Dealing with attempts to collect medical debt you don’t owe can greatly impact your life. These attempts can negatively affect their credit, cause emotional distress, and often requires payments of excessive and wrongful amounts. Fortunately, North Carolina has strong protections for individuals harassed by debt collectors, especially when the debt is not actually owed. Federal law also protects individuals with incorrect medical debt appearing on their credit report.
Instances of identity theft have become ubiquitous since the proliferation of the internet. Of particular concern are thieves using personal information, including social security and medical identification numbers, to obtain healthcare, prescriptions, and medical equipment. Health care providers may try to force individuals to pay for the healthcare debt wrongfully obtained by someone else.
It is estimated that medical identify theft affected 2.3 million patients in 2014 alone. Victims of such identity theft rarely find out until they receive bills from the medical provider, telephone calls from the medical provider or a debt collector, the incorrect bill appears on their credit report, or other collection attempts from debt collectors. Individuals who have dealt with collection agencies or debt collectors understand the frustration. Explaining to collectors that you did not incur medical bills can be a nearly impossible task without a legal advocate.
Representation for Wrongful Collection Attempts
If you notice incorrect collection items on your credit report, or obtain a bill or collection attempt from a health care provider or collection agency for medical debt that you did not incur, contact the unfair debt collection attorneys at Maginnis Howard. We offer free consultations for debt collection cases. Additionally, we may be able to assist you with your claim on a contingency basis. That means you pay no attorney’s fees unless we recover damages on your behalf. Contact the Raleigh civil litigation attorneys at 919.526.0450 or submit a confidential new case inquiry here.
