<prompt> Human: I have an issue where my parent used my name to start a PGE account- now that account is in collections. I found the account when I checked my credit report this January and I immediately contacted the company. I wont go into my parents role or their responsibilities but I need to get this taken care of.My issue is that the debt collector will not send me any information regarding the debt. They will only tell me the amount and the vendor, PGE. Ive asked for a formal letter, the service dates of the account, the account number, the address of the account, anything more then their word, you owe us money. I called PGE and they do not have record of an account in my name. Since January the debt collector has refused to send me anything. I give them my address each time and have never received a piece of mail from them.What more can I do? I am hesitant to make any payments without ever receiving anything in writing but this is really hurting my credit and is threatening my future.  <response>: Id mail a formal request for validation of the debt to the collector and also dispute the debt with all three credit bureaus. Do not pay anything until it has been validated and your disputes through the credit bureaus have been completed. Myfico.com forums have a ton of info on debt validation strategies. 