<prompt> Human: Portfolio Recovery Associates called me yesterday asking me to pay the balance on collection they have that is from 1999. I of course did not agree, and informed the CA that I didnt believe the debt was mine. They then asked if I wished to dispute the debt. I said that I did. I then inquired about the 7 year collection limit and pointed out that this was a 15 year old debt. They of course told me that this was not accurate. They asked for my mailing address so they could mail correspondence, I obliged. Not sure If I should have done that? I have not run my credit report within the last month, so I dont know if this is showing on it. I have had it run 3 months ago by a mortgage broker because I am house hunting. Nothing was present then. I have read the FAQ, but Im still a bit confused. 1What actions can I take to be proactive on this. I dont want it to affect my credit score. More so, since I absolutely do not believe the debt is mine. Its a relatively small amount that I can pay. However, Im not going to give away money to some random agency because they call and say I owe x amount of money from 15 years ago. 2What should I do or more importantly not do in the future whenif they call? I know the basics, like not agreeing to pay, indicating I could pay, or that the debt is or could be mine. Edit:Thank you all for the advise, Ill be following most of it. A few things to add. Im not in California. The CA mentioned above was in reference to the Credit Agency. I used CA since the FAQ had used it. Sorry if it lead to confusion. The amount they are trying to get me to pay is below 200 dollars. Its easily doable for me. However, Im not handing money out to anyone I dont know for a bill I didnt generate just because they call saying I owe money. They need to provide me proof I do owe. So, involving a lawyer at that monetary level would cost me more in lawyer fees than the amount they stated on the phone. Im skeptical about paying any amount without seeing proof in writing. A fear i have is that they are trying to scam me and get me to assume another persons much larger debt by stating that its only this small amount. If I paid before seeing proof Im worried that it could be seen as admitting that I owed whatever amount they later decide to claim.  <response>: From what I understand, certain actions can reset the statue of limitations. Im not sure of all the specifics of this, however.After you receive the correspondence, I would send them a letter through certified mail that exercises your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act There are a number of websites that have form letters you can use. If you send them a form letter - especially one that references the statute of limitations - I suspect they will stop bothering with you and move on to someone else.You should also pull a free copy of your credit report to see if this is showing up on your credit report.Finally, Id keep a copy of the written correspondence and any other records you may have. These debts tend to move around from company to company and they each make attempts to collect. 