Is this debt collector legitimate?
By Kai Greenspan, Founding Editor
Every quotation on this page matches the official text word for word, as last downloaded on October 1, 2026.
This page is educational information built on public records, with sources and dates. It is not legal advice. If a collector is threatening you or you believe you are being scammed, the CFPB, the Texas attorney general, and legal aid services take complaints and provide help.
Check 1: is it on the Texas bond register?
Every third-party debt collector must file a $10,000 surety bond with the Texas Secretary of State before collecting consumer debts in Texas (Finance Code Section 392.101), and the filings are public. Search the collector's name on the official TPDC Public Search Portal; our step-by-step guide covers the name-variant traps (companies often file under a slightly different legal name). A collector with an active bond has met the state's one legal entry requirement. An absence is not proof of a scam on its own: Section 392.001(7) excludes "an attorney collecting a debt as an attorney on behalf of and in the name of a client" from the definition, unless the attorney has nonattorney employees who regularly solicit debts for collection or regularly contact debtors, so a collection law firm can be lawful without a bond filing. Every agency in our register-checked Texas directory has passed this exact check, with its full filing history shown and linked on its profile.
Check 2: what does its complaint record look like?
The CFPB's Consumer Complaint Database is free, public and searchable, and it records complaints against collectors along with how the company responded. Read it in context: the CFPB says its database is not a statistical sample of consumers’ experiences in the marketplace, and a complaint is a consumer’s account, not a finding against the company. What the record is good for: does the company exist, does it respond, and are there patterns. Where we have matched an agency to the CFPB's records, its profile here shows the all-time debt-collection complaint count, linked to the live CFPB search for that exact company name, so you can read the underlying complaints yourself.
Check 3: has a regulator formally acted against it?
Regulators publish their concluded actions: the CFPB's enforcement database lists every consent order and judgment with the documents, and state regulators publish theirs. A concluded action is an adjudicated public fact, and it cuts both ways: it proves the company is real and regulated, and it tells you something about its history. When a regulator has formally acted against an agency listed in this directory, its profile carries a Public enforcement record section quoting the regulator's own document, with the document linked, reported neutrally. It does not decide legitimacy, but it belongs in the picture, which is why we publish it.
The CFPB's warning signs of a debt collection scam
The CFPB's guidance is direct: "A legitimate debt collector can tell you their company name and mailing address, as well as information about the debt they say you owe."
These are the five warning signs it lists, in its own words:
- “The debt collector threatens you or calls you late at night or at work.”
- “The debt collector refuses to give you a mailing address or phone number.”
- “The debt collector refuses to give you information about your debt or is trying to collect a debt you don’t recognize.”
- “The debt collector threatens you with criminal charges.”
- “The debt collector asks you for your personal financial information.”
The CFPB also notes that collectors "are required to give you information about the debt when they first contact you or within five days".
CFPB: How do I tell if a debt collector is legitimate or a scam? (last reviewed by the CFPB July 30, 2026), checked August 14, 2026.
Common questions about verifying a debt collector
How do I check whether a debt collector is bonded in Texas?
Search the collector’s name on the Texas Secretary of State’s free TPDC Public Search Portal, the state’s live bond register. Every third-party debt collector must file a $10,000 surety bond before collecting consumer debts in Texas, under Texas Finance Code Section 392.101, so a third-party collector genuinely collecting consumer debts in Texas appears on that register. One statutory exception matters: Section 392.001(7) excludes "an attorney collecting a debt as an attorney on behalf of and in the name of a client", unless the attorney has nonattorney employees who regularly solicit debts for collection or regularly contact debtors, so a law firm collecting for its own clients can be lawful and absent from the register. Our verification guide walks through the search, including the name-variant traps; every agency in our directory gives its own register file number and links the register, so the check is one search.
What are the warning signs of a debt collection scam?
The CFPB lists five: the collector threatens you or calls you late at night or at work; refuses to give you a mailing address or phone number; refuses to give you information about your debt or is trying to collect a debt you don’t recognize; threatens you with criminal charges; or asks you for your personal financial information. The CFPB advises that a legitimate collector can tell you its company name, mailing address, and information about the debt, and that collectors are required to give you information about the debt when they first contact you or within five days. Its page is linked on this page.
Does a high complaint count mean a collection agency is a scam?
No. Complaint counts in the public CFPB database are records, not verdicts: the CFPB says its database is not a statistical sample of consumers’ experiences in the marketplace. A legitimate, bonded agency can have thousands of complaints on record. What complaint records are good for is context and patterns, which is why a profile in this directory shows the agency’s all-time count, linked to the live CFPB database, wherever we have matched the agency to the CFPB’s records, alongside its verified bond history.
How do I find out if a debt collector has been punished by a regulator?
Check the regulator’s own enforcement database: the CFPB publishes every action it has concluded, with the order documents, at consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions, and state regulators publish theirs. In this directory, when a regulator has formally acted against a listed agency, the agency’s profile carries a Public enforcement record section quoting the action from the regulator’s own published documents, with the document linked. An enforcement record is an adjudicated public fact; it is reported neutrally and does not decide whether an agency is legitimate.
The collector contacting me is not in your directory. Does that mean it is fake?
Not by itself. This directory lists register-checked third-party agencies with active Texas bonds, and it is still growing; a genuine collector may not be listed yet, may be a debt buyer (which we deliberately do not list), or may operate outside Texas. Absence here is a reason to verify, not a verdict. Run the three checks on this page, starting with the state register, and use the CFPB’s written-validation right before paying anyone.
Related pages
Texas debt collection laws
The bond rule, prohibited practices, fees and the four-year rule, quoted from the statutes.
Wage garnishment in Texas
Why a garnishment threat over consumer debt is itself a red flag in Texas.
Verify a Texas bond
The free five-minute check against the Secretary of State register.
Is a debt collector legitimate? New York
The same checks, built around the New York City license.
Is a debt collector legitimate? Florida
The same checks, and why a legitimate Florida collector can be lawfully absent from the state register.
Is a debt collector legitimate? California
The same checks, built around the state's own list of licensees and the license number on every letter.
Is a debt collector legitimate? Illinois
The same checks, built around the state's own license register, and why a lawful out-of-state collector can be absent from it.
The register-checked directory
Every agency here has passed the bond check, with sources shown.