unexpected call from collection agency

Can anyone please help a student who needs some advice? Here's my
situation:

I was recently contacted by someone claiming to be a collection agency,
who said that I owed $600 to a doctor for treatment performed almost a
year and a half ago. The supposed agency said that they had sent me
several notices, but it seems the notices were sent to an old address.
No notice was ever forwarded to me, and I have no written notification
that I owe any money, nor did the doctor ever call me (my phone number
hasn't changed).

I've tried to contact the doctor's office to confirm the debt, but he
is on vacation and won't be back for a week. The address the
collection agency wants me to send the money to is different from the
doctor's address (it's just a PO Box). Is this significant? Should I
send the check now or should I wait until I can contact the doctor? I
don't have any real proof of the debt, but I'm a bit worried about
waiting for a week; I want to act quickly to avoid a bad mark on my
credit record.

And, should I mail the check to the doctor or the agency? I don't want
to send the money to one and have the other claim I still owe them.
Any advice on how to go about this?

Thanks everyone,
Rachel

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: unexpected call from collection agency
    ... I should first mention that the collection agency was able to provide ... but my guess is that I probably do owe the doctor ... If, after contacting the doctor, it is confirmed that I owe the money, ...
    (misc.legal)
  • Re: unexpected call from collection agency
    ... >I was recently contacted by someone claiming to be a collection agency, ... heard of the doctor involved? ... >I've tried to contact the doctor's office to confirm the debt, ... black mark on your credit record. ...
    (misc.legal)
  • Re: unexpected call from collection agency
    ... Check with the doctors office prior to doing anything ... > Can anyone please help a student who needs some advice? ... > I was recently contacted by someone claiming to be a collection agency, ... > that I owe any money, nor did the doctor ever call me (my phone number ...
    (misc.legal)
  • Re: Debt Collection Agency Implications
    ... > I've been searching the net trying to find what the implications are ... > Over the Christmas period I received a letter from a collection agency ... > demanded the money from me. ... > Also, would it be worth making a complaint against Natwest, and if so, ...
    (uk.legal)
  • Debt Collection Agency Implications
    ... I've been searching the net trying to find what the implications are ... Over the Christmas period I received a letter from a collection agency ... I had written rent cheques from this bank, ... demanded the money from me. ...
    (uk.legal)