What to do if…
you receive a notice threatening immediate enforcement or legal action over a missed payment

What to do now

1. Pause and preserve the details. Screenshot or photograph the notice, envelope, text, email, caller ID, payment demand, phone numbers, email addresses, and any case or reference number. Do not use the contact details in the message yet.
2. Sort it into the most likely bucket.
   • Possible scam or impostor: threats of arrest, police, sheriff, jail, urgent payment, gift cards, cryptocurrency, payment apps, wire transfer, or pressure to stay on the phone.
   • Debt collector communication: collection agency name, “attempt to collect a debt” language, creditor name, amount claimed, and validation or consumer-rights language.
   • Court or legal papers: summons, complaint, court name, case number, service papers, hearing date, filing deadline, or instructions to respond.
   • Government notice: agency name, tax, toll, fine, benefit, loan, or other official account information.
3. Verify through an independent route.
   • If it claims to be a court, look up the court’s official website or phone number yourself and ask the clerk whether the case number matches a real filing. Use the court’s official online case search if one is available.
   • If it claims to be a government agency, go to the agency’s official website yourself and use its published contact options. Do not use links, numbers, QR codes, or payment portals from the unexpected message.
   • If it claims to be a debt collector, ask for the collector’s legal name, mailing address, the creditor’s name, the amount claimed, and validation information in writing.
4. Use debt-collection rights to slow the pressure.
   • Covered debt collectors generally must provide validation information about the debt in the first written notice or within five days of the first communication.
   • The validation information should help you identify the creditor, amount, collector, and how to dispute the debt.
   • For covered debt collectors, federal law generally gives you 30 days after receiving the validation information to dispute the debt in writing. Keep a copy and proof of mailing or submission.
   • If you dispute the debt in writing within that period, the collector generally must stop trying to collect the disputed amount until it sends verification.
5. If it is a lawsuit or you were served, protect the deadline first.
   • Read the papers for the court name, case number, response deadline, hearing date, and method for responding.
   • Respond by the date in the court papers, either yourself or through a lawyer if you have one.
   • Contact local legal aid or a licensed attorney promptly if you are unsure what to file. A missed response can lead to a default judgment.
6. If it looks like an impostor scam, stop contact and report it.
   • End the call or message. Do not stay on the line to argue, prove yourself, or follow instructions.
   • If it claims to be law enforcement, verify only through a real local police or sheriff website or non-emergency number you find yourself.
   • Report suspected fraud through the FTC’s official fraud-reporting site.
   • If it impersonates the IRS, Treasury, or a tax-related contact, follow the IRS reporting instructions for the type of message you received.
7. If someone comes to your door claiming enforcement over a debt, keep the situation safe.
   • Keep the door closed while you ask who they are, what agency or company they represent, and what court order or case number they have.
   • Do not hand over cash, cards, codes, or banking information at the door.
   • If you feel unsafe, they threaten you, or they refuse to leave, call 911.