<prompt> Human: Hey guys. First time poster. Please correct me if any of this advice is wrong; I am not a financial professional by any sense.I was called by a debt collector this past Friday 3 days ago. They were extremely rude and would only divulge two things: the amount of debt, and who the debt is to. They were trying to collect 2350 for medical bills dating back to 2011. I called back after some research and asked if they own the debt or if they are assigned the debt. They were assigned the debt and gave me the name of the collection agency that assigned them the debt. They were again extremely rude and even personally insulted me a few times while threatening to sue. They repeatedly asked for an address to send a verification of debt. I am not sure if providing them this information I did not would have any negative effects, but I didnt take a chance.The second collections organizations agent was much more cooperative. They gave me the dates and amounts of the charges, and the old home address theyve been sending requests to. They even offered to settle the debt for about 300 less than the total 2350 they were trying to collect from me. They, too, were assigned the debt, rather than owned. This is very important, because I am now able to speak with the doctors office about the amount, and maybe even try to negotiate a lower consolidating payment. I agreed to speak with the collections agent the following week after I weight my options.Keep in mind, my research revealed several courses of action from claiming the debt is past the statute of limitations to requesting a validation of debt in hopes that they had lost the necessary proof.I finally got in touch with the billing depart of the doctors office whom I am indebted to. They looked up my profile and saw that the 2350 bill was not what was billed to me, but what is the full amount billed to the insurance company, and that I am only responsible for about 300 of it. That 300 was sent to the collections agency - turns out they were attempting to collect a completely wrong amount.I requested that the option to pay the doc office directly instead of the agencies, but to first send me an email that provides a paper trail of how much I owe, and a promise to notify the collections agency.The email is being drafted up now and thanks to necessary homework, I am about to pay 300 of what could have been a surprise 2000 bill. Do your research.EDIT: Users are advising to not tell them anything at all. Use certified mail for all communications. I suggest reading into the rpersonalfinance wiki on the subject, as well as other free resources around Google. Good luck.EDIT II: There seems to be bit of a misconception based on a few comments Ive seen in this thread. This is not a how-to on not paying your legitimate debts. I have perfect credit all of my debts have been paid on time andor in full. This is a warning that if, for whatever reason, something slips through the cracks and you receive a call from an intimidating debt collector, know that you are in a sensitive situation and be properly advised on your future actions. Many suggest doing all business in writing. Research your response.While this seems like common sense, its extremely useful information. I could have panicked and forked over 2500 over to an asshole on the phone yes I verified they are legit. I instead found that this amount is mistaken and just paid 319 to my doctors office. I could have disputed some of the charges, but for ethical reason and convenience, I paid in full.Both debt organization have recognized that the debt is paid and have closed my accounts. I cant believe how well this whole situation turned out.  <response>: Never give out any information to anybody over the phone for any reason.Never respond to information requests you receive in the mail unless its from an entity that has a legitimate need for the information and where disclosing it is in your best interest, or there is a legal requirement to respond. If you get legal-looking papers, show it to your lawyer and do nothing untilunless your lawyer says you should. DO NOT TELL A DEBT COLLECTOR ANYTHING. EVER. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO HELP HANG YOURSELF. 