Collections agency help

I know there are a lot of law intelligent individuals on this site so a question for those of you........

I've received a couple of notices and now a couple of phone calls from a collections agency saying they are collecting on behalf of a county in Mississippi for a speeding ticket that I was issued.......back in Jun 1997!!!!! I called the county courthouse to check on the validity of the collection agencies claims and they had my offending speed, the speed limit, date, time, make of the car I owned at the time, and drivers license number I had at the time. I do not remember getting the ticket, I don't remember paying it, I don't remember NOT paying it . It was nineteen and a half years ago! With that much detail, it must have happened. I don't keep record that long so I, obviously, don't have a record of paying it.

It's only $268. Part of me says pay it and let it go. But a larger part of me says not to out of principle. I have never heard anything from the county or anyone else about this over the last 19+ years until recent weeks and now out of blue its at a collections agency. This is not about the amount of money. I've given more than this to local charities over the last 7 weeks. Again, it's about the principle of it.

I checked my credit reports and nothing on there. The drivers license that the ticket is on is three state drivers licenses ago and I haven't had that particular license for about 17 years. Nothing is reported on my current license.

I would remember getting a speeding ticket for 30mph over the limit. My last speeding ticket was back in 2002. That was only for 10 over and I did the school for it so it's not like I go zooming around all of the time irresponsibly. So I think I would certainly remember getting tagged for 30 over.

Anyway.....isn't there a statute of limitations on this stuff and can I really be held liable for a 19 and a half year old speeding ticket that has recently (as in the last couple of months) gone to a collections agency?

Open to thoughts and/or suggestions.

cheers!
Jim

 

So it is. I copied your sentence and googled it. Seems to be a common occurrence. This really sucks because there could be a lot of made up debt out there and "collection agencies" created to scam people.

I'll pay the damn thing. Then the people of that particular county will be able to eat for another month.

 

I called the county and they had all of the information that is valid. Just over 19 years old. Will look up the fair debt collections practices act.

thanks again