RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) -
A viewer called 12 On Your Side after receiving notices in the mail claiming they owed money to Verizon--but the company sending the notices was not Verizon. The notices are legitimate and if you received one, you may actually owe money.
The viewer, who did not want to talk on camera, was alarmed after she received a letter in the mail claiming she owed Verizon more than $100. She was sure her account was in good standing. Other viewers who contacted us about getting the letter had similar concerns.
The notices are coming from a company called Convergent Outsourcing, Inc. While the company has nearly 1,000 complaints on file with the Better Business Bureau, Convergent has an A+ rating. Most of those complaints were addressed and closed.
The letters are real and are the result of debt that has been sold by Verizon. In a statement Verizon said, "Convergent Outsourcing does collect on delinquent final accounts purchased from Verizon landline and Verizon Wireless. Questions about correspondence or communications from Convergent should be addressed to Convergent."
Convergent's attorney admits that sometimes mistakes happen and customers may have received one of those notices on accident. He advises before you pay anything to contact the company. Also keep in mind, if you call Verizon, customer service workers won't have any information about unpaid debts that were sold. When you call Convergent, ask for a letter of validation. The company will be able to get the proper documentation from Verizon proving you owe the money.
One red flag for our viewer was that Virginia was not spelled correctly in those letters popping up in the mail. Convergent says it was an honest mistake. If you have questions, you can also visit the company's website.
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