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Prove the debt: the letter for collectors you don’t recognise

When a company you have never heard of demands money for a debt you don’t recognise, the burden of proof is theirs. Make them carry it.

Written by The My Debt Cleared editorial teamLast reviewed 23 August 2026Jurisdiction United KingdomEditorial policy
If a debt collector contacts you about a debt you do not recognise, you are entitled to ask for evidence: who the original creditor was, the account details, how the balance is made up, and proof of their right to collect it. Until they provide it, dispute the debt in writing and do not offer payment — a payment can be taken as acknowledgement.

When to use this

Use this for debts you genuinely do not recognise, debts that may belong to someone else (name confusion, previous occupants, identity misuse), amounts that look wrong, or very old debts where the paper trail matters. Do not use it to stall a debt you know is yours — the offer letters exist for that, and misusing disputes wastes the protection. What collectors can and cannot do is set out in the debt collectors guide.

The letter

Your name
Your address
[Date]

[Collector name and address]

Your reference: [number]

Dear Sir or Madam,

You have contacted me about an alleged debt of £[amount]. I do not recognise this debt and I dispute it.

Please provide: the name of the original creditor and the account number; a full statement showing how the balance claimed is made up; the date and my address at the time the account was opened; and evidence of your authority to collect it, including any notice of assignment if the debt has been sold.

Until this information is provided I consider the debt disputed, and I understand you should not continue collection activity on a disputed debt. This letter is not an acknowledgement of any liability.

Yours faithfully,
[Name]

Before you send it

Send by a method you can prove, and keep the reply — whatever it contains. If the evidence arrives and the debt is yours, the offer letter is the next step; if it is not yours, say so once in writing and escalate continued pursuit as a complaint. Old debts raise limitation questions that depend on dates and acknowledgement — that is precisely the territory where free debt advice earns its name before you write anything further — statute-barred debt explains why the dates matter so much.

Keep a copy of everything you send, send by a method you can evidence, and if your situation involves court deadlines or enforcement, free debt advice before posting anything is the better order of events.

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