<prompt> Human: Just got a letter saying I owe 400 for a checking account from 2004. It said I can settle for 30. I am just finalizing the purchase of a house, so I dont want to mess with my credit. Im sure I settled all my debts as I went through to get my credit score up like 7-8 years ago, but I doubt I can find any proof.What will happen if I tell them to freak off? Is it too old to affect my credit score?  <response>: Something 10 years old cant appear on your credit report. if it does, dispute it. If it does, and a dispute doesnt make it go away, you can sue the creditorreporting agency for punitive damages in small claims court for under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.Check the statute of limitations in your state, though. Sometimes thats longer than 7 years. If the debt is still within the statute of limitations, you could be sued for it, even if they cant report it. 