Radius Global Solutions: check the call is real, then make it prove the bill

In its own notice, Radius said it learned on June 1, 2023 of a vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer application it uses, that cybercriminals had exploited it, and that some documents were accessed. It then reviewed the files and notified the people whose information they contained.

Radius said the files related to collection work for its clients. Breached personal details are exactly what scammers use to sound convincing: your name, an old account, even a real balance. So treat any unexpected call that claims to be Radius with care, especially one pushing for payment by gift card, wire or app.

Check before you pay: use the phone number on Radius's own website or payment portal, (888) 287-5711, and ask for the validation notice in writing. A real collector has to give you validation information. If you received a breach notice, the notice itself explains steps such as credit freezes.

Radius describes its work as collections and early-stage delinquency management for clients. For most people, that means a hospital, a utility, a phone company or a retailer still owns the bill and has placed it with Radius. The notice must name that creditor.

That is useful. If the bill is medical, ask the provider for an itemized bill and check whether insurance was billed. If it is a utility or phone bill, the provider's final statement is your evidence. Our form puts the creditor in the "current owner" field so the letter names it.

A written dispute inside the validation period obliges Radius to stop collecting until it mails verification. You can also ask it to use mail only.

Radius lists several office locations. For a dispute, use the address your notice gives. If it gives none, Radius's headquarters on its website is Radius Global Solutions, LLC, 7505 Metro Blvd, Suite 400, Edina, MN 55439.

Send by certified mail and keep the receipt. If you prefer the online payment portal for paying later, that is separate from disputing: a portal message is not the same as a written dispute with proof of the date.

Thinking about paying Radius? Read whether you should pay a collection agency first, because paying an old or unverified debt can backfire.

The quickest way to make Radius prove the debt is a debt validation letter sent inside the dispute window.

Say Radius mails a validation notice on Tuesday, June 15, 2027 for a $742.90 hospital balance.

1. Juneteenth (June 19) falls on a Saturday in 2027, so it does not change the count. The fifth working day after mailing is Tuesday, June 22, 2027.
2. The dispute period can end no earlier than Thursday, July 22, 2027.
3. Before writing, ask the hospital for an itemized bill and your insurer for the explanation of benefits.
4. Mail the dispute to Radius by certified mail, naming the hospital as the current creditor.

For the rules that apply where this example is set, see debt collection law in Minnesota.