First of all - I would never take out a loan without the intention of paying it back. As I stated in my posting, to my knowledge, this debt was paid off years ago. Before AIS contacted me last year, it had been at least 2 years since I paid back all my payday loans. I had not heard from AIS in at least 2 years. They then called and began harassing me. I sent them a validation letter and they never responded. That seems to me to mean that they could NOT validate the debt. If it was a legitimate debt, they would have responded and sent me documentation of the loan and how much was paid back and how much I still owed. Additionally, I was suspicious because it had been so long and because I had already experienced other illegitimate payday loan companies who actually sold my debt to a collector AFTER I HAD ALREADY PAID THEM! I actually ended up paying on one debt twice because I didn't request to validate the debt and did not realize until after it was paid, that I had already paid it to the original creditor.
All AIS had to do was validate the debt and provide me with documentation that I still owed the debt. If true, I would have been more than willing to work out a payment plan or settle the account.
I do not like the implication that some have made that I would actually take this money out and try to escape from my obligations. Also, why would it take AIS over 2 years to contact me and then after I assert my rights and request a validation, would they not respond. You draw your own conclusion.