Table of Contents
What is IC System?
IC System is an accounts receivable management firm founded in 1938 and headquartered outside of St. Paul, Minnesota. The company provides businesses with two debt recovery programs, as well as the following services: 1
- Settlement
- Credit monitoring
- Credit listing
- Non-litigation attorney referral
- Litigation referral
Both of its debt recovery programs focus on sending letters and making phone calls to debtors.
Who does IC System collect for?
IC System collects for both public and private organizations, including government agencies. Specifically, they collect debts for the following types of companies: 2
- Small businesses
- Medical institutions (including for dentistry, optometry, and chiropractic medicine)
- Government agencies
- Financial institutions
- Utility and telecom companies
- Retailers
- Educational institutions
- Rental companies
- Legal companies
- Veterinary medicine clinics
- Pest control companies
Is IC System a scam?
No, IC System is not a scam. They’re a legitimate, nationally licensed debt collection agency with the following accolades and accreditations: 3
- HIPAA compliant
- PCI DSS compliant
- Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited
- SOC 2 Type II Certified
- S2Score “Excellent” Security
- 2021 BBB Torch Award for Ethics
- insideARM (iA) 2021 winner: Best Place to Work in Collections
- StarTribune top workplaces 2017–2021
Note that these accolades don’t mean that IC System is guaranteed to always behave ethically. Although the company has an A+ rating with the BBB, IC System had 932 complaints publicly filed on the BBB’s website between December 2019 and December 2021. 4 They’ve also faced multiple class-action lawsuits for violating consumers’ federal rights. 5 6
Moreover, even though IC System is a legitimate company, fraudsters may still use their name to try to get payments from you. Never pay a debt collector before confirming the amount you owe (and whether you have any debt in the first place).
VIDEO: IC System in 2 Minutes—Fix Your Credit Report & Know Your Rights
How to stop IC System from calling you
IC System will call, email, or mail you if they believe you have an unsettled debt. The reason debt collectors like these are calling you is simple—they want to pressure you into paying up.
Unfortunately, IC System representatives will keep trying to contact you unless you pay the debt, prove that it doesn’t belong to you, or reach an agreement with them (or with your original creditor).
Don’t ignore debt collectors like IC System—in the end, you may get sued, and you may even have your wages garnished. It’s smarter to engage with them tactically to ensure you don’t have to pay, or that you get the best deal you can.
To begin, you can get IC System to stop calling you—at least temporarily—by sending them something called a debt verification letter.
Send a debt verification letter
A debt verification letter is a formal request that obligates a debt collector to provide further evidence of a debt. You must send it within 30 days of them first contacting you. Note that IC System should have sent you a debt validation letter proving you owe the debt first, as it’s required by law.
Benefits of sending a debt verification letter
Sending a debt verification letter has three benefits:
- You’ll prevent IC System from calling you during this period: When you send a debt verification letter, third-party debt collection agencies like IC System are required by law to stop contacting you until they can provide evidence that you actually owe the debt they’re trying to collect. 7
- You’ll get more information about the debt: You should never pay a debt that you don’t recognize. Forcing IC System to provide documentation will help you determine whether this is a legitimate debt that you actually need to pay. It’s an easy way of figuring out if the debt collector is a scam agency.
- You may successfully disown the debt: If IC System can’t provide more information about the debt (which is frequently the case), then they have no choice but to delete it from your records.
Beware the statute of limitations
The verification materials that you receive may show that your debt has passed the statute of limitations. This is a legal limit that means the debt is too old for IC System to sue you over, at which point it’s known as time-barred debt.
If this is the case, you can send IC System a letter telling them to stop contacting you. Legally, they’ll have to abide by that.
The statute of limitations on most debts is between 3 and 6 years, but the exact amount of time depends on several factors, including the state you live in. The best approach is to check your state attorney general’s website and email their office if the information you’re looking for isn’t available online.
How to remove IC System from your credit report
If your credit score is suffering as a result of IC System debt, there are three ways to recover:
1. Dispute the debt with all three credit bureaus
You should immediately dispute the debt if it isn’t yours. You can also dispute debts that are older than 7 years (measured from the date of your first missed payment)—by law, they’re supposed to fall off your credit report by then.
To dispute a debt for free, send a credit dispute letter to the credit bureaus that are showing IC System on your credit report.
To find out which credit bureaus you need to send the letter to, request your free credit report from each of the major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) at AnnualCreditReport.com. If they don’t respond to your dispute within 30–45 days, then they’re legally obligated to remove the item in question.
2. Negotiate with IC System
Unfortunately, if the debt is legitimate and it’s less than 7 years old, removing IC System from your credit report will be very difficult (although not impossible).
Your best move at this point is to simply pay the debt. Newer credit scoring models ignore paid-off collection accounts, which means paying off your collection will boost your credit score even if you can’t remove the item.
However, when you pay, there are two negotiation strategies you can try as a last-ditch attempt to remove IC System from your credit report:
- Pay for delete: You might be able to convince IC System to remove the negative mark in exchange for paying off the debt. You can open these negotiations by sending them a pay-for-delete letter.
- Goodwill deletion: This is an alternate strategy you can try after paying your debt. Once the account is paid off, you can send IC System a goodwill letter asking them to empathize with your situation and remove the mark from your credit report as an act of kindness.
3. Wait 7 years for IC System to fall off of your credit report
Unfortunately, most collection accounts will stay on your credit report for 7 years after your first missed payment. Even if you pay off your debt to IC System, it will remain on your credit report.
Learn more about IC System’s impact on your credit score:
- How many points will my credit score increase after I pay off collections?
- How to rebuild your credit after having a debt sent to collections
How to deal with IC System harassment
Unless you tell them not to, IC System will keep contacting you until you pay off or settle your debt. However, there are restrictions on how they can go about doing this.
Restrictions on IC System
When attempting to collect payments from you, IC System must adhere to the regulations specified in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. This is a federal law that prevents debt collectors from engaging in harassment or predatory behavior, such as lying to you or calling you incessantly or at unreasonable hours.
IC System representatives also need to follow the rules set out in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with these laws so that you can take action against IC System if they do something illegal.
Can I sue IC System for harassment?
Yes, you can sue IC System for harassment. If you can show that they’ve violated your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, then you can collect $1,000 in statutory damages for each violation as well as payment for any damages that you’ve sustained as a result of their violation. IC System will also have to pay your attorney fees and court costs.
How to file a complaint against IC System
If a debt collector violates your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or does something illegal, then you can report them to the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or your state attorney general. From there, you’ll be able to find out whether you can also sue IC System.
Another option is filing a complaint on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website, but this might not have the outcome you’re hoping for. Bear in mind that the BBB is actually a private organization that has no affiliation with the US government. They’ll forward your complaint to IC System, but there’s no guarantee that the agency will address it in a satisfactory manner. What’s more, if your dispute is sent to an arbitrator, then you may give up your right to take IC System to court.
Should you pay IC System?
You should only pay a collection agency like IC System if you’re certain the debt is yours and you owe it. If you’re struggling financially and can’t afford to pay this debt collector, you can get help from a non-profit credit counselor.
