Q: What initial information does the debt collector need to tell me?
A: Within 5 days of the initial contact, the collector must tell you the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor (the person who is owed money), and what to do if you dispute the debt. There are also required disclosures that need to be on the letters.
These disclosures include a statement that they are attempting to collect a debt, a statement that you can request verification of the debt, and, in California, required language by the Rosenthal Fair Debt Collections Practices Act that tells you that they cannot call you after 9pm or before 8am.