report site.
   • Look for accounts, addresses, collections, or inquiries you do not recognize.
   • If identity theft is possible, use IdentityTheft.gov to make a recovery plan and keep the report it gives you.

6. Separate pressure language from real legal action.

   • A message saying “lawsuit,” “garnishment,” “levy,” or “enforcement” is not the same as official court papers.
   • For ordinary consumer debts, wage garnishment or taking money from a bank account usually requires the collector to sue and get a court order, but some government debts can follow different processes.
   • If you receive court papers, use the court’s official website or clerk’s office contact details to confirm them, and look for legal aid quickly.

7. If the debt is real and you cannot pay today, ask for a written pause or hardship option.

   • Ask the original creditor whether a payment plan, hardship program, short extension, or documented arrangement may pause escalation.
   • For a utility shutoff warning, ask exactly what payment arrangement or assistance application prevents disconnection and what confirmation you will receive.
   • Do not rely on a verbal promise; ask for the arrangement in writing or save the confirmation number.

8. If you suspect a scam or already paid, act through your own bank route.

   • Contact your bank, card issuer, or payment app using the number on your card or account app, not the message.
   • Say that you may have paid a scammer and ask whether the payment can be stopped, reversed, disputed, or blocked.
   • Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and consider a CFPB complaint if a debt collector is involved.